After this manner therefore, pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  Matthew 6:9-10  KJV

In Sunday school we are half way through a six week series on prayer.  A little over a year ago someone told me that they didn’t know why we pray.  I mean God knows what we are thinking, he knows what we need, he knows what we want, so why pray?  Well, I like to talk, and even though my parents knew what I needed and wanted, I still talked to them and told them my every little desire.  I like the way my pastor simplifies it-reading the Bible is when God talks to us through His Word, praying is when we talk to Him.  You can’t really have an intimate relationship with someone without good, open communication, right?  If you are trying to run your marriage without communication, then I bet it’s causing some problems, just sayin’.

Now, I pray and I pray often.  I have learned the hard way, that God’s direction is where I want to be headed.  I know that He wants what is best for me and if I have sense enough to listen to Him and allow Him to guide me that all things will work out for my good and His glory (Romans 8:28-30).  I’ve told you before, I’m a slow learner, but I finally got it.

But the hardest thing I have ever prayed is “Thy will be done”.  When my heart is breaking and I come to God and want him to fix it my way, the last thing I want to say is “Thy will be done”.  I want my will to be done.  When my dad was dying of kidney failure and no longer wanted to continue his dialysis treatments, I got down on my knees and cried out to God to heal him.  I just wanted a few more months, a few more years.  I just wanted my Dad to not leave me.  So to say, “God please heal him and allow him to stay here with us if it be your will” was the toughest prayer I have ever prayed.  It was not God’s will to heal him on earth.  God had saved my Dad and he had been baptized five years prior.  So, I knew that my Dad would be healed and made whole when he went to meet with God, his heavenly father.  I was happy for my  Dad, but oh so sad for me.  I still miss him, but I praise God for his salvation and I praise God that I know that he went to be with Him in heaven.

Sometimes God’s will is very different from our own.  So if it’s gonna be God’s way anyway, why pray?  Well, I pray for direction.  You see if I don’t pray about something then I have no idea how God wants me to handle it.  When I prayed to God about my dad, I could see my dad’s health failing each day.  I knew that God was calling him home.

Sometimes God’s answer is yes and sometimes he works things out even better than we had planned.  When I pray and I pray for God’s will to be done, I am actually praying that he make His will known to me.  I am asking for that open communication to give me the wisdom to understand what he wants me to do.

I had two really great trips planned for this year.  My husband and I had planned this really nice week long getaway to the beach for May.  I had planned several months ahead and had saved money for this trip.  Little things started going wrong.  Then suddenly, two household items broke which took away our savings for the trip.  We were still able to go, but we had to make a much shorter trip.  No problem, we stayed closer to home and stayed only 3 days, but we had a wonderful time and some much needed R and R.  I had also planned a great trip for this December.  I continued to have financial difficulty with one thing after another breaking. Each month I was spending between 300.00-1200.00 in repairs.  Needless to say, I prayed to God to please guard my finances in order to make this trip possible, but the breakdowns continued.  I met with my friend last week and found that she has been experiencing the same thing.  Coincidence?  Did I tell you that I don’t believe in coincidence.  No, we had to stop and consider that God was telling us that this is not the right time for this trip.

Allow me to summarize by saying this.  We need to be in God’s will.  God’s will is perfect, His timing is perfect, even if it doesn’t seem that way to us at the time. I am not proud to say that I have gone against God’s will before and it has not worked out well.  I have learned that doing what God leads me to do will make everything work out for my good.  We are able to discern God’s will for our lives through Bible reading and prayer which draws us into that close, intimate relationship with Him.  This is the best possible place for us to be.  This puts us under His protective wings.

Now, I don’t know about you, but as for me, I’m sticking with God.  I am going to curl up under His shelter and His protection and I’m going to do what He tells me to do. I know that God blesses me when I do this.  He wants to bless you too.  So if you understand nothing else about God, understand this.  His will is perfect.  He knows what your future holds and He wants the best for you.  But in order for you to access this, you must be in His will.  So when you pray, pray that His will be done in your life.  His will is truly the best for you. It took me a while to figure that out, but I am so glad that I finally did!  It has made my life so much better.

Have a great day!