There
is life and death in the power of our tongue (Proverbs 18:21); not only through
gossip and spreading discord, but also with the health of our spirit, soul and
body. Our mind can convince our body to get sick or to stay sick. Doctor's call
this psychosomatic illnesses.
We
often demand that God heal us, at the same time that we are worried that we
will only get worse symptoms and possibly even die from them. God is not
obligated to answer our prayers in the way that we want Him to. He knows what
is best for us. He even uses illness to bring us home to Heaven with Him.
Jesus'
invitation that allows us to ask for whatever we want was not an encouragement for
us to direct His will by our desires. In fact, His Word cautions us not to
"ask amiss" (James 4:3). As we pray, He aligns our will with His
will for our existence (Ephesians 2:10), and we bring our Father God the glory
through both our life and our death (Matthew 6:10).
God
does not always answer our prayers in the way that we expect. He gives us His
peace and joy, but the results do not always make us "happy,"
especially if what we want in order to be happy does not line up with His Word
or His will for us.
Our
Father teaches us to long for His love for us more than for anything else. We
boldly and solidly cling to the hope that we have in Him, professing Him as
both our Savior and our Lord. He reigns supreme now and for all of eternity
(Hebrews 10:23).
God
is always faithful to reveal His plans for us one step at a time. He is
trustworthy and worthy of all of our love and adoration. The key to a fulfilled
life is to consult God rather than to make plans of our own and then ask Him to
bless those (Proverbs 3:5-6). We are truly blessed when we trust in Him alone
(Psalm 84:12).
Prayer:
Father
God, You are always faithful regardless of how You answer our prayers. You do
not always say, "Yes," but You never say "No," unless our
request goes against Your plans for our life. You love us too much to give us
what will hinder our future in You. Remind us that living in the center of Your
will is the happiest place on earth for us.
You
even told Jesus "No," when He asked You to find a different way than
Calvary's cross to pay for our sins. The man, Jesus, who never gave in to the
temptation to sin, was about to take on the sins of the whole world throughout
the generations of time. That is a great deal of carnality, flesh, desire and
lust (Luke 22:41-42). Thank You that Jesus submitted to Your will for Him,
because He taught us how to do the hard things in life for Your glory.
Thought
for the Day:
Jesus
taught us to expect the unexpected in life, because we can never predict what
Satan will use to hinder us from fulfilling the will of God, or what life's
circumstances would toss our way; therefore, living in the moment and praying
without ceasing is the best way to navigate through these uncharted waterways.
