Topic: Discerning The Will Of God

Text: Matthew 6:9-10

Key Verse: May your Kingdom come; may your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. – Matthew 6:10 GNT

When we ask in prayer for God’s will on Earth as it is in heaven, we are demanding the will of God in our domain of influence. Sometimes we may not know what God is doing, but through our prayer, we agree with and demand the rule and counsel of God upon our territory.

The scriptures declare believers in Christ are God’s ambassadors. We are on Earth on a mission to do the determinant counsel of God, not ours. When believers lose sight of this fact, they approach prayer as a means to achieve their goals rather than the opportunity to partner with God to establish his will on Earth.

So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. – 2 Corinthians 5:20 AMP

Every good idea is not God’s will. The will of God is revealed to those who seek it. It is specific and has implications that transcend generations.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. – Romans 12:2
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The people must make a sacred Tent for me so that I may live among them. Make it and all its furnishings according to the plan that I will show you. – Exodus 25:8-9 GNT

“Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the other workers to whom the Lord has given skill and understanding, who know how to make everything needed to build the sacred Tent, are to make everything just as the Lord has commanded.” – Exodus 36:1 GNT

“Take the rod, and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock in front of them so that it will pour out its water. In this way, you shall bring water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their livestock drink [fresh water].” Then Moses raised his hand [in anger] and with his rod, he struck the rock twice [instead of speaking to the rock as the Lord had commanded]. And the water poured out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank [fresh water].

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed (trusted) Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, you, therefore, shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” – Numbers 20:8,11-12 AMP

Prayer allows us to ask for and know the will of God on how issues are to be resolved. A general idea is not enough, we need to seek a specific word lest we err like Moses and Aaron.

Then the king said to the prophet Nathan, “Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but God’s Covenant Box is kept in a tent!” Nathan answered, “Do whatever you have in mind because the Lord is with you.” But that night the Lord said to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David that I say to him, ‘You are not the one to build a temple for me to live in. – 2 Samuel 7:2-5 GNT

People believe that once there is a desire to do something for the house of God, it is the will of God. David desired to build God a house; even Nathan the prophet gave his consent until God spoke to him to the contrary. Building God a temple was a good idea, but it was the will of God that Solomon would build it.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts higher than your thoughts. – Isaiah 55:8-9 AMP

You can discern the will of God from the scriptures, prophecy, and revelation. Daniel discerned how long Israel would be in captivity, and he began to pray and ask for it. Isaiah prophesied the birth and death of Jesus, and Jesus came to fulfill every bit of that prophecy.

For this reason, when Christ was about to come into the world, he said to God: “You do not want sacrifices and offerings, but you have prepared a body for me. Then I said, ‘Here I am, to do your will, O God, just as it is written of me in the book of the Law.'” – Hebrews 10:5,7 GNT

Salvation belonged to the children of Israel by God’s covenant with their ancestors; when the time came to change that order, God revealed the will of heaven to the church through Peter while he prayed, and to avoid controversy, confirmed it with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles.

“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance, I saw a vision. A certain vessel descended as though it had been a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners, and it came even to me.

… When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, “Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” – Acts 11:5,18 KJ21

When the apostles and disciples prayed, their goal was not to escape persecution or destroy their enemies but rather to enforce the will of God in heaven on Earth; their prayers received instant answers!

And when they heard this, they lifted their voice to God with one accord and said, “Lord, Thou art God who hast made heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them, And now, Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant unto Thy servants that with all boldness they may speak Thy Word, by stretching forth Thine hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of Thy holy child Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness. And with great power, the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. – Acts 4:24,29-31,33 KJ21

The Holy Spirit guides us into the will of God. Do we seek the Spirit’s help and leading? Do we reject everything that is unfavorable to us and pray against it without asking for God’s will to be done? Are your requests promoting or extending God’s kingdom? Is there joy in heaven because you prayed?

Set apart time to discern God’s will before you approach God in prayer concerning you, your family, the kingdom of God, your nation, and other people. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the will of God about your request. Be ready to embrace God’s will and enforce it through prayer in and around your world.

When, however, the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, he will lead you into all the truth. He will not speak on his authority, but he will speak of what he hears and will tell you of things to come. He will give me glory because he will take what I say and tell it to you. – John 16:13-14 GNT

Our prayer may not change a revelation but will provide a guide for the appropriate response to the situation.

One of them, named Agabus, stood up and, by the power of the Spirit, predicted that a severe famine was about to come over all the Earth. (It came when Claudius was emperor.)The disciples decided that they each would send as much as they could to help their fellow believers who lived in Judea. They did this, then, and sent the money to the church elders by Barnabas and Saul. – Acts 11:28-30
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Prayer

Father, teach us how to pray for your will in our lives as revealed in your books, may our hearts agree with your will, and may your righteousness, peace, and joy be released in our world in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Pastor Ada

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash