Are we really seeking God’s will?

One of the common prayers that all Christians have concerns God’s will for them.  But as we pray for God’s will we need to ask ourselves – are we really seeking what He desires, or are we just hoping He confirms a decision we have already made in our hearts?

There’s an interesting story found in Jeremiah 42.  When the Israelites began their exile in Babylon, there were some men who went to Jeremiah the prophet:

Jeremiah 42:1-3 (NIV)
1 Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached
2 Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, "Please hear our petition and pray to the LORD your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left.
3 Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do."

It’s a petition that many of us have.  Most of us go straight to the Lord and seek His will.  Others will need counsel from other Christians to guide and lead them to God’s will.  What is important is our hearts desire it.

Jeremiah 42:4 (NIV)
4 "I have heard you," replied Jeremiah the prophet. "I will certainly pray to the LORD your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the LORD says and will keep nothing back from you."

The people asking for God’s will even proclaimed:

Jeremiah 42:5-6 (NIV)
5 Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us.
6 Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God."

Now that’s the attitude!  How many of us can say the same thing when praying for God’s will?  Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord.  This should be the attitude of our hearts always when praying for God’s will.  God’s will is not always pleasing or favorable to us, but it is pleasing to Him.  And if our utmost desire is to please the Lord, we will obey Him no matter what His will is.

What this group of Israelites proclaimed sounded really great.  But did they mean it?

After ten days Jeremiah came back with an answer from the Lord.  Remember, this small group of exiles were in Babylon, and were asking what God would have them do.  This was part of God’s answer:

Jeremiah 42:10 (NIV)
10 'If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted on you.

In other words, God wanted them to stay, and if the obeyed God would graciously work through the heart of the king of Babylon and take care of them while they were in exile.

Take a look at how the Israelites responded:

Jeremiah 43:1-2 (NIV)
1 When Jeremiah finished telling the people all the words of the LORD their God--everything the LORD had sent him to tell them--
2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, "You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, 'You must not go to Egypt to settle there.'

Ok, what happened to their statement “whether it is favorable or unfavorable we will obey the Lord”?  It turns out that their lips spoke one thing, but their hearts had another agenda.  They didn’t really want to hear what God’s will was.  They wanted God to confirm what they already had in mind and heart to do.  Their response to God’s will, God’s Word, simply showed what the content of their hearts were.  From the beginning they did not really want to know God’s will.

If we’re really honest all of us will admit that we have a tinge of this attitude in our hearts.  How quick we are to pray for God’s will, how spiritual and submissive it sounds when we do that.  But when God’s Word reveals His will to us, how quick we also are to reason out why we can’t do it.

How many of us prayed for God’s guidance in a conflict we had with someone, and when God’s Word told us to humble ourselves and forgive, how many of us reasoned out and said “not now Lord, give me time”.  We prayed for God’s will, but when He revealed it it turns our we didn’t really want to follow it in the first place.

When we come to pray for God’s will it is important for us to come with a totally submissive and obedient heart, ready to obey the Lord no matter what.  And this is not just something you say, but something you believe.  This attitude comes from worship, from reverence.  If we truly worship and revere God as greater and higher than ourselves, than any other person or thing in the world, then we will have hearts that will submit and obey.

And, when praying for God’s will, we need to throw away every decision we have made, every desire we have, and empty our hearts to desire only one thing – God’s will.  We need to die to ourselves, our emotion, our dreams, and realize that our Sovereign God has a better plan for us – the best actually.

Sometimes it is better not to pray for God’s will, than to pray for God’s will with an unwilling heart to truly please God.  Why?  Look what Jeremiah told them:

Jeremiah 42:19-21 (NIV)
19 "O remnant of Judah, the LORD has told you, 'Do not go to Egypt.' Be sure of this: I warn you today
20 that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the LORD your God and said, 'Pray to the LORD our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.'
21 I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the LORD your God in all he sent me to tell you.

It was a fatal mistake because eventually it lead to their disobedience.  And God takes disobedience seriously.

1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NIV)
22 But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry…

Let not our lips or actions pretend to desire God’s will, when our hearts actually do not.  Rather, let our hearts truly bow down and revere and fear God so much that there is no other way for us to live than in obedience to the Word of the Lord.  May our hearts be emptied of our desires, goals and dreams and submit totally to God’s will as revealed in His Word.

Understanding Zacchaeus 2

Luke 19:5-10 (NIV)
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."
6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'"
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."
9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

In the last blog (Understanding Zacchaeus) we saw that it was not Zacchaeus who was looking for Jesus, it was Jesus who looked up and called him and asked that He have dinner at his house.  It was not Zacchaeus who invited Jesus to his home, but Jesus who invited Himself to eat in his home.

So it is with our salvation, with our relationship with Christ.  We did not choose Him, He chose us.  It was not our prayer to invite Jesus to our hearts that brought salvation, but rather our response to His call, His invitation to come to Him, by His grace, through our faith, that brought us into our present relationship with Him.

What happens when Jesus calls us, invites us to have a relationship with Him, and we respond?

6 So he (Zacchaeus) came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

Jesus does not force anyone to come to Him.  But when we realize the grace when He calls us to come to Him, it is almost impossible to resist that call.  Zacchaeus was excited and glad to be with Jesus.  At first he was hesitant and stayed away, up a tree.  But when Jesus called his name, and asked to go to his house, Zacchaeus accepted the call!

1 Thessalonians 1:6 (NIV)
6 … in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

There is a joy that comes with the calling of the Lord.  it’s not something He forces us to be part of.  When God calls, our hearts respond with an excitement and joy that comes from God Himself!  And why not, for the Lord tells us:

Luke 15:7 (NIV)
7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

And our hearts sense that joy.  Now, once that relationship begins, look at what happens:

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'"

Everyone knew who Zacchaeus was.  He was corrupt.  He loved money.  He took advantage of people.  That’s why they wondered why Jesus, a righteous teacher, would be the guest of a sinner!  But this was exactly the reason why Jesus was reaching out to Zacchaeus – because of who he was, a sinner. 

So what happened? 

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

First, notice how Zacchaeus calls him “Lord”.  You know you’re in a right relationship with God when you recognize who He is in your life!  “Lord” is not just a title that we are to call Jesus, it is who He is in our life.  We are the captains of our soul, we feel we own our lives.  Jesus’ presence in our lives commands us to give up that position, and have the Messiah take His place in our hearts.

Then, Zacchaeus gives up what was of utmost importance to him.  Jesus did not even have to ask.  The moment Zacchaeus knew the grace and mercy of God, his heart moved him to give up, to let go, to surrender that which was ruler and master of his heart – money.  Money defined his life.  This was what controlled his actions and motives.  But now that Jesus was there, Zacchaeus willingly surrendered the wealth he had, and also repented of the wrongdoing he had done by giving back to people he cheated four times more than what he took!

Here is the sign of a true relationship with God.  When He calls us, and we respond, and HE takes the place of King in our hearts, everything else we lived for, anything that was of utmost importance, anyone who was important, are all shelved, pushed aside, so that Jesus may now take that place in our hearts – the King of our soul.

This is what made Jesus proclaim:

9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Salvation had come to Zacchaeus, as proven by his recognizing Jesus as who He is, and by giving up what used to hold his heart.

But Jesus said something more – He said “this man, too, is a son of Abraham”.  I believe this is related to Abraham’s profession of faith and allegiance by his willingness to sacrifice his own son Isaac, as the Lord had commanded him.  This was the same heart that Zacchaeus showed – a willingness to part with his money and to turn away from his sin, just to maintain the relationship he now had with Jesus.

Zaccheaus was lost, and Jesus found him.  Many of us reading this were lost, and we also have experienced the grace of God in His finding us.  This is what Jesus came to do – to save what was lost.  And unless we have that realization of how lost we are, Jesus can have no place in our life.

Understanding Zacchaeus

Luke 19:1-6 (NIV)
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.
2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.
3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd.
4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."
6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

If you attended Sunday School or a Children Ministry when you were young you most probably know about Zacchaeus.  He’s the short guy who climbed a tree just to see Jesus.  And the usual teaching there is we should be like him, making effort, climbing high, just to be able to see Jesus.

But this is so far from what the story tells us.  The lesson Jesus taught through this story was simple:

Luke 19:10 (NIV)
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

Zacchaeus was lost, just like each one of us are naturally lost, no care about spiritual things, about eternity.  Oh, maybe we’re a little curious about who Jesus is, so we climb a tree and take a peek at who He is, but we don’t really do anything concrete, no serious attempt, to really get to know Him.

We need to understand that when Zacchaeus climbed the tree all he wanted to do was to see Jesus.  He didn’t want to be His disciple, nor did he have any plan to follow Him.  All he wanted was to see.  It’s just like many  people today – all we want is a peek of Jesus.  No commitments, no surrender, no salvation from sin – just a peek.  Maybe he can answer a prayer or two, the more important ones.  And we will climb a tree just to see Him.

For me, what Zacchaeus did was just like religion.  Many “Christians” climb trees, make an effort through their Sunday services, ministry, good works, to climb that tree and have a peek at Jesus.  That’s all.  We look like Christians, have all the right external decorations – but in our hearts we’re not really after Him, not seeking Him.  Just like Zacchaeus.

But that was going to change.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."

Here is where God’s Grace comes into the picture.

When Jesus reached the spot where he was, Jesus looked up and called him by name - “Zacchaeus”!  Jesus knew him.  This was not a chance meeting, an accidental circumstance that just happened to bring the two together.  This was something that God had planned from eternity!  Jesus called Zacchaeus because He knew him!

Ephesians 1:4-5 (NIV)
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--

What a blessing to know that when the Lord called us, we weren’t “exhibit A”, or specimen “B”.  He knew us, called us by name.  And it had nothing to do with who Zacchaeus was.  Remember, he was a tax collector and wealthy.  Tax collectors were known to be corrupt, and so his wealth most probably came from his corruption.  And yet God, by His grace, knew and called Zaccheaus by name.  Truly it is by grace that we are chosen.

It wasn’t Zacchaeus who was looking for God.  It was God who was looking for Zacchaeus, creating the right opportunity for Him to reach out and call Him into the new life God had prepared for him.

And when God calls, the heart cannot help but respond.

6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

Who can resist grace, God’s grace?  Zacchaeus knew who he was, and a peek of Jesus was all he wanted.  But when he heard his name called by Jesus, wanting to eat at his home, he came down at once and welcomed Him.

Notice, it was Jesus who invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ house, not Zacchaeus who invited Jesus.  "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."  Many think they are Christian because they invited Jesus into their heart.  But it’s the other way around!  We are Christian because it is God who “invited” Himself to our life.  When we stand before God in eternity, we will have no reason to boast.  We will not even be able to say that we should be in heaven because we chose Him.  Even in our salvation it is God who is glorified, not us.

John 15:16 (NIV)  Jesus said:
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

Zacchaeus’ response to Jesus in his home in the next blog…

What looking up can do

In one of our Lord Jesus’ teachings, He taught His disciples to look – look at the birds, look at the lilies of the fields…to show them how faithful God was (Matthew 6:26).  It seems like David in Psalm 19 was doing the same.  He seems to have been looking at things that caused him to worship His Lord and offer his life unto Him.  What, or where did he look?

LOOK UP!

Psalms 19:1-6 (NIV)
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

David looked up to the heavens, and for him it proclaimed the glory and greatness of his God!  Each day and night that came, every sunrise, every starry night, spoke to his heart and gave him a reason to worship.

Many people look up to the heavens and wonder if there are other beings living somewhere in space.  Christians look up to the heavens and proclaim the greatness and glory of their Lord!  He is our Creator, and all creation speaks of who He is.  The universe was made to proclaim Him.

A Christian’s relationship with God is directly related to how great and awesome his God is in his heart.  The greater our God is in our hearts, the more our relationship with Him is strengthened, the more we bow down in worship and adoration, the more we submit and obey.  Looking up to the stars, admiring each beautiful day, should reveal to us more and more how great our God is.

LOOK DOWN:

Psalms 19:7-11 (NIV)
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

David then shifts his focus to the law of the Lord.  Yes the heavens proclaim the glory of God, but He has also left us with His Word that God wants us to be looking at, words that also proclaim who our God is, and what His will is for us.

God, in His grace, left us with 66 books, written by authors inspired, all connected, all written to reveal who our God is, and what His will and desire is for us.  It is in Scripture that we, His children, find all that we need for life and godliness in this world.

His Word is perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, sure and altogether righteous!  God’s Word revives us, makes us wise, gives joy to our hearts, gives light to our eyes.  They are to be more precious than gold, sweeter than honey to us. 

And it is His Word that God uses to warn us, correct us, rebuke us, that we may walk and live as He desires for us to live.

LOOK IN:

Psalms 19:12-13 (NIV)
12 Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

As David reflected on the glory of His God, and the relevance of His word, this moved him to desire to offer to God a blameless and righteous life.  When someone is given a glimpse of how great his God is, and how precious His words are, it should move him to offer to his God what is best, what is right.  At the same time, this revelation of God’s glory also reveals the content of our heart.  This moved David to confess and seek deliverance from the Lord.

First concerning his hidden faults.  In His presence our hidden faults are revealed, faults that even our own hearts could not detect!  We should never think that we are the best judge of our character or righteousness.  Only God knows who we are, and only He can see all our faults, even those hidden from our own “eyes”.

And through His Word our willful sins are also exposed.  What are willful sins?  They are sins that we willfully commit, even if we know they go against the will of our Lord.  Sometimes the pull of the world, and our fleshly desires, are so strong we willfully follow them.  Here we need God’s deliverance – we ask Him to keep us from willful sins, from people and places that will tempt us to sin.  Our desire is that God rules our lives, and not our sins.

In the presence of a glorious, great and awesome God one can only desire to be blameless and holy before Him.

With this, David ended his psalm by

LOOKING UP again:

Psalms 19:14 (NIV)
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Again David looked up, this time with a prayer, that his heart and his life would be pleasing to his Rock and Redeemer. 

The glory and greatness of our God, as seen in creation and His word, reveals our need for Him to cleanse us, and brings a desire for us to offer to Him a heart and life that are pleasing to Him.

Submitting to God’s plan

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Many Christians get excited either when they read this verse, or when somebody quotes it to them.  And why not?  It is such a hopeful and assuring verse – imagine plans to prosper us, not to harm us, to give us a hope and a future.

The funny thing is most of us (including myself) make that mistake of thinking of our plans when we read this verse, plans that we believe will give us a future and a hope.  So we ask God to bless those plans.  But this is farthest from what the verse is saying.

“For I know the plans I HAVE FOR YOU”.  God knows His plans for us.  Yes, God has a plan for us!  Some Christians don’t realize that, and so they push their plans to God, expecting Him to fulfill them as they desire.  But it’s the other way around – it is God who has plans for us.  And it is up to us to come before Him and ask God to guide us according to His plan for us.

And when our Perfect and Loving Father makes plans for us, they are for a future and a hope, plans that will prosper us and not harm us!  That’s His promise.  So the best place we can be, the only place we should be is right smack in the middle of His plans for us!

Are we praying for God’s plans for us, or are we forcing the Lord to bless the plans that we have made for ourselves?  Are we willing to submit to the plans that the Lord has prepared for us, or will we be insisting on what we planned for ourselves?

Our God is sovereign, He does not make mistakes, and nothing happens out of His will or control.  The very place we are in right now, the very situation or circumstance, is part of the plan that God has for us – no matter how difficult, how painful, or how blessed it is!  Why?  Because God’s overall plan is to conform us to the image of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and He will use any and every circumstance necessary to bring out the Christ-likeness in us, and give Him the glory.

Romans 8:28-29 (NIV)
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

In all things God works for our good.  His plans are for our good, to give us a future and a hope.  Let us trust Him fully for that.  With Israel, for example – God’s plan was to bring them to exile in Babylon for seventy years!  That was not going to be pleasant.  But that was where God would bless them.  Then after seventy years He would eventually bring them back to Jerusalem.  It was all part of His plan.  All He asked was for them to obey.

Sometimes part of God’s plan for us is to be in a circumstance or situation that is not so pleasant, painful even.  But He will use that to bring out the obedience in us, and form a Christ-likeness that only that specific circumstance can bring.

So we need to trust.  Fully.  God knows the plans that He has for us.

Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NIV)
12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.