PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES - THE BOOK OF JAMES, #6

PRAY BEFORE YOU ACT (James 4:15)

IN CONTEXT: 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)
There is a tendency among Christians, even praying ones, to appropriate our own actions and thoughts to the Will, plans and purposes of God. A lot of times, when we do that, we can find ourselves in a place we never expected to be. I have made that same mistake and gotten out ahead of God, only to see Him having to send an angel of mercy, to take me to a better place when my own plans failed.

This exhortation to pray first and act later is so critically important, if we want to really follow, submit and live in the Will of God. It is easy to understand why James is giving this real life application. I have seen too many people make and execute many life-altering decisions only to see them come crashing down on them. Some have moved out of state, only to struggle and even move back home. Some have changed perfectly fine jobs, to buy into something nice and shiny, only to ask their bosses later on, if they can return. Some so-called Christians have even walked out on their spouses and families, justify it as "God wants me to be happy". Later on, they find themselves in a painful world of hurt, wishing they could have things "the way they used to be".

Let us be perfectly clear - God is NOT the Author of Chaos and God would NEVER lead someone to sin and break vows made before Him.  However, He will allow us to have our own way and do what James is talking about in Verse 13 above ("today we will....."). God will do that until we learn the lesson we are supposed to learn.

Next the Lord (through James in verse 14) is gently warning us that we are not the ultimate master of our destiny. As in everything, nothing is guaranteed us past this moment of life we are in right now. The next breath is not, the next day is not...and most definitely the next year(s) is not. So this MUST spur us to continuous prayer. 

There is a reason the Apostle Paul exhorts us to "pray without ceasing" in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. He was not speaking of four hours of prayer before you go out the door each morning but a lifestyle of prayer and intimate conversation with the One Who created us. This is actually the best way to know the Will of God for our lives - through a closer walk with Him.  Once we have that have this close relationship with the Father, through prayer, only then we can experience His leading in our lives when we need to make a really important decision in life.

This is the gist of James 4:15 "Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” When James says that we "ought to say", he is really saying that it behooves us to pray!  The original word for "ought" is literally "anti-" ...where we got our prefixes for words like "anti-dote" "anti-type" etc. The Bible really giving us great advice here for our own benefit. God is saying "why don't you substitute your own thoughts and actions and consult Me first....ask Me -what is My Will for your life in this decision. I know the beginning from the end. Do you think I would withhold good things from you? You think this is the right course due to your own limited reasoning and planning. But I have a better course for you. I have a plan that will bless you, and bless others. All you have to do is to ask Me in prayer and then wait on Me! Can you do that? Great! It is better if you do!!" 

THY WILL BE DONE..."HOW DO I KNOW WHEN GOD ANSWER MY PRAYER"

During a Bible Conference a couple years ago, I asked Phil Johnson, the president of Dr. John MacArthur's broadcast ministry (Grace to You) the following question, in essence: "how do we know when  God has answered our prayers and how do we proceed from there". His general answer was, to paraphrase, that we should pray about it and trust the Lord and then take the appropriate course of action. This is a great answer but it also assumes a high level of spiritual maturity and discernment. Another small risk in that, is we can listen to our own voice and make a mistake outside the will of God.

For most Christians, it is not that easy because of the lack of spiritual maturity, with only 9 (NINE!!) percent of Americans with any Biblical Worldview at all!!! God has told us what His Will is for our lives and it is thus "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2 - please watch my video at the end of this page for a fuller explanation of this verse). God's Will for us is basically walking in Holiness so we can be more like Him, hence the reason He saved us and set us apart.

Now, the responsibility of the Christian is say "Thy Will be done on earth as You, oh God, have willed it in Romans 12:2 and I refuse to conform, compromise, sell out and trade my testimony and worse, my soul, with the world, just to be considered to be one of them"! Our prayer should be "Heavenly Father, most gracious kind, long-suffering, patient and merciful God, I surrender my entire will, my being, my life and my all to you. I take every thought captive and align it more with Thy Word. I accept Your true Will for my life which is obedience and walking in the Light of the Lord my Savior Jesus Christ, and I seek to follow Him in word, action and will. Lord, I seek Thy guidance in all matters. I want Your thoughts to be my thoughts. I desire Your strength to uphold me, Thy Spirit to direct, mold, move, reveal and not conceal but that You, oh Most High God would keep me close, because I am weak and need You, that I may truly discern what Your purposes, plans and paths are for me to follow, through Christ our Lord, my God and my King, amen".

A prayer of submission along those lines is what is needed. We also have to believe in Him for the answer, and that He will reveal it to us. I am cessionist only to the point where there is nothing more written, and revealed from God than His Holy Word, to all the peoples of all times and that means, one can add NOTHING to Scripture than the 66 books of the Bible. I also know PERSONALLY, that God speaks to us, when He wants and HOW He wants, because He is sovereign and we ain't!  The Bible has "Thus sayeth the Lord", in your own prayer life and if you're following and obeying Him (or should be) He will call, guide and/or rebuke in an audible voice, when necessary, as I know He has to me on three separate occasions in my life, in the last two decades. 

The key in praying to God about an important matter such as whom you should marry, or which job you should take or even which roads you should travel on a snowy, wintry day is this: listening! I cannot begin to tell you how many times He has rescued be because the Holy Spirit immediately prompted me to a sudden course of action here or there. I pulled off the interstate on an off-ramp one new year's eve on heading out for a 3 hour drive to family for a New Year's party, swung around and headed back home.  The Holy Spirit did not loudly say "get off this highway NOW" - He just moved and I obeyed immediately. He has also shown me opportunities which I missed because I decided NOT to move! This opportunity was in a flash second.
There is much more we can discuss to seek answers to prayer and that will be addressed in the next post....and then expand on "when God answers prayer"

KEYS TO A GODLY LIFE PART 8/12 - LIVING AS GOD'S PEOPLE

THE DAWN OF GLORY SERIES:

PLEASE READ THE PASSAGE, THEN - WATCH THE BRIEF EXPOSITION FROM THE PLUMBLINE VIDEO:

1 Peter 5: 1-10

Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

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