Praying for God’s will to be done
by Pastor Mark Lieschke
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Have faith in God (Mark 11:22).
You can do anything with hard work and perseverance … name it, and it will happen … say it, and the universe will align with you. While many people may believe those things, they’re not part of Jesus’ teaching at all. He says something quite different.
In response to Peter’s comment about the fig tree that Jesus cursed, Jesus simply says to him, ‘Have faith in God’. And when we are tempted to think that we can be influential in changing things and making this world a better place to live in through our own efforts, Jesus says, ‘Have faith in God’.
That’s what – or, more correctly, that’s who – makes a difference. As Christians who put our faith in God, we need no longer look for things that fill us and make us comfortable and important. We are already full and can be content in Christ. Our faith in God helps us to understand and accept that we don’t have to be the centre of the universe and that our desires are not the most important things. Faith in God can help us adjust to what God wants and not what we want.
We can ask him what his desire is for ourselves and for others. We can look to see what it is that he wants us to be doing, striving for, and persevering with. We can be open to him challenging and empowering us to do difficult things – moving mountains even. Mountains like granting forgiveness to others, letting go of our bitterness and being content with who we are and what we have.
Faith, trust and confidence in God mean that mountains can be removed. Faith trusts that God can do some miraculous things and that he will have the ultimate say. That means we can live in peace and be confident that he is in control even when things around us seem to be in turmoil.
Lord, I pray I might use words to reflect your love and character. I pray that I won’t treat you like a slot machine or an ATM, but rather, I would align with your will so that I will speak in a way that will glorify you. Amen.
Mark Lieschke is a retired pastor living on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. He served in parishes in Adelaide, Palmerston North and Marton (both in New Zealand) and Wagga Wagga (school and congregation) before being elected as bishop of the New South Wales District of the LCANZ. He and his wife Meredith have four children (two of which live in Canada) and two grandchildren. Mark enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, walking on the beach and resting.
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