When I don’t understand
I was reminded this morning, as I was studying 1st Thessalonians that Paul was giving thanks for the evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the gospel that he saw in the lives of the Thessalonian believers. It reminded me of what Paul prayed for the Ephesians in chapter one, or better yet how he prayed for them. He starts out his prayer in verse 15 thanking the Lord for their faith and their love toward all the saints and then he proceeds to ask the Lord to give them wisdom and understanding in who they are in Christ and of the power they have available to them because they are in Christ. But what a stuck out to me is that Paul’s first thought is that they are believers and that there is evidence of the fruit of the gospel in their lives He doesn’t start with everything that needs correcting or improving (even though what he asks for is biblical). He starts with praising God for who they already are. Paul spends several verses in 1st Thessalonians 1 mentioning and giving thanks for this same fruits and evidence of the gospel in their lives.
There is a friend that I have been interceding for for a little over a year and I am so quick to jump right into my prayers telling God about all the things that need correcting and changing and if God would just do things my way then everything would be better. I was reminded this morning that there is evidence of saving faith in this individual’s life, there is evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their life, and they are bearing fruit. Their life may not look the way I think it should but God is still just as intimately involved in their life as He is in mine. The Holy Spirit is at work, He is changing them to be more like Jesus, and He is doing it in a way that is best for that individual. He has tailored His work to best meet and suit the individual involved. I marvel.
He who began the work will be faithful to complete it, according to Philippians 1:6.
When I charge into God’s throne room and begin making demands of Him, “on behalf of my friend,” I so easily lose sight of the One to whom I am speaking and tend to either focus on what I want for the individual or to focus on everything that’s going wrong, according to me, in their life. I lose sight of the Giver of good gifts, and demand His gifts. He is so kind to remind me. And there is a peace that comes with submitting to how God is choosing to work. When I don’t understand the how’s and the why’s in the ins and outs of everything going on, I can rest and rejoice that I am praying for a fellow member of the kingdom of God and that every promise available to me is available to them and He is faithful to keep His promises to both of us.
There is a friend that I have been interceding for for a little over a year and I am so quick to jump right into my prayers telling God about all the things that need correcting and changing and if God would just do things my way then everything would be better. I was reminded this morning that there is evidence of saving faith in this individual’s life, there is evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their life, and they are bearing fruit. Their life may not look the way I think it should but God is still just as intimately involved in their life as He is in mine. The Holy Spirit is at work, He is changing them to be more like Jesus, and He is doing it in a way that is best for that individual. He has tailored His work to best meet and suit the individual involved. I marvel.
He who began the work will be faithful to complete it, according to Philippians 1:6.
When I charge into God’s throne room and begin making demands of Him, “on behalf of my friend,” I so easily lose sight of the One to whom I am speaking and tend to either focus on what I want for the individual or to focus on everything that’s going wrong, according to me, in their life. I lose sight of the Giver of good gifts, and demand His gifts. He is so kind to remind me. And there is a peace that comes with submitting to how God is choosing to work. When I don’t understand the how’s and the why’s in the ins and outs of everything going on, I can rest and rejoice that I am praying for a fellow member of the kingdom of God and that every promise available to me is available to them and He is faithful to keep His promises to both of us.
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