Your Will Be Done (John 18:1-11)

Today's scripture: John 18:1-11

As soon as Jesus finished His prayer—His prayer for His disciples, His prayer for us—He went to the garden ... to pray again. Luke tells us Jesus "knelt down and began to pray, saying, 'Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.'" Then we're told that, "being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground" (22:41-44).

Prayer. Jesus—God Himself—prayed ... often. It was a crucial discipline for Him. His prayers illustrate two things for us:

First, He always prayed for the Father's will. No matter His own desire, He wanted the Father's will above all else. This is how we're to pray, as well: "If the Lord wills ..."

Second, God doesn't always answer our prayers the way we want, but He always answers our prayers. You've probably heard how God answers either yes, no, or wait. In Jesus' case, God answered both no and yes. What? you ask. Read Jesus' prayer from Luke again. He asked for the "cup to pass" and for the Father's will.

The Father answered no to the first and yes to the second. Because Jesus was confident that the Father would do what He willed, Jesus was able to calmly handle the next few moments. Judas' betrayal. Healing Malchus' ear. Being arrested.

He knew the Father's will was perfect, so He was able to "drink the cup" the Father gave Him.

We can learn so much from Jesus, and this is a wonderful lesson: If we pray for God's will in all things, we can be assured He'll always answer that prayer with a resounding yes.

Asking and Receiving (John 14:7-15)

Today's scripture: John 14:7-15

We've often talked about how Jesus claimed His divinity. He stated clearly that He and the Father are one. These verses also confirm this. But that's not what I want to focus on today.

Verses 13-14 give promises that I believe are often taken out of context, both in this passage and throughout the Bible. Jesus states, "Ask, and I will do whatever you ask ... I will do whatever you ask me to do" (John 14:13-14, CEV). So, people say, "Okay, Jesus. I ask for this or for that." Then they don't get what they ask for, and they say, "See Jesus isn't who He says He is. Either He doesn't exist, or He's a liar."

What they don't understand is what else the Bible says about our asking.

First, they can look at verse 15, where Jesus says, "If you love me, you will do as I command" (John 14:15, CEV). How many people really read God's word and follow Jesus' commandments? Do they really live as Jesus did? Do they avoid sin?

Second, elsewhere in the Bible, we're given more instructions about how we're to ask for anything. We need to "ask without any doubting" (James 1:5).

Most importantly, we need to ask for God's will. Later in James, we read we're to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that" (4:15).

God is a loving, caring, compassionate Father, and He loves to give His children good things (Matthew 7:11). He wants to give us the desires of our hearts. Two verses that many of us memorize (and I have to say, they are among my favorites) are Psalms 37:4-5. Again, however, we sometimes hone in on the promise but neglect the commands. Yes, God will give us the desires of our hearts, but we're to delight in Him, which means we're to find in Him our greatest joy. We're also to commit our ways to Him, which means we're to surrender everything to Him. Finally, we're to trust in Him, giving everything, including our own wills, to Him.

Yes, Jesus will answer our prayers. Yes, He will give us what we ask for. But only if follow His commandments, if we ask in God's will, if we delight in Him, if we surrender to Him, and if we trust Him to fulfill His purpose in and through us.

Seeking God's Will (John 5:30)

Today's scripture: John 5:30

Jesus is God. He is part of what we call the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. One God manifested in three Persons.

The Son came to earth to be the once-for-all sacrifice to provide salvation, and while He was on earth, He worked in perfect unity with the Father.

According to one commentary, Jesus is saying in today's verses, "I am the Son that can do nothing separate from the Father, and contrary to his will, but do all things in conjunction with him; who sees all that he does, by being in him, and co-operating with him, and do the selfsame. I am the Son to whom the Father shows, and by whom he does, all he does; and to whom he will show, and by whom he will do, as a co-efficient with him, greater works than what, as yet, he has done ..." Jesus did not "seek to gratify his own will, as distinct from his Father's, or in opposition to it; for he had no private end to answer, or separate interest, or advantage to pursue ..." (John Gill's Exposition of the Bible).

Now, we are not God ... far from it! However, we can learn from how the Son worked with the Father. We too should do "nothing on [our] own initiative." We should "not seek [our] own will." Instead, we should always seek God's will.

We have choices to make every day. Some are minor; some are life-changing. Before we head down any path, we need to seek God's will. We need to align ourselves with Him and, just as Jesus did, not try to do anything on our own.

So, as you head down whatever path that's in front of you today, pray for God's leading. Pray for His will. Follow His path.

Ask In His Will (1 John 5:14-5)

Today's scripture: 1 John 5:14-15

So many people look to verses like Matthew 7:7-9 and say they’ll get anything they ask for, and then when the answer is “no,” they claim God isn’t who the Bible says He is.

And then there’s the “name it and claim it” gospel. People name what they want, claiming it’ll happen. Again, when the answer is “no,” many turn away from God because they don’t get the answer to prayer they want.

If only they’d read verses like today’s. John is very, very clear that we need to ask “according to His will.” We are not God (I know, that surprises some of you!). We don’t see the whole picture. Only He knows how everything works together.

So when we pray, we need to always—always—ask for His will. And the beauty of it is, we can ask for anything. Absolutely anything. He will hear us in “whatever we ask.” But when we ask in His will, “we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”

When we’re walking intimately with our Father and Lord, we begin to seek His plan, His will. And as we do so, our prayers begin to echo His desires for us.

That’s why it’s impossible to be in true relationship with God and live in habitual sin. Because living in sin is not God’s will for us. Instead, we become more and more aware of our sinful behavior. And when we do fall into our sinful habits, we confess much more quickly.

Because we want to be in His will. And we want Him to only do those things in us and through us that are His will.

And when we do ask? We can be confident that whatever He answers is right and good.

Prayer ... (2 Cor. 1:8-11)

For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.
(2 Corinthians 1:8-11, NASB)

Prayer is, for me at least, a great mystery. If God is omniscient, knowing all things, then He already knows what I’m going to pray before I even pray it. So why do we pray?

I think it’s because it keeps our focus on God and His will. We pray for healing or provision or strength, and we seek God’s will in each situation. We trust that He’ll do exactly what is right as He sees right. We hope in His sovereignty, knowing that all things will work out for His glory and our good (Romans 8:28).

Another reason we pray is because, when we’re praying for others, we think of them rather than ourselves. And it often puts things into perspective. When I pray for a friend with cancer, I realize how blessed I am, even with my daily aches and pains. When I’m reminded of a need for financial provision, I remember that God has given me a home and money in the bank to take care of my daily needs.

Prayer is still a mystery to me, but I pray. I pray for God’s will in all things. I pray that my friends and family will find peace, will be provided for, and will be protected.

I pray for those who serve God full time. I pray for those who don’t yet know my Lord. I pray for our government, for our nation … for our world.

And I pray for you.

Exhortations ... and Encouragement (1 Cor. 4:19-21)

But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power. What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?
(1 Corinthians 4:19-21, NASB)

When I meditate on these three verses, I see words of both exhortation and encouragement.

The first exhortation, although I don’t know if Paul meant it that way, is that we’re to plan within God’s will. Paul writes, “I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills …” Paul made plans to visit the Christians at Corinth. He may have already packed his bags. But he knew that he would only arrive if God willed it.

We need to do the same. We can certainly make plans. The Bible tells us to plan (see Luke 14:28), but we always need to ask for God’s will (see James 4:13-15).

The second exhortation is that we need to treat each other with “love and a spirit of gentleness.” You’ve probably heard the old adage, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Whenever we interact with others—believers or not—we should do so lovingly, compassionately, and gently. Even if we’re reproving someone for sin, we still need to show Christ-like love.

Finally, I’m greatly encouraged to remember how powerful our God is. He is greater than anything this world can throw our way. He loves us unconditionally, and He is with us always.

These days, it’s easy to think that the enemy is winning. Corruption. Perversion. Wars (and rumors of wars). Natural disasters. Disregard for others. Pain. Suffering.

It’s a mess. But we can be assured that our powerful God—Father, Son, and Spirit—is in control. And we can be assured that “greater is He who is in [us] than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

If I Perish ... (Est. 4:15-17)

Esther sent a message to Mordecai, saying, "Bring together all the Jews in Susa and tell them to go without eating for my sake! Don't eat or drink for three days and nights. My servant girls and I will do the same. Then I will go in to see the king, even if it means I must die." Mordecai did everything Esther told him to do.
(Esther 4:15-17, CEV)

Yes, Esther has been given a seemingly impossible choice. Saving herself or saving her people. There doesn't see to be a way that both will be saved.

But she does make a choice: She will risk her own life to save those of her people.

She doesn’t do it in a vacuum, though. She uses the best weapon in her arsenal: Prayer. When she asks Mordecai to tell the people to fast for three days, she doesn’t mean just to stop eating. Throughout the Bible, fasting is connected with prayer.

For example, when Nehemiah heard of the destruction of Jerusalem’s wall, he “was fasting and praying before the God of heaven" (Neh. 1:4). Daniel also “gave [his] attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes” (Dan. 9:3).

When we fast, we focus on God instead of our hunger. And so Esther asks for her people to focus on Jehovah—the unnamed presence in our story.

She fasts, focuses on God, and prays for His will, even if that will is for her to perish (NKJV).