Not yet...

"Prayer is how we partner with God in doing what He wants done."  Ron and Mary Bennett

God answers prayer.  Sometimes the answer is "yes",  sometimes "no", and sometimes "not yet."  I think the hardest answer for us to deal with is "not yet".  Why does God sometimes delay in answering? Why does God sometimes make us wait? His word says to "pray without ceasing" but does that mean that we should pray the same thing over and over again?  Perhaps.  When we continue in prayer, even for the same thing, we are increasing our trust and dependence on Him.  We are also learning to listen to Him.  As we persist, He works in our hearts and teaches us to desire what is good and right.  He changes us and our desires into His image and His desires.  We must remember this:  "Prayer is how we partner with God in doing what He wants done."  It is not getting God to do what we want...

We must also remember that prayer is much more than making requests of God for things and situations that we want changed.  Prayer involves several things that we can easily remember through the acronym ACTS. 

The "A" stands for adoration or worship.  We should always come before Him proclaiming who He is and giving Him the praise He deserves.  We should come to a time of prayer with a worshipful heart so that our focus begins with Him, not ourselves.  God's word says, "You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."  James 4:2-3 (NIV)

The "C" stands for confession.  We must confess anything that would stand between us and the Lord.  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  1 John 1:9 (NASB)

The "T" stands for thanksgiving.  We should practice daily thankfulness, thankfulness for who God is, for how He loves us, for all He's given us.  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."  Philippians 4:6 (NASB)

And finally, the "S" stands for supplication. The definition of supplication is: to make a humble entreaty, especially to pray to God.  (Merriam-Webster) This is where we lay our requests before the Lord.  When we lay our requests before the Lord,  we leave them in His hands to do with as He wills.  We won't always get the answers we want; sometimes what we want isn't what is best.  God always promises our ultimate good.  When we learn to trust Him even when we don't understand or don't get what we want, then we have entered true communion with Him, then we know that God's "not yet" is what is good, and right, and best for us without a doubt...  And this is where we learn that "Prayer is how we partner with God in doing what He wants done."

"Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again."  James 5:16-18 (The Message)

Dear Lord,  Let us learn and grow in You through our prayer lives.  Let us hear Your voice and trust Your will that whatever happens in this life will ultimately be what is best for our lives and the lives of those around us.

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Get Serious

James 4 (The Message)

Get Serious

 ^1-2Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.  ^2-3You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
 ^4-6You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble."
 ^7-10So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.
 ^11-12Don't bad-mouth each other, friends. It's God's Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You're supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?

Nothing but a Wisp of Fog

 ^13-15And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, "Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we're off to such and such a city for the year. We're going to start a business and make a lot of money." You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, "If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that."  ^16-17As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don't do it, that, for you, is evil.

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On Earth as it is in Heaven

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."  Romans 8:26-27 (ESV)

Sometimes it is difficult to know "how" to pray.  We know what we want.  We know what we think we need. But we don't know His will.  How can we pray as we ought if we do not know His will.  I truly think most people are confused about the purpose of prayer.  Our prayers will never change God's purposes, but they can change the way He accomplishes those purposes.  His will is always of the utmost importance, not ours.  We often pray for what we think is best but we really have no idea what is best (although we think we do).  We are guilty of trying to manipulate God into doing things our way.  Many people have this mentality:  My way or the highway!  People get angry with God when He can't be bullied into doing what they want.  They don't realize that His will is the only will that counts.

"We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God's purpose prevails."   Proverbs 19:21 (The Message)  If God's purposes will always prevail, then we should be praying for His purposes, His will.  We should also be praying to be used by God to bring about His purposes.  If we do not know what His will is,  then we must trust that the Holy Spirit does and that the "groanings too deep for words" that He employs in us describe the depths of our desires as well as the breadth of God's will.  Our job is to trust God.  Our job is to be obedient.  Our job is to pray for His will to be done and to be available to be used for His purposes.

So then, we need to "let go" of our own will!  We are all strong willed children and God wants us to offer up our strong wills to Him.  He doesn't want us to become mealy mouthed door mats; He wants us to become new creatures in Christ being conformed to His image.  As it says in Romans 8:28-30, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified."  (ESV)

Dear Lord, Help us to know Your will and to give up our own.  Use us to accomplish Your purposes in Your time and teach us how to pray,  "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."

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Man's Plans - God's Will

"The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9 (NASB)

We all have plans and plans can definitely be good. But our plans need to be within His will. How do we accomplish having plans that are within His will? In James 4:13-16 it says, "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." (ESV)

There are several things we can be sure of. First, Life is complex. With all of the things we do and say everyday, the decisions we make, the people we meet, the activities and goals we all have, we must agree that it is extremely complex and that danger can lurk at every turn. Perhaps the dangers are not always physical. They can be mental, emotional, and spiritual as well. This could paralyze us with fear but "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) Apart from the will of God, life can be confusing and difficult to navigate and understand, but when you know Him and seek to do His will, things begin to fall into place. The world begins to make sense and everyday things take on new meaning. You can relax knowing that you are no longer in charge of this big, confusing, complex world (not that you ever were!). He is. I find that a tremendous relief! Don't you?

The second thing you can be sure of is that this life is very uncertain. Proverbs 27:1 says, "Don't brashly announce what you're going to do tomorrow; you don't know the first thing about tomorrow." (The Message) In James chapter 4, these people were making plans for a whole year when they didn't even know what tomorrow would bring. The parable in Luke 12:16-21 speaks to this. "And he told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully,' and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." (ESV) We do not know the length of our days; that is something we have to entrust to the Lord. He is not uncertain about our futures. He holds them in the palm of His hands. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'" Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)

The third thing we need to keep in mind is that life is brief. Job 8:9 says, "For we were born only yesterday and know nothing, and our days on earth are but a shadow." (NIV) God wants us to number our days. "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 (ESV) Warren Weirsbe says, "Since life is so brief, we cannot afford merely to 'spend our lives'; and we certainly do not want to 'waste our lives.' We must invest our lives in those things that are eternal."

Finally, we must understand the frailty of man. In verse 16 of James chapter 4, it says, "As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." We boast because we want to cover up our weakness and frailty. Deep down inside we all know how frail and weak and brief and uncertain and complex this life is and it scares us to death. Our boasting is sin, pure and simple, because when we boast we set ourselves up as God in our own lives. Quite frankly, that scares me more than anything else! Me as God? That is not a pretty picture...

So how do we know what the will of God is? He reveals His will in His Word but we choose to ignore it. In the Bible, God gives us directions for this life. "God gives us precepts, principles, and promises that can guide us in every area of life. Knowing and obeying the Word of God is the surest way to success." (Warren Weirsbe)

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success." Joshua 1:8 (NASB)

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Psalm 1:3 (KJV)

Dear Lord, Help us to learn Your will through Your Word. Help us not to ignore the directions You have given us but instead make us hunger and thirst after Your righteousness. Please Lord, let us let You be God in our lives and as we make our plans let it always be "Lord willing"...

What is the Motivation of your Heart?

Jesus knows our motivations. He knows the reasons for everything we do...and don't do. We cannot hide them from Him. We need to work on making our motivations the same as His. Left to our own devices, our motivations will always be selfish. We want to orchestrate things in such a way that the outcome suits us and benefits us. We are less concerned with those around us when we are in our natural, selfish state. We need to move out of that natural, selfish state and into His will. If we can move away from our will and toward His will, then we will begin to have pure motives.

"...then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men),..." 1 Kings 8:39 (NIV)

"Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?" Luke 5:22 (NIV)

"He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man." John 2:25 (NIV)

"To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue. All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:1-3 (NIV)

"Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God." 1 Corinthians 4:5 (NASB)

"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James 4:3 (NIV)

The Bible speaks a great deal about the motivations of the heart. I think that changing our heart motivation from ours to His will be one of the most important breakthroughs in how we walk this life of faith.

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2 (NASB)

"Create in me a clean heart, O God,and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10 (ESV)

Dear Lord, Bring our hearts into alignment with Yours to the point where our motivation is the same as Your motivation. Help us to know you better, Lord, through the power of Your word so that we may know what Your will is, Your good, and acceptable, and perfect will. And help us to commit all we do to You.