God's Will & Prayer

Throughout my life, I have heard the term “God’s will” many times but never really understood what it meant. I didn’t start to understand this until my faith started to grow and mature. As I started to read and pray more, my wants and desires started to align more with God. I started to realize that my plans weren’t always God’s plan. In those moments, I realized that though they may be uncomfortable, I wanted to make decisions based on what I felt God was calling me to do. So I started to pray like this, “God, please fulfill your will for my life.” As things started to shift in my life I learned that God’s will for my life is always good, but it may not always feel good.

During times where life seems to be going well and I am content, it seems easier to trust in His will for my life, but at other times I find myself praying a little bit differently. Something like this: “Lord, please help me to desire your will for my life over my own. Please help me to trust in your plan for my life and fill me with peace by trusting and knowing that you are in control.” When I pray this prayer I am reminded of Jeremiah 29:11, “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.” Not only is God reaffirming to me that His plan is going to give me purpose and a future, but also that it will not harm me. Even during the times where I am hurting and having to struggle my way through a difficult time, if I allow Him, the Lord will strengthen me and my faith. He will be there when I call on Him. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.” When I allow my heart and mind to be renewed by the Holy Spirit (even though the circumstances I go through may not feel good), I am able to trust in knowing that God’s Will is “good, pleasing and perfect.”

There is a mighty power in prayer: it is one of the ways that we are able to call out to God and talk with Him. Jeremiah 29:11 is followed by, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (verses 12-13). When I seek the Lord and pray to Him, with all my heart, I will find Him. Sometimes I find myself in a situation where I have two choices: one that seems safe and comfortable and one that may be out of my comfort zone. However, I’ve learned that just because an option is safe and in my comfort zone doesn’t mean that it is always where God is calling me to be. A lot of the times I feel God calling me out of my comfort zone to a place where I can grow and learn to rely more on Him. I find that during circumstances, God really wants me to sacrifice my control and fears and give it up to Him. So I pray and ask for Him to give me the desires of His Spirit and put them into my heart.

I can think of so many times in my life where I had to make a decision, for example, joining the military or going off to college. I was comfortable going to a college that I had dreamed of going to since I was a freshman in high school, where I would be playing a sport that I loved and be close to family. Or I had a second option: to join the military. That was not as comfortable of a decision. However, when I prayed over one of the biggest decisions of my life, there was something in my heart that told me that God wanted me to join the military. It was not the “safe” option, and it was not something that I had ever dreamed of doing, but in my heart I knew it was God’s will for me and that was the decision that gave me peace. I knew that God would always be with me no matter where I went or what decision I made. Looking back on my life these past 3 years I can say without a doubt, I made the right decision. God opened so many doors and opportunities to me that I would never have had and He knew the true desires of my heart better than I did. During these past three years, I have grown so much spiritually and mentally. I learned so much and made so many new friends. I also have met Nicholas, my boyfriend who has become my best friend.

Our prayer is that we would lay down our hearts and desires to Jesus. That as we continue to go through life, we do it by continuously praying and asking for guidance and wisdom from the Lord. At times where we seem to be short on faith, we pray that we are able to ask God to provide us with the faith we need to trust in Him and to trust that He is with us. We pray that we are able to ask God to help us to want to want His will.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18