Praying God’s Will For My Life

 (submitted by Kerry Patton)

“⁹ “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰ ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’”

Matthew 6:9-13

So God, What Do You Want For My Life?

 Really…Isn’t that the great question?  We fill our prayer lives with prayers for the sick, for our church, for our finances, for our children…and a thousand other legitimate concerns.  Overarching though…is that heart cry to our Heavenly Father which asks essentially “What am I supposed to do?” in the context of whatever area of our lives we are dealing with.  What is God’s will for my life?

No small portion of a Christian life is spent yielding various areas of our lives to the control and direction of our God.  We gain glimpses into what this takes from the Luke 1:38 biblical account of the angel Gabriel speaking to the Virgin Mary, telling her of God’s plan for how she would give birth to the Messiah…the very Son of God himself.

“And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word."

Across this week, as a follow up to our Pastor’s message on Sunday morning, we will be focusing on praying for God’s will to be done in our lives in this New Year of 2017.  Each day, we will focus on praying for God’s will to be done in one of five specific areas of our life:

·      Day 1 (Today): Praying God’s will in my life,

·      Day 2. Praying God’s will for my family,

·      Day 3. Praying God’s will in my finances,

·      Day 4. Praying for God’s use of me in my Church, and

·      Day 5. Praying for God’s use of me in my community

We have called upon members of our Prayer Advocates team to contribute prayers as examples of how they ask for God’s will to be done in each of these areas.  And despite crazy busy holiday schedules, a few of them were able to contribute prayers for us.  Some will be actual prayers, others may be narratives of what or how they pray daily.  As you read their prayers, may the Holy Spirit of God inspire you and lead you as you pray for God’s will to be done in your own life in these five areas. 

Today, our contributors pray for God’s will to be done in their own lives:

From Alan Myers:

“I praise you God because you are Abba Father and you are Holy God.

I pray for prompting by your Holy Spirit to keep my priorities as I know they should be, that my eyes would be blind to those things that I should not see, that I would be aware of those around me who are hurting and need a word of appreciation and encouragement, that my words will be used to encourage and not discourage, that my feet would stay in the narrow pathway, that the way I live and talk would encourage others to want to know you as Lord and Savior. I am thankful that I can bring any burden to you, that you hurt when I hurt. Thank you Lord for my health and for the family that loves me. I pray these things in the name of Jesus.”

From Judy Myers:

“I humbly ask God to make me an instrument led by the Holy Spirit physically, emotionally, and spiritually in whatever journey He puts before me. I especially ask for His Word to be my word when praying for others and especially those who have asked that I might be an intercessor in praying for them, their love ones, and their friends.  May the words I speak never be mine but that I will allow the Holy Spirit to speak through me giving God all the praise and glory.  I also pray that God will reveal to me any and all changes I need to make in my life so that I might pray for changes in that area no matter what it is I pray for strength to do God’s bidding in all areas of my life.”

From Robin Moore:

“Father God I come to you and ask that you would continue to work in our lives, that you would use us to bring others to your saving grace…God that you would keep our minds focused on only you and let the ones we come in contact with see Jesus in us...... Amen.”

 From Laura Patton:

“Heavenly Father, for your presence and guidance throughout 2016 - thank you.  We were blessed in so many ways and we offer our thanks and praise for all that was accomplished. As we look forward into the new year, we feel a sense of anticipation for all that can be... We have our own dreams and desires for 2017 BUT, even more so, we pray: that, as individuals, we would rely on You.  On Your wisdom, presence, comfort, correction, direction.  That we would remember the grace, mercy, love and hope You provide and make that, and only that, our solid foundation upon which we make every choice and decision.  That you would give to us strength and health and, when we lack those, that your strength would be perfected in us.  That we would allow Your joy to permeate every fiber of our being - even when circumstances call for us to have anything but...”

From Kerry Patton:

“Almighty God… The battle for your Lordship in our hearts rages on every day.  Every day the enemy speaks distractions into our ears and encourages us that it is OUR will that should be done…not yours.  Father, as we gaze deeply into the year set before us we pray that in new ways…to deeper degrees, we may be able to submit to your will for our lives.  Give our ears sensitivity to hear your direction, your warnings, and your encouragement.  Help me and my faith friends to immerse ourselves in your Word.  You have given us such an invaluable map there.  Truly, Your Word IS a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.  Holy Spirit, work within us the desire…the will to yield to the Father’s leading.  May the prayer of Jesus for his disciples be fulfilled in us in these days: “…Thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.”  It is in Christ’s name we pray.  Amen.”