the basic message # E170
Matthew 26:42
He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O
my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
I’ve noticed recently that my prayers are being answered very quickly and very
definitively. Why? Is it because I’m the apple of God’s eye
or that I’m more holy that other people? Nope. In fact, I’m probably much less holier than
many people when I consider what my heart holds at times.
With the help of the Holy Spirit I strive to overcome those bad habits. So why are my prayers frequently answered? Read the passage above once more and understand
what Jesus did here- he acknowledged that God’s will should be preeminent. Jesus knew that the Father was fully in charge,
and Jesus knew that he must yield to the will of his Father. Simple enough, right? Then why don’t we do the same?
I’m a visual sort of guy. I need to picture something for it to make the most sense. Picture this: God is a great locomotive passing through our world, making regular stops on a trip that ultimately ends in Heaven. Do you and I want to go to Heaven? I trust that your answer, like mine, is yes. Can we agree that God will have his way no matter whether we agree or not? Neither George W. or the Appellate court can outvote God, so we simply need to accept God’s will. You and I are like railroad cars. We can try to build a feeble little track system apart from the mainline that God operates on, but our efforts will always come to ruin. Why? Simply because they aren’t the will of God. This isn’t rocket science, folks, so keep listening.
When we connect our railroad car containing our life to the great locomotive of God, how can we possibly go wrong? Remember, we agreed that God’s plan will indeed be carried out, so all we have to do is align our will with God’s. Even if our will is selfish, from a human perspective, it cannot fail if it is in alignment with God’s.
Luke 11:1-2
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain
place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John
also taught his disciples.
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which
art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so
in earth.
Most of us utter this prayer every week without giving too much thought to our pledge to God: “Thy will be done” - Are we serious about this pledge? If not, then we have much bigger problems than I thought.
We simply need to quit trying to out-think God. Oh, I’m sure that few Christians would ever
admit to trying to out-think God, but their lives tell a different story. When they lie, cheat and steal they’re trying
to out-think God. When they believe they can
marry, and remarry, and remarry……..they’re trying to out-think God. When they abort babies, they’re trying to
out-think God. Make no mistake, friend, each
and everyone of us tries to somehow scam God by doing some things that we know darned good
and well aren’t within his will. What’s
your angle?