Praying God's Will

 1 John 5:14-15 NIV

¹⁴ And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.

This is the daily verse that greeted me this morning. It was, as a spiritually mature friend pointed out, an invitation to me. It could be dangerous to my heart if I misinterpreted it. It’s so easy to take verses out of context, or not read them thoroughly.

This word from God has a caveat: what we ask must be according to his will. So how will I know his will? Looking to Jesus who lived God’s will. Spoke God’s will. Prayed God’s will. Obeyed God’s will. I believe the book of Hebrews says Jesus is the expressed image of God. If I want to know God the Father, and what he is like, I need to lock my gaze on Jesus. Jesus spoke much on many topics, but one statement stands out among the many. When asked what the work (and by extension, his will) of God was, his reply was, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he sent.” John 6:29, NIV.

In another place, Jesus indicated all the Law and the prophets were summed up in ³⁴ When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, ³⁵ and one of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶ “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” ³⁷ He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the greatest and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:34-40 NRSV. Again, this sounds like a clear indication of God’s will for us.

I have been challenged about something I have built my life on and I am disturbed by it. A firm foundation is shaking and it shouldn’t. I have lived most of my life on the belief transformation is not only possible but required as a response to God’s grace and salvation. That Jesus didn’t just die so we might be forgiven and continue living as we did before our conversion to faith in our Savior.

I remember listening to someone who believed and taught that since we were forgiven, we could live any way we wanted. It was paid for. It was all forgiven. He included sexual activity in his teaching. I felt such a huge check in my heart and challenged him with New Testament scriptures, but his argument was if Jesus didn’t mention anything negative then it was okay. The rest was all just opinions of men. I have to agree, some parts of the epistles seem to be opinions, and in one place Paul even admits what he is writing is his opinion only, but you cannot throw out the baby with the bathwater. Much is inspired teaching we strive to live by, that’s why the letters have been read and taught in the Church since the first century. There are nuggets of genuine truth we ignore at our peril in terms of the spiritual growth and well-being God desires for us.

When I turned to Jesus for deliverance from addictions, he answered with freedom in a huge way. There was no ambiguity, no confusion, no delay. It was a life-changing event. And it was all by his power and grace. All I could do was be willing. I had no part other than that and I was set free. I have never looked back with the desire to drink or do drugs for almost forty years. And more importantly, I have never judged those who are trapped in the insanity of alcoholism and drug addiction. I have nothing but compassion. The adage, “There but the grace of God go I” is something I believe with all my heart. It is an honest admission I had no power to get sober, and I still have no power to stay sober. I know deep within I am one drink away from a drunk, and that keeps me ever humble. Just one drink.

But he wasn’t finished with me. There was so much brokenness in my life. Broken mind, broken heart, broken soul, spirit, and body. To have left me that way would have shown a lack of love that is beyond comprehension. No, he took me as I was and began a total renovation. I’m not a Humpty Dumpty that is merely pieced together. I was made a new creation, though that creation shows scars left from years of brokenness. My scars are there to keep me identifiable for others who are seeking and see someone who isn’t perfect yet accepted by God. It’s an invitation to come toward a representative of the Lord who can understand brokenness and wounding and be compassionate, not judging. Presenting the character of Jesus as best as I am able to display it. 

I didn’t ask to change in the beginning. I just responded to the leading of the Holy Spirit. And, again, I had no idea where I was headed. To be totally honest, I was afraid. I knew I was powerless to change and I only knew that lifestyle after so many years. How could I walk away from all I knew? It was like Abraham being told to leave all he knew and go to an unknown land just because God told him in his obedience his descendants would be blessed. The power to walk away did not come from me. Left on my own, it wouldn’t have happened. But I became willing when God laid on my heart I needed to change. All I wanted was to please him, to return the love he was showering on me. My whole being was in tune with him and the most improbable things were made possible by his amazing grace.

I know transformation is possible and my message is to believe the One who the Father sent. He will give you wisdom. He will transform you. I am seeking wisdom and I know this current shaking will end with a deeper knowledge of God's will for me. He doesn't leave his children in the dark. He is the Light of the world.