A Prayer For Complete Knowledge of God's Will and The Power To Carry It Out

I want to continue to reflect a little on what we were addressing yesterday – the uniqueness and beauty of what Jesus Christ has to say to us and the impact it needs to have on our thinking and behaving.

I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways.  Psalm 85:8

Health officials and political leaders have made statements and laws that have shaped what we thought about this virus and the pandemic and in many cases, what we did on a day-to-day basis.  Some have felt these words had wisdom and have adjusted willingly, even though the costs have been great.  Others have held opinions, sometimes to the extremes of various conspiracy theories, and refused to change how they live, even gathering and demonstrating in direct violation to what they’ve been told to do. 

That’s a model, I think, of what people do with what God has spoken down through millennium and most clearly through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.  Hebrews 1:1-3

God spoke.  The one who created us and the world has spoken – many times and in many ways.  Are we listening?  Are we catching His heart in what He is saying?  Are we allowing our lives to be moved beyond the narrowness of our own experience to seeing things from a wider and longer perspective?  And then, how are we responding?  Are we liking what we hear but being passive about responding?  Are we resisting and rising up against what we are hearing because it goes against what we’ve known so far in our journey?  Are we trying to take in bits and pieces of what we’ve heard that work with what we know so far?  Or, are we with humility laying down what we thought we knew, acknowledging where we were obviously wrong (because God’s word is always right), and asking God, by His Spirit to reshape our thoughts and give us grace to change our ways?  We cannot divorce knowing from action.  The Bible is pretty clear about that.

We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.  Colossians 1:9-10

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.  James 1:22-25

So, Lord, we come today because we know we need spiritual wisdom and understanding if we are going to navigate today and any day well.  You created us.  You created the world in which we live.  You have a view of the past, present, and the future that is impossible for us to have and with that knowledge and a deep love for us, You speak to us so we can know what is best for us in this day. 

Help us to first of all, we pray, to want to listen.  We can pretty easily get caught up in our own thoughts and ways of looking at what’s going on around us and in us.  Give us humility to be learners and to be seekers of truth no matter what that requires in terms of personal change.  To live in truth is to truly live free and to know peace.  We have the safety of not making stupid choices that lead to disaster and suffering.  But that we requires that willingness to hear what You, Lord, are saying and trusting that in Your ways there is peace.

So, I think many of us think we are probably following You but the problem is that we’ve not quieted our hearts and minds to actually hear You give us Your take on what is going on.  That’s where we begin today.  Help us to be still, to remind ourselves that You are God, that You are with us, that You are speaking and want us to hear what You are saying. 

Obviously part of hearing what You are saying is putting what You say into practice, otherwise we are only fooling ourselves that we are actually listening to You.  We ask for humility and courage to allow what we think, say, do and choose to believe to line up 100% with what Your word says.  We know that when we do that, You will bless us, protect us, comfort us, and lift us up in Your love. 

And so we do ask that You will give us complete knowledge of Your will along with spiritual wisdom and understanding so the way we live will always honor and please You, and our lives will produce every kind of good fruit as we grow to know You better and better.

We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.  Colossians 1:9-10