Me:  Howdy Prodigal!  It is a wonderful day for a walk isn’t it?

 

Prodigal:  Yes, and I am deep in thought.  A lot of people have told me a lot of things and I am confused about God’s will at the moment.

 

Me:  Well, let me see if I can help.

 

Beth Moore writes in her book Believing God

A big difference exists between trying to manipulate God to give us what we want and cooperating with God so He can give us what He wants.  The latter is our goal.

When christians mature there should be a point in maturity when it stops being about their long list of prayers and what God should give them.  We can get stuck in a mode of let me help this person, go to this service, call this person so that God will answer this prayer request that I have.  After all the work I have done, I turn in my list of works so that God will exchange it for something I want.

Well that is the worlds way.  THERE is NOTHING wrong with helping others, going to service and other things and also NOTHING wrong with a prayer list.  I have a prayer list.  I think this is about spiritual maturity and our heart motives determine our spiritual maturity level.

When I can pray for things on my list, serve God and others and be content when he answers none of these.  And also when I surrender my plans and follow God’s plans then I am working on the second part of what Beth Moore is trying to say.  Now some Christians will never reach the second part because they are just focused on the first but maybe today God is trying to grow you to see and do differently.

 

2 Timothy 2:15

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

 

Jennifer Van Allen

 

www.faithincounseling.org

www.theprodigalpig.com