Stop fighting and know that I am God

Is it possible to disagree on things and still be at peace with each other? If we are serving Christ, I believe it is possible, but unfortunately the majority of the world doesn't serve Christ! Therefore, there are all manner of disagreements, arguments, hostility, and even wars. If we want peace, we need the God of all Peace to invade our lives once and for all, changing hearts and minds to see there is much more to be 'gained' in giving one's life to Christ than there is in all this endless striving and strife we pursue.

God says, “Stop fighting and know that I am God! I am the one who defeats the nations; I am the one who controls the world.” (Psalm 46:10)

He is indeed the one who controls the world, right down to the day-to-day operations of hundreds of 'heads of state', 'supreme commanders', 'world leaders', and 'elected officials'. Do they all serve God? Absolutely not, but "To the Lord, a king’s mind is like a ditch used to water the fields. He can lead the king wherever he wants him to go. (Proverbs 21:1)" What does God think about dictators? Maybe what Richard Perle described is close to how God views them: "Dictatorships start wars because they need external enemies to exert internal control over their own people."

Leadership is risky business - there is a whole lot of scrutiny from those 'external' to those decisions that have to be made. There will always be criticism one way or the other when it comes to those who hold government or official office. Why? Not all of society is in agreement with the 'agenda' of the one who leads. There seems to be multiple 'agendas' in society, and the one put forward by the one who leads at that moment may not always be the most popular or widely accepted. Perhaps this is why God asks for us to pray for our leaders - they need his wisdom and guidance to make wise decisions.

Perhaps it is time we stop fighting about everything and refocus our priorities as a nation, people, and community. We need one another. We need leaders to help guide our direction as a nation. Instead of poking fun, finding unending fault, or mudslinging, let's stop and pray for those who lead us. It could be our pastor, our boss, or our elected officials. They all need our prayers. I wonder what would happen if the prayers of the faithful were to be behind each and every leader in our nation. Just askin!

In line?

And we are sure of this, that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we really know he is listening when we talk to him and make our requests, then we can be sure that he will answer us. (I John 5:14-15)

Yesterday we looked at taking our worries to Christ and allowing him to intervene (taking the weight of those worries as his own). One of the key components of actually allowing this 'transfer of weight' is talking with Jesus about what it is that has us all muddled up on the inside. We have to be open with him in prayer, letting him know specifically what it is that burdens us, and then allow him the opportunity to settle our spirits, minds, and souls. Today, we continue with the thought that he actually listens when we ask him to take on those burdens. Unlike humans, he can shut out the distractions all around him, focusing solely on what it is we are bringing to him in our times of prayerful conversation.

Things in line with his will seems a bit restrictive, doesn't it? I have heard people pray, "If it be your will, then..." I don't actually see anything wrong with asking for God's will, but I do see something wrong with putting everything we want to happen out there with a blanket, "If it be your will..." at the end of it. To ask God to reveal his will to us is to ask him to do more than just do what we asked. It is a prayer to begin to be open to what he wants us to do or have in this life. We may want a new car, knowing that our older model is giving us troubles and we are putting good money after bad into it. We may ask God to help us find the solution to our car issue - either with a trustworthy mechanic who will do honest and much needed repairs or show us where to obtain a new vehicle. 

Talking with him about the need for a reliable form of transportation is great, but to think it will be in line with his will for us to purchase a sports car that carries a payment two or three times greater than what our budget will allow is not 'in line with his will' for our lives. We might be led to believe we can ask for anything in his name and receive it, but truth be told, God expects us to exercise wisdom and use our common sense. We must be sensitive to the will of God - the principles he teaches us in scripture. If we want to have peace in our lives, we must live within the boundaries of his teachings - for living outside of those boundaries is certain to bring upset, chaos, and worries greater than we can handle. 

We aren't going to go to God with a bucket list of requests, far outside of what we actually know his will to be. We can go to him for clarity, asking him to reveal his will when we have absolutely no idea what it might be. We must be open to hearing his will, trusting him to show us how we should act in particular circumstances, what doors should remain totally closed to us, and when it is we should just stop what we are doing. If we want to live within his safety and protection, we ask, listen, then take steps to obey. If we want to know his will, we need only ask - but there will be times when we already know his will and we are just asking because we don't like what we have heard! Just sayin!