PRAYING TO RELINQUISH
Matthew 6:10
Let go and let God. Surrender. It is never easy. But at the heart of prayer is the realization that God has a will that we may not understand or perhaps do not like, but we find ourselves coming and inquiring and asking about it. We are not merely asking about it but finding the resolve and strength to ask for a heart willing to yield to His plans and purposes.
Prayer is about surrender. Jesus was consumed with one thing as He walked on earth; He came to do the will of His Father. Psalm 40 foretold it was written of him whose ear would be pierced and dug as a bondservant that the scroll written about Him recorded that “He delighted to do Thy Will.” One asks if it should be any different for His followers.
It only makes sense that after we hallow His name and ask for the presence of His kingdom in our lives and on earth that we would express a desire for His will to be accomplished. If He is the Father in heaven and in control of all things, then there is every reason why we would desire to do His will and see it accomplished.
Prayer is the means by which we grow in our faith to the point where we lay all that we are on His altar and yield the totality of ourselves, and our wills to the will of our Heavenly Father. We relinquish control. But we don’t always enjoy doing that do we? While it is not an easy task, it is an essential task. As Paul beseeched the Romans in chapter 12, we accomplish this only by His mercies. Thankfully, they are new every morning!
So how do we pray for God’s will to come. We humbly admit our complete dependence upon God’s Spirit and Word to make that clear. First, we ask God to define His will for us. This is most clearly found by reading His Word, hearing Him speak through His Word, and asking His Spirit to enable us to obey. Second, we ask that God would transform hearts and minds to surrender to His will and discover the joy of submission. God’s will is not being done on the earth as it is in Heaven. If it were, there would be no teenage rebellion against parents. There would be no gangs and criminal activity. There would be no murder and abortion. There would be no lying and deception. There would be love, joy, and peace in our lives and the world.
When we pray that God’s will be done on the earth as it is in Heaven, we are praying that lives will be brought into perfect conformity to His revealed will. I am yielding all I have and all I am to the hand of the Potter. In this we see the power of the gospel that saves us and transforms us daily as we die to self and find life in Christ. It all begins with a prayer to relinquish control to Him!
Pastor Chris Thompson