That Prayer we are Afraid to Pray
Not my will but Your will be done!
I shared this article in my first magazine, and I think it is still a relevant message for today.
Not everyone can look themselves in the mirror with all they’ve got going and all they want to have but didn’t due to any pending reason or ongoing circumstance, and then boldly say ‘Your will be done, Lord’. You’ll need to come to a level call ‘dying in the flesh and to your desires’ or already ‘dead to the flesh’ for such statement.
Now think about those great personal plans and hopes you have for your life and family, and the beautiful future you’ve been dreaming about. Take a moment to think about them. Got it? Okay. Now consider putting them aside and asking God to do His will in your life.
I need to clarify this though, I am not talking about plans you’ve prayerfully given to God and received a go-ahead signal or an endorsement, am taking about individual ‘selfish’ plans, if I can use that word.
If there was any prayer I was very careful to say, is ‘Your will be done Lord’. Oh my, my, it’s the feeling of chewing hot raw garlic and ginger and telling yourself you’ll be okay.
A while back I and some few people prayed for God to shake off everything in our lives that didn’t resemble Him and let His will be done. I prayed that prayer honestly desiring for God to remove everything in my life that didn’t belong to Him. It was indeed a shaking. Girl! Was I shaken! I felt the shake on all sides. I didn’t realise the impact of the prayer until when the actual shaking came. Things that I didn’t want to let go off even felt the heat of the shake. It’s that feeling of seeing something you love, taken from you. It is painful. No matter how the person tries to explain why they are taking it from you or how harmful it is or might be, you just don’t want to listen, all you want is have it back.
Have you tried taking a harmful gadget from a child and see his/her facial reaction? No matter how you explain the reason why that child won’t want to let go nor believe you. And because you know better as an adult or parent, you go ahead and take that gadget away no matter how much that child cries. That’s what God did during the shaking period. He tried taking away everything in me that wasn’t right for me, but I couldn’t see that. All I could see was the painful process. It was tough; challenging, and hurting. At a point, I thought I was the only one going through tough times until when two other people I know acknowledged what the shaking did to them as well. That gave me a bit of relief seeing familiar faces in the same boat called ‘Shaking in Progress’ and everyone in this boat, have their story of how, where and what the shaking crashed in their lives.
Just a heads up, one thing you need to know, is that when you ask God to have His way and His will in your life, He is going to shake off everything in you that’s not from Him. Whatever it is in your life that is contrary to His Word and His way will be shaken off you.
After the shaking adventure, I advised a friend going through tough times, to pray for God’s will in her life. She said to me “I can’t pray that prayer. I want everything I have lost, back and I want things to be the way they were.” I asked her to give everything to God and allow Him to filter the situation and give her the best He has for her. She was afraid of that prayer ‘Your will be done Lord’ because she knows what the results will be, as God will only give her what’s right for her and what’s in His plan for her. But you know what? I didn’t condemn her because I know I’ve been there when that prayer sounds like a hard thing to say. I will have to first think about the outcome of that prayer, analyse it, put up a lot of ‘what ifs’ questions and see if they will benefit me before I pray ‘Your will be done, Lord.’ I will ask myself, what if that happen to me, what will people think, how will they judge me, what if I die? And there goes my long list of ‘what ifs.’ But you know what, I’ve come to the stage where I don’t care any longer what people say, I want to be cleansed, washed, purified and forgiven by my God, so what people think or say doesn’t matter to me anymore. I learnt people will always have something to say. I later realised that the enemy was putting those crazy thoughts in my mind so that I’ll become afraid of surrendering to God’s will and keep on living a sinful life. The enemy knew I was walking out of God’s will which made me more vulnerable and open to all of his attacks. And he also knows that if we are operating in God’s will, he is at lost, because we are then covered under the shadows of the Almighty and kept in safety wherever we go.
Have you ever said that prayer before, or is it one of those crossed out on your prayer list? Why not give God a chance and see what He’ll do in your life. I still have issues and shortcomings that am struggling with in my life which I need God to shake off me. It’s never a once off journey; I wish it were though. But as long as we are given the grace to see each day, temptations will come, trials will arise, and circumstances will test our faith. And these, if not handled carefully with the right attitude, will add more ugly recipes to our character and personality, bringing us back to the prayer of asking God to clean us up again. So I am not here to pretend that I have it all together because I don’t. And I still need God to continue cleaning and shaking off any and everything in me that’s not like Him, but it’s also my choice to watch what I allow to pollute my character and draw me away from God. I am in desperate need of His grace to help me surrender daily to His will even when it’s hard and when I don’t feel like it. Because to be honest, we all feel that way at times.
I pray that you and I will get to that point where we let go and let God.
Why not ask Him to have His way and will in your life? He is a loving Father and knows us better than we know ourselves. I leave you with this scripture. ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ Jeremiah 29:11.
Comments are welcome.
A Lady for my King 