Pray God's Choice

The title might seem a little strange to you unless you have read the previous blog.  Even at that, it still might seem strange.  Bear with me and let me explain to you my line of reasoning.  I trust that it will increase your faith and thereby increase you prayer life.

God is sovereign.  What He speaks becomes universal law backed up by all of His power.  He speaks His choices.  When darkness prevailed in the very beginning, He made a choice that light would shine.  He spoke it and the sun has not stopped shining.  In like manner, He made a choice that fish would swim in water and that birds would fly through the air.  He spoke His choice and they have been doing just that ever since.

John, the Beloved wrote something interesting concerning prayer.  1 John 5:14-15.  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.  God's will is His choice.  John is saying that if we pray something that is God's choice, He will not only listen to us but He will give us what we pray for. 

Then it would make sense to find out what God's choice for us is and then pray it.  How about salvation? Jesus himself, in the parable of the lost sheep made this statement.  John 18:14--Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.  Peter, who walked with Jesus for three years could testify--2 Peter 3:9---The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  Then, it MUST be God's choice for everyone to be saved.  Some might not take advantage of His choice but it is still God's choice.  Therefore, if we follow the instructions in 1 John 5:14-15 and pray for the lost to be saved, John assures us that God hears us and starts working on answering our prayers.

God's a little peculiar.  Even though He has already made His choice, He has put authority in man's hand to make a choice also. In John 16:24, this same John the Beloved quotes Jesus as saying, "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."  Matthew quotes Jesus as making this promise in Matt. 21:22--And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.  Notice that asking always comes before receiving.  Ever wonder why?  Just because He said so? 

Consider this.  Ever since the Garden of Eden, God has put the authority over the earth in man's hands.  Even when He wanted to pave the way for His Son to be born on the earth, God had to get permission from a human, Abraham.  Abraham consented and AGREED with God's choice to send a Redeemer.  Here's how Abraham put God's choice into action.  Rom 4:19-21--And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.  

In a nutshell, here is what Abraham did.  He refused to believe that the physical things he saw would EVER hinder God's choice for him.  He was FULLY PERSUADED that God would do exactly what He said He would do.  He built up his faith in God by praising Him for His choice.  By believing and praising God for His choice, Abraham unleashed all of God's love and ability to get the job done.

Here is what WE should do.  We should refuse to believe that the way sinners act right now will EVER stop God from convicting them of sin.  We should be FULLY PERSUADED that the God we serve is greater than the sin that holds them right now.  We should be FULLY PERSUADED that His love for the sinner is greater than the demon power that holds them.  Finally, we should build up our faith in God's choice by giving Him praise that He chose to save sinners.  When we believe and praise God for His choice, we unleash all of God's love and ability to get the job done.

Let's get down to business.  We all have unsaved loved ones.  How much time have you spent praying for them?  Are there any sinners in the Congress of the United States?  Are any of our elected officials unsaved?  How about the Taliban and Al Quida?  Any sinners there?  Take some time to reflect on the idea that if some of these give their hearts to Jesus what kind of change would it be for you and I.  Then, Christians, let's get busy praying God's choice for mankind and turn things around.