PRAYER ALIGNMENT

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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One of the most challenging messages given to us by Jesus Christ and again in the passage from 1 John below, is the promise that the Lord will provide for your prayers. 

Frustrations

Sometimes this open-ended promise that the Lord will hear your prayer and provide what for your request can seem a bit frustrating, especially if we ask the Lord for something that matters to us but we do not seem to see the request being fulfilled. 

Read

In the passage that follows, the Apostle John returns to this promise of God but in a way that might just bring real change into our prayer life. Read on to hear more:

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

 (1John 5:13-15 NIV11)

Let’s look back at the message of this teaching piece by piece.

Verse 13 – “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

•   The first element worth noting is the statement of purpose for the writing of this open letter to the church of Jesus Christ. 
•   John makes it clear that his #1 purpose in writing is that those who read this Holy Spirit inspired message might be willing to step out in faith and submit their lives to the authority of Jesus Christ as the savior of their souls and the Lord of their lives. 
•   This same purpose was given in the message of the Gospel of John. In this statement, John again affirms his desire for those who encounter his works as he says, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31 NIV11)
•   Additionally, John wants his readers and those in the church to be certain that they are included in the gift of eternal life as provided by Jesus Christ. 
•   This same hope of eternal life was spoken of by the Apostle Paul when he wrote a similar statement, “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” (2 Corinthians 5:1 NIV11)

Verse 14 – “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

•   John tells the children of God that we can have confidence as we approach the Lord in prayer. We can be confident that he hears us, loves us, and wants to meet our real needs. 
•   I love how this confidence is echoed in the message of the apostle Paul when he says, “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Ephesians 3:12 NIV11)

According to His Will

This is a big part of this message on prayer that we often overlook. 

When we ask God to move, to provide, to heal, to smite… We are asking the Lord to do something that the Lord wants to do, plans on doing, has promised to do. 

We cannot forget that the Lord will act as he sees fit, when he sees fit, and in the way that he sees fit. We cannot and will not convince the Lord to do something that is not his will. 

The Lord will act, but he will act according to his own will. 

Reflection

So, when we pray, we need to reflect on the will of God. 

What is it that the Lord has expressed to us concerning his will and plans as we hear about them in the message of the Christian Bible. 

Alignment

Prayer is a time in which the child of God should seek to align his or her heart and mind with that of the Lord. When we enter into prayer with the Lord, we are the ones that need to change our will and our plans so that our ideas are in alignment with the Lord. 

We are not seeking to get the Lord to somehow change his heart and mind to match our desires and wants. 

So the more we walk with God in faithfulness, the more our hearts will be shaped by the work of the Spirit, the truth of the Word, and the encouragement and leadership of God’s people. 

Verse 15 – “And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Let me ask you to reflect on this question:

•   Would you still pray to the Lord if the only outcome of this time of prayer was that your heart and mind would more aligned with that of the Lord?
•   What might we pray today other than a long list of our needs, desires, and worries?
•   How can we see that the true reward of prayer is that we were in the presence of the Lord and that by being with God, we are changed for the better?

Reflect on these things as you go throughout your day. 

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Works at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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