Becoming Like Jesus: PrayerSample

What does God want me to do?

Yesterday, we explored the big question of what God’s will is. Today, we are going to drill down a little more into what God wants us to do and how understanding His heart for us helps guide our prayers.

How do we become the kind of person who sees things change as a result of our prayers? Here’s what God says…

Pray…

Heavenly Father, thank you for making your intentions clear. Thank you that we don’t have to guess about your love and what you ask us to do. Jesus, thank you for being a walking, talking, living example of the love of the Father and what it looks like to live the kind of life that fully honors God. Holy Spirit, help me stick to Jesus even more closely today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 NIV

Consider…

What does God require of you? What does He want you to do?

Act justly. God desires for you to partner with Him in bringing shalom, in making wrong things right everywhere you go.

Love mercy. God longs for you to know the depths of His love for you and others as expressed in His unfailing mercy. He wants us to be people who rejoice over His slowness to anger and faithfulness to forgive when it comes to us and others. And He wants us to become the kind of people who are merciful, as He is merciful.

Walk humbly. God wants to walk with you. Humility is the quality that allows us to do that. When we are humble, we are submitted to Him and what He says is good, right, and true—we are living into reality. We trust God more than we trust ourselves. We see ourselves clearly and others more compassionately. Walking humbly is walking with Jesus.

As we become the kind of people who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, show up in the world this way (seeking justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly), we will start to see God moving. Why? Because we will be moving with Him. When God moves, He acts justly. When God moves, He shows mercy. When God moves, it’s sacrificial and in accordance with what’s really real. If you want to see God move, learn to move with Him.

Practice…

Which one of the three parts of this verse stands out to you the most? Pray that God would help you move with Him in that way today.

Where is there a wrong to be righted? Pray for that.

Who needs to experience God’s unfailing mercy? Pray for them.

Where is Jesus leading you to choose someone else’s good over your own? Pray that He will show you.

Listen…

As you finish praying today, create space for God to speak to you. Set your timer for five minutes and just be still and quiet, humbling yourself before your good King.

Ask Him to speak to you.

When you get distracted, come back to Jesus by praying the Lord’s Prayer, slowly, line-by-line, listening for the Holy Spirit to comfort and challenge you to take a step of obedience today.