Pray to Receive the Mind of God

And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14: 13, 14)

If God knows not only the past, but also the future, how dare we tell Him what is best for the future?  This is a knotty question.  There are four parts to the answer given to us in the Bible.  First, we pray because we have been motivated to prayer by the very God to whom we pray.

Most of us believe that prayer is initiated by us when we blunder into God's presence wih our requests and concerns. Not at all.  Our prayer is response. When a need comes to our mind and we pray, it is because God has an answer to give us for that concern.  The answer is ready when we are moved to pray.

Secondly, we pray not so much to change but to receive the mind of God. As we pray our prayers and listen to God, He is able and willing to impress His mind upon us.  Thirdly, we pray because God has ordained that there are resources of His power and love which will not be released until we pray. He has called us to be His partners in the world. He desires that we come to Him as children to share our needs with Him.

Give Your Burdens to God

Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you. (Psalm 55:22 NKJB)

Most of us ride in God's grace with a load still on our backs because we find it difficult to take our troubles off and entrust them to God.   To forgive means to forget and yet many of us carry the memory of past failures of ourselves and others on our backs.

Who's your burden? Whom do you carry emotionally, in memory, or in conscience? Who causes you difficult reactions of guilt, fear, frustration, or anger? That person belongs to God. He's carrying him or her too, you know! Isn't it about time to take the load off, face the unresolved dynamics of the relationship, and forgive and forget?

Nothing hurts more than a wound from a friend. There may be times when friends lovingly confront you in order to help you. Real friends stick by you in times of trouble and bring healing, love, acceptance, and understanding. What kind of friend are you? Don't betray those you love.

God wants us to give our burdens to him, but often we continue to bear them ourselves even when we say we are trusting in him. Trust the same strength that sustains you to carry your cares also.