In his powerful series “Pray Like Jesus”, Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle, preached a message that has changed me greatly. The sermon in particular that I am referring to is “The Gethsemane Prayer”. You can watch it or listen to it below:
VIDEO of Sermon
AUDIO of Sermon
Often times our prayers become very self-serving and we treat it like a way to get what we want, when we want it and if God does not obey our demands then He is mean and unfair. But notice the principle that Driscoll brings up and a principle that shapes the prayer life of Jesus, “Your Will Be Done”.
Let’s be honest, it takes great faith and courage to close our prayers with “YOUR WILL BE DONE”. It surrenders control and that is hard for many of us. It leaves the answer solely upon the will of God even when we don’t like His answer or His methods. It stretches our love for Jesus because we are essentially saying, Jesus I trust you and I believe you know what is best. Even when your ways don’t make sense to me or you do not conform to my desires I want to SUBMIT to your will for me and I am ok with that. I dare you to pray like that!
I have been to many prayer meetings and prayed with many people over the years. Some prayers literally leave me speechless, and not always in a positive way. I’ve heard people preach to God as they scream and demand He answer them according to their agendas. I’ve heard people pray forcefully manipulating God to do what they want. I’ve heard people pray with words that are downright offensive and selfish. Some yell and shout as if God is deaf and separated by millions of miles of universe. But then there are those whose words flow from a humble and devoted heart. These words honour the Holiness and Supremacy of God and respect His Sovereignty. Words not said for show or given as a performance, but words that are honest and worship Jesus for who He is.
So take the time to hear this great sermon and may it change your prayer life as it did mine.
Recent Comments