A Perfect Prayer
By Peggy Park
"‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.”
Isaiah 55:8
Do you ever get carried away praying your plans for a friend or loved one? Have you included detailed suggestions as to the perfect answer for an urgent prayer need?
Recently when this happened to me I was reminded of the passage in the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:10. I am to pray God's will on earth as it is in heaven. I had it backwards! I was trying to pray my will from earth into heaven.
I have had to learn this over and over as I pray for others. My nursing background makes me want to see everybody whole, "fixed," and not suffering. Just as we do not have the thoughts of God, we often are not on His timetable. He is working in ways we cannot discern, but once we pray to the best of our understanding and leading, we must trust Him to work the situation out in His time and in His way.
I realize now it is much wiser to pray for God's will to be done in a troubling situation. In addition we can search for Scriptures that pertain to the situation and pray those. The Father loves to hear His words spoken back to Him. I could never understand why this would be so until a comparison came to me. It is like a mother who tries and tries to teach a child something and then rejoices when she hears the child saying the teaching back like he was the one who thought of it. Then the parent knows the child "got it."
I think God rejoices to hear His children quoting His words back to Him. It shows Him we have been diligent to read His Word and to believe it.
I also am learning to pray that the will of the person involved will line up with God's will. This is a perfect prayer as it bypasses all my well intended suggestions.
Pray with us at Christ Compels: Lord, help me to remember that Your ways are not my ways and that I don't have answers for others unless Your spirit reveals it to me. Help me to learn to wait on You and discern what You may be doing in any given situation. Help me to trust more in Your perfect timing. In the mighty Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.