May 22 - God’s Will: Two Misunderstandings

“‘“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”’” (Matthew 6:10).

Two polar opposite views of God’s will can cause Christians to have faulty understandings of prayer and the accomplishing of God’s purposes. On the one hand, some see His will as absolutely deterministic—whatever will be, will be. They either pray little at all, figuring the divine will is inevitable, or they are resignedly obedient, praying for God’s will simply because He tells them to.

Neither approach to prayer demonstrates faith. Viewing God’s sovereignty in a fatalistic, prayerless way robs us of the joy of aligning our wills with His and seeing His will done as we pray in faith. And praying with passive resignation leads to a weak, unexpectant prayer life. It is one that doesn’t heed Jesus’ instruction in the parable of the persistent widow: “He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1).

Other believers overemphasize the role of human will and see prayer as mainly a way to twist God’s will to their own desires. They think of God’s will as what He dispenses from His cosmic vending machine—they get whatever they want by inserting a claim on one of His promises. But our Lord rejects such a false, man-centered concept throughout the model prayer. Genuine prayer focuses on God’s name, God’s kingdom, and God’s will. The emphasis remains on the Father. God is sovereign, but Jesus tells us to pray that His will be done (cf. James 5:16).

Which of these two misunderstandings has been the hardest for you to counteract? Which one do you find yourself gravitating toward in your usual dealings with God? How has this led you to defeat and discouragement in your walk with Christ? What would you gain from embracing a more biblical mind-set?

Prayer is inherent to the life of all believers, as part of the exercise of faith; however, prayer is not a specific “gift” precisely because it is inherent to all, and is commanded.

Read I Corinthians 12. Your post is also “BAD theology”; if you are going to assert something, then be less arrogant, take the time to explicate it, and support it from Scripture.

You may actually have had a valid point to make, but you did so very badly - I suspect, because you were more interested in being snarky than edifying.

:: prayer is not a specific “gift” precisely because it is inherent to all, and is commanded. ::

Doublin’ down on The Law, eh Cowboy?
God promises to hear our prayers through our Faith in the crucified and risen Son. Promises are *pure* Gospel, never Law. See that prayer comes from Faith, not something we do (Law). The Law can only convict, not save.

So, no we are not *commanded* to pray. If we were commanded, we would fall far short of that command like with the other commandments. But, those commandments were fulfilled by Christ’s salvific work such that we need not weep in despair attempting to hold them inviolate. The Law if fulfilled in Christ. How then would you twist Scripture to cause Christ to fulfill some obscure Law to pray?

What then of the moaning and groaning of the Spirit who prays on our behalf when we can’t find the right words to speak to our loving Father? Are we not told that the Holy Spirit prays for us. Oh, oh! Who then upholds this Law to pray. Obviously we fall short but the Spirit intercedes.

Prayer is not a Law nor is it commanded. It is a gift to us by the Holy Spirit BECAUSE of our Faith in Christ. That, my friend is the sweet Gospel by which we are all saved.

Woe to those who preach the Law and call it Gospel.

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