RESTARTSample

Prayer

Prayer is not for God. Prayer is for us. God does not change. It is we who change through prayer. Many times our prayers are carnal. It is more of a selfish demand rather than choosing to know the Father’s will. When we pray out of a place of surrender, we let God direct our vision, plans and commitments. The secret to Jesus’ ministry was His life of prayer. Very often He went into the presence of the Father to be alone with Him. In those moments, He prayed a surrender of His will. We hear Him say many times, “I did not come to do my will but the will of the One who sent me”

In this scripture verse for our meditation today, Jesus gives us His very own secret. The method in which He prayed. He taught us to get rid of our selfish carnal I, me, myself prayers and get into a place of prayer that glorifies God. Two main aspects of this are God’s Name to be Hallowed. Our prayers need to be for God’s Name to be glorified. Many times our prayers are so that we are lifted up, we become rich, we get our needs. But the Jesus kind of prayer centers around God’s Name being Hallowed. It is only when God is glorified can we receive true joy and meaning in life. The second important aspect is for His kingdom and will to be done in our lives. This means that God should have His dominion in our every thought, decision and action and His purposes must come to pass, not ours. The greatest tragedy for humanity is when we have our way and not God’s. That’s where all the world’s problems come from. Man’s will over God’s will.

In the garden of Gethsemane, during Jesus’ most difficult time, He prayed a prayer of surrender to the Father’s will. May we pray like that today and experience God’s best.

Exercise

1. Set aside a time to fast because fasting helps you rid your flesh and hear God better

2. Identify areas where you’ve been on your own trip. Confess your sins to God and if possible even a fellow confidant brother / sister / mentor and have them pray with you

Pray for God’s Name, Kingdom and Will in your life. Try to repeat this cycle of fasting and prayer for a few more days.