The Prayer that Leads to His Purpose
"These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers." (Acts 1:14)
We know that God has a purpose in everything He does. But God desires to include us in the process as He carries out His purpose here on earth. There is nothing that allows us to participate and cooperate with God more than prayer. Prayer positions us with the right posture to align our lives with the purpose of God.
When the disciples saw Jesus ascend into heaven, they were faithful to obey the last thing that Jesus had commanded them. They were to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father to receive power to be His witnesses. But what they did during this time of waiting was to stay together communing with God in prayer in an upper room. Prayer is the one thing that leads us to the purpose of God being fulfilled more than anything else.
When we consider God's purpose, we must understand how God sets things in order according to His desired will. Prayer reminds us of our need for God and how to let God lead our lives according to His good will. This is the one area where the Apostles requested to learn directly from Jesus when they said, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). They did not say, "Lord, teach us to preach." They did not say, "Lord, teach us to do healings or miracles." It was the prayer life of Jesus that got their attention. They saw how Jesus prayed regularly, privately, and publicly throughout His entire ministry.
Now what is the purpose of prayer?
THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER is seen in three distinct categories:
Communion (To fellowship with God’s Heart)
Conformity (To align with God’s Will)
Completion (To fulfill God’s Purpose)
When the disciples were praying, the Lord began to put things on the heart of the Apostles, just like He puts things on our hearts. We see how Peter began to recall how there was a need to replace the false apostleship of Judas in order to restore the full number back to "twelve". He may have been helped by the Spirit, who Jesus said would bring to remembrance the things that He said (John 14:26). Peter quotes from various passages in the Old Testament and may have remembered when Jesus said, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matt. 19:28). They were praying for God's choice and not their own.
What Prayer Accomplishes:
Prayer changes our heart.
Prayer exchanges our will for His will.
Prayer re-arranges our priorities, perspectives, and directives.
We are often task oriented, but we need to be "ask-oriented." We need to pray to stay in alignment with God's will for the purpose of God being glorified. The earliest followers of Jesus showed us that the first meeting they held was a prayer meeting and this is what would launch the church forward. There is nothing more important than becoming people of prayer that we might receive from God and achieve for God.
Judas was a thief who stole from the treasury box throughout the ministry of Jesus and was willing to betray Jesus to do his own will just to make a profit. But brothers and sisters may we know that it is never profitable to do our own will if it means sacrificing the opportunity given to us to do God's will and advance God's kingdom.
We need to learn to lay down our plans and pray for God's will in God's way in God's time for God's glory. This is why we need to make sure that we are not focused on what we want to do but rather on what God desires to do in and through our lives.
"ACTS IN ACTION" CHALLENGE POINT:
Ask God to reveal HIS PURPOSE for you:
FORSAKING your own will and plans
TAKING steps of faith toward His will and plan.