How can we learn to desire God’s will for our life more than our deepest desires? Julie explains.
“For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).
My son, Ryan, is an only child. In his 20s he developed a friendship With one who was as close as a brother. Ryan and this friend spent all of their time together and were amazingly alike.
However, at the age of 26, his friend was in a very serious motorcycle accident. We prayed. We had friends and family pray. But after two weeks in the hospital his friend died.
Why–with so many people praying–did God take his life? Why couldn’t an army of prayer warriors change God’s will?
There are examples of others in the Bible who prayed earnestly and did not get the answer they had hoped for. King David fasted and prayed for God to spare his infant son’s life, but God chose not to.
Even Jesus, the Son of God, had to surrender to God’s will when He prayed. We see in Matthew 26:39 that Jesus prayed that if it was at all possible that He would not have to die on the cross.
“Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me.'” But we see Jesus surrendering to the Father in the words that follow, saying, “Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Jesus did not have to surrender His life.
He chose to, as we see in John 10:17-18. “I lay down My life–only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.”
Just like the Son of God, we should always seek God’s will over our own. God may choose to heal. But prayer should align our will with His will, and we need to be open to God’s perfect plan for our life.
Prayer: Father, it is so hard to surrender my will to Yours. Help me to accept any answer You give to my prayers, whether it be yes, no, or wait. I want to follow Jesus’ example and say, “not as I will, but as You will.” Amen.
About the author:
Julie Buckley was diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disease in 1995 (scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and polymyositis) along with fibromyalgia. She lives in the midwest with her husband and has a grown son. She also has a blog site called “Healthy Souls,” which encourages Christians to grow stronger through their physical weakness, http://jabuckle.wordpress.com/
Do you use prayer to make God your genie to grant your wishes, or do you earnestly desire what He thinks is best for you?
This is Avalon singing “All.” The lyrics share how we really can feel a difference deep in our heart when we completely–completely–surrender. Sometimes it is not a choice that we really even make, but rather we are placed in circumstances when we feel we have not an ounce of power left and we finally completely surrender it over to God. Hope this is a blessing for you, especially if you are going through this right now. Hugs, -Lisa
Chronic Illness Pain Daily Devotionals 