Aligning Prayer with God's Will: A Deeper Understanding
Summary
### Summary
In the fourth week of our series, "Deepening Your Prayer Life," we explored the concept of God's will and how it intersects with our daily lives. The aim is to enrich our prayer life by understanding God's will more deeply. We began with a story about a man who made a significant career change based on his discernment of God's will, which ultimately led to unexpected blessings. This story serves as a reminder that seeking God's will often requires sacrifice but can lead to greater rewards.
We delved into three categories of God's will: His sovereign will, moral will, and permissive will. God's sovereign will is His ultimate plan for the universe, which is unchangeable and encompasses all events, both good and evil. His moral will is His standard for right and wrong, revealed through Scripture, which we are called to follow. Lastly, His permissive will allows for human free will and the occurrence of events that He does not necessarily approve of but permits for a greater purpose.
Understanding these categories helps us navigate our prayers and decisions. We often struggle with daily decisions and wonder if we should seek God's will in every situation. Scripture assures us that if we ask according to His will, He hears us and grants our requests. This means we can approach God with confidence, knowing that He listens and responds.
To pray effectively within God's will, we must be persistent in seeking His guidance, genuinely open to His answers, and aware of our own biases. The process of seeking God's will is as important as the answer itself, as it strengthens our relationship with Him. We should also categorize our prayers to understand if they align with God's sovereign, moral, or permissive will.
Finally, we should pray for God's priorities, aligning our desires with His. By immersing ourselves in Scripture and understanding God's heart, our prayers will naturally align more with His will, leading to more answered prayers and a deeper faith.
### Key Takeaways
1. Understanding God's Will: God's will can be categorized into His sovereign will, moral will, and permissive will. His sovereign will is His ultimate, unchangeable plan for the universe. His moral will is His standard for right and wrong, revealed through Scripture. His permissive will allows for human free will and events He does not necessarily approve of but permits for a greater purpose. [07:44]
2. Persistent Prayer: God desires a persistent relationship with us. He wants us to continually seek His guidance, not because He is hiding His will, but because the process of seeking Him strengthens our relationship and faith. This persistence helps us align our desires with His will. [24:57]
3. Genuine Openness: When seeking God's will, we must be genuinely open to His answers, even if they differ from our desires. Acknowledging our biases and being willing to accept God's direction helps us discern His true will for our lives. [26:33]
4. Categorizing Prayers: Understanding whether our prayers fall under God's sovereign, moral, or permissive will helps us pray more effectively. While we can confidently pray against things like divorce, which are against God's moral will, we must also recognize that some outcomes fall under His permissive will. [29:29]
5. Praying God's Priorities: Aligning our prayers with God's priorities, as revealed in Scripture, leads to more answered prayers and a deeper faith. By immersing ourselves in God's Word, we learn to pray according to His will, which transforms our hearts and aligns our desires with His. [34:16]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[00:52] - Introduction to God's Will
[01:34] - Story of Career Change
[02:27] - Praying for God's Will
[03:18] - Unexpected Blessings
[04:10] - Struggling with God's Will
[05:08] - Daily Decisions and God's Will
[05:49] - Confidence in Prayer
[06:51] - Three Promises in Prayer
[07:44] - Categories of God's Will
[08:42] - God's Sovereign Will
[09:32] - Example of King Nebuchadnezzar
[11:18] - God's Moral Will
[12:40] - Examples of Moral Will
[14:47] - God's Permissive Will
[17:20] - Example of Permissive Will
[20:05] - Free Will and Consequences
[22:20] - Praying to Know God's Will
[24:57] - Persistence in Prayer
[26:33] - Genuine Openness in Prayer
[29:29] - Categorizing Prayers
[33:07] - Praying for God's Priorities
[39:19] - Encouragement and Closing Remarks
[41:48] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Reading
1. 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV): "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."
2. Daniel 4:35 (NIV): "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: 'What have you done?'"
3. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV): "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
### Observation Questions
1. What are the three categories of God's will mentioned in the sermon? [07:44]
2. How did the man in the story discern God's will regarding his career change? [02:27]
3. According to 1 John 5:14-15, what assurance do we have when we pray according to God's will?
4. What was King Nebuchadnezzar's reaction to his dream, and how did Daniel respond? [09:32]
### Interpretation Questions
1. How does understanding the different categories of God's will (sovereign, moral, permissive) help us in our daily decision-making and prayers? [07:44]
2. Why is it important to be persistent in seeking God's guidance, and how does this persistence affect our relationship with Him? [24:57]
3. What does it mean to be genuinely open to God's answers in our prayers, and how can our biases affect our discernment of His will? [26:33]
4. How can categorizing our prayers (sovereign, moral, permissive) help us pray more effectively and align our desires with God's will? [29:29]
### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a recent decision you made. Did you seek God's will in that decision? How did you go about it, and what was the outcome? [05:08]
2. Think about a time when you were persistent in prayer. How did that persistence impact your faith and relationship with God? [24:57]
3. Are there areas in your life where you struggle to be genuinely open to God's will? How can you work on acknowledging and setting aside your biases? [26:33]
4. Identify a prayer you have been praying recently. Which category (sovereign, moral, permissive) does it fall under, and how does this understanding change your approach to that prayer? [29:29]
5. How can you align your prayers more with God's priorities as revealed in Scripture? What specific steps can you take to immerse yourself more in God's Word? [34:16]
6. Consider a situation where you felt God's permissive will was at work. How did you respond, and what did you learn from that experience? [17:20]
7. How can you incorporate the practice of praying for God's priorities into your daily prayer life? What changes do you expect to see in your faith and prayer outcomes? [33:07]
Devotional
Day 1: Understanding God's Will
Understanding God's will is crucial for deepening our prayer life. God's will can be categorized into three distinct types: His sovereign will, moral will, and permissive will. His sovereign will is His ultimate, unchangeable plan for the universe, which includes all events, both good and evil. This is the overarching plan that God has for creation, and it is beyond human influence. His moral will, on the other hand, is His standard for right and wrong, revealed through Scripture. This is what God desires for us to follow in our daily lives. Lastly, His permissive will allows for human free will and the occurrence of events that He does not necessarily approve of but permits for a greater purpose. Understanding these categories helps us navigate our prayers and decisions, ensuring that we align our desires with God's will. [07:44]
Ephesians 1:11 (ESV): "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will."
Reflection: Think about a recent decision you made. How did you consider God's sovereign, moral, or permissive will in that decision? How might understanding these categories change the way you approach future decisions?
Day 2: Persistent Prayer
God desires a persistent relationship with us, and this is reflected in our prayer life. Persistence in prayer is not about wearing God down but about strengthening our relationship with Him. When we continually seek His guidance, we demonstrate our dependence on Him and our trust in His wisdom. This persistence helps us align our desires with His will, making our prayers more effective. It is through this ongoing dialogue with God that we grow in faith and understanding. [24:57]
Luke 18:1-5 (ESV): "And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, 'In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, "Give me justice against my adversary." For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, "Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming."'"
Reflection: Reflect on a prayer request you have been persistent about. How has this persistence affected your relationship with God? What have you learned about His will through this process?
Day 3: Genuine Openness
When seeking God's will, it is essential to be genuinely open to His answers, even if they differ from our desires. This requires acknowledging our biases and being willing to accept God's direction, even when it is challenging. Genuine openness means trusting that God's plans are better than our own and being ready to follow His lead, no matter where it takes us. This openness helps us discern God's true will for our lives and ensures that our prayers are aligned with His purposes. [26:33]
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
Reflection: Think of a time when God's answer to your prayer was different from what you expected. How did you respond? What steps can you take to be more open to God's direction in the future?
Day 4: Categorizing Prayers
Understanding whether our prayers fall under God's sovereign, moral, or permissive will helps us pray more effectively. For instance, we can confidently pray against things like divorce, which are against God's moral will. However, we must also recognize that some outcomes fall under His permissive will, where He allows events to occur for a greater purpose. By categorizing our prayers, we can better understand how to align them with God's will and trust in His ultimate plan. [29:29]
1 John 5:14-15 (ESV): "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him."
Reflection: Take a moment to categorize your current prayer requests. Which ones align with God's sovereign, moral, or permissive will? How does this understanding change the way you pray for these requests?
Day 5: Praying God's Priorities
Aligning our prayers with God's priorities, as revealed in Scripture, leads to more answered prayers and a deeper faith. By immersing ourselves in God's Word, we learn to pray according to His will, which transforms our hearts and aligns our desires with His. This alignment ensures that our prayers are not just about our wants but about fulfilling God's purposes in our lives and the world around us. Praying God's priorities helps us grow in faith and see His hand at work more clearly. [34:16]
Matthew 6:33 (ESV): "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Reflection: Reflect on your recent prayers. How many of them align with God's priorities as revealed in Scripture? What changes can you make to ensure your prayers are more in line with His will?
Quotes
1. "We know that God created us for a purpose and that God has a plan. For each and every one of us. So the question, like for me, is like, I'm always thinking, God, where am I in your plan? Right. I always think like a beginning and an end and not that God thinks that way. But this is my limited thinking. And God, where am I in this? Am I doing well? Okay. Where have I messed up? Am I on course? You know, how am I tracking with what you want for my life, God?" [05:08] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "As believers in Christ, we can pray about anything. There's nothing too small. There's nothing too small or too big that we cannot come to God with. I know people struggle with the small stuff. It's like God's busy with all this, the bigger stuff, right? You can talk about anything. Remember, he's our heavenly father. Intimacy. We talked about that last week. He wants us to talk about even all the small things. But if we pray according to his will, God, is that really true that we can have anything?" [06:51] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "God is God. He will bless who he wants to bless. He will curse who he wants to curse. He can do whatever he wants, anytime he wants. And it's hard for people to understand that. Well, God, if you love me, God is God. He owes us nothing. He owes us nothing. He's God. The longer I'm a Christian, the more I start to see that, the more I start to be thankful of what he's done for us. Right?" [11:18] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "God's will is that we follow and live by his moral laws because it's good for us. He designed us. He created us. He wrote the manual. So he knows what's good for us. So why don't we just follow what he says to do, right? Common sense, but we know that we go our own way. We do our own thing, including me." [15:31] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "God's will was that he would be their king. But because it was his permissive will, he granted them what they were asking for, even though it wasn't going to end well for them. And he told them that. How many times has that happened to us? Right? God has said, and he tells us in his word, so many things, so much of what his will is. And he tells us what, dude, he tells us what's going to happen when we don't follow it. And then we do our own thing anyways." [20:05] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "God wants us to go through the process of seeking his will without believing the lie that he's trying to hide it from us. He's not trying to hide our will from us. And if we believe that, then we will struggle to see him as a loving, heavenly father that he is. He's not playing games with us. And if you're praying and you're seeking God about his will, write down, again, remember we talked about this last week, write down what direction you think you're getting from him." [25:47] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "When our desire to follow God outweighs our desire for a certain outcome, it's usually then we start to hear him clearly and we will start to see our will. His desire, his outcome has to outweigh what we want and what our desire is. See, and God knows that the process of seeking him and praying to know his will is just as important as the answer he gives to our question. Let me say that again. God knows that the process of seeking him and praying to know his will is just as important as the answer he gives to our question that we're asking him." [27:29] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "When we start to listen to his words, we need to learn how to pray the right things. The Bible not only lets us know specific things that are and are not God's will, it also reveals what God says are important. And the more we soak, the more we get, the more we just dive into God's word, the more we will pray according to those priorities. And the more we will see God answer our requests. Instead of batting one for 10, man, we'll be batting nine for 10, 10 for 10, because we're praying according to his will and things start to happen. And that builds our faith. It builds our confidence in him." [34:53] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "When God put a call on your life, he already factored in your stupidity. Most comforting thing I've ever read. Isn't that true? Aren't we thankful that we have a God, who's factored in our stupidity? He has. He knows the mistakes we're gonna make. And he's factored all that in as part of his plan. So the expectation is not that we perfectly pray or live in God's will in every decision that we make. The only one who did that was Jesus." [40:29] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "When we fail, no matter how many times it is, keep running to him. You fail, get back up, run to him. You fail, get back up, run to him. Do it, just keep doing it over and over and over. Run to him as long as it takes. And he knows how to course correct us. He knows how to get us back on track, He knows how our story is gonna end. And I promise you, we'll be okay. We'll be okay." [41:05] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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