We Want his Will

Romans 8.26-30

The will of God always works out well for those who love him (v28)

Prayer is ALL about finding God’s will, submitting to God’s will and valuing his will above all else. Prayer is about getting ourselves aligned with his will so that we can maximise the glory that goes to Jesus Christ. We will be most satisfied and fulfilled when Jesus Christ is most glorified in our lives. We will never be satisfied by personal fame, beauty or wealth. All of these things are passing away. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2.15-17

You NEED the will of God – it is what you hunger for – and to try to satisfy that hunger with decaying things is death. Prayer is about asking, seeking and knocking until God grants you his WILL. Once we are aligned with the will of God revealed in Jesus Christ for us – then we are secure no matter what blasts us.

Verse 28 is probably the best anchor we have been given when it seems we are going to be blown away. It is a simple but VERY strong statement offered for our faith to grasp hold of. The verse says these things:

§ All things to turn out for our good - if we love God.

§ All things ‘work together’, which means that even the most random or distressing events are part of God’s coherent plan.

§ God is in complete control, overseeing and managing all the component parts of his big plan.

§ Those who love God are the people who were called by him to be blessed by participating in his purpose.

We can link these promises to the teaching that the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses by supporting and interpreting our prayers and longings to God. All our Spirit-led prayers direct us towards God’s big purpose. Whatever circumstances we meet, whether hard or comfortable, they are not random outbreaks but threads that God is weaving together into his big and magnificent picture.

Prayer is an expression of our love for God. We pray because we WANT to be right with God. We don’t want to offend him by making mistakes or neglecting his priority which is to maximise the reputation of his Son. So the Spirit helps us to express our love for God by praying that we will be at the very centre of his will in everything. It is encouraging that because we love God the Spirit confirms that we have been called by God to a place in his amazing purpose. (The Spirit witnesses to our spirit so that we call God ‘Abba, Father’.)

We are able to live with limitless confidence that everything is under our Father’s complete control. We don’t see the unexpected happenings in our lives – even the tragic ones – as random accidents. We know and confess in our prayers (with the Spirit’s help) that God is all-wise, all-seeing and all-powerful, and that he is controlling even evil so that it will not damage us in the long run. The Spirit helps us to pray for God’s will and to recognise it when it comes along – even when that road passes through extreme temporary discomfort – even the ‘valley of the shadow of death!’ God has a bigger and better vision for us than simply existing for 90 years in the world with the minimum possible trouble!