Blue-Sky Prayer

[rocknanchor]

Throughout the Christian world, you cannot go very far without coming across someone reporting about some Church somewhere that is well-known for and yes, teaches, hesitancy when approaching the throne of grace, also known as “If it be thy will” prayer.

Without doing an exhaustive search of mainline, error-ridden statements on this, where from the confines of scripture is this wrinkle likely to have risen? My suspicion is it is a combination of 1 John 5:14 “according to His will”, and the “boast” of expectation in James 4:16.

Both of which the context is lost when the clarity of conscience was lost. That’s all. Once again, the reference please, ,

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him (1 John 5:14-15).​

Of course, the blame is putting the novice in positions of oversight!

Thoughts?

 

[tturt]

This is a question given consideration for some time. Just a few Scriptures-
"For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." (James 4:15).

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (III John 1:2). "...lay hands on the sick and they shall recover." (Mark 16:18).

 

[A_Thinker]

Throughout the Christian world, you cannot go very far without coming across someone reporting about some Church somewhere that is well-known for and yes, teaches, hesitancy when approaching the throne of grace, also known as “If it be thy will” prayer.

Without doing an exhaustive search of mainline, error-ridden statements on this, where from the confines of scripture is this wrinkle likely to have risen? My suspicion is it is a combination of 1 John 5:14 “according to His will”, and the “boast” of expectation in James 4:16.

Both of which the context is lost when the clarity of conscience was lost. That’s all. Once again, the reference please, ,

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him (1 John 5:14-15).​

Of course, the blame is putting the novice in positions of oversight!

Thoughts?

Even Jesus made the will of the Father His primary in all things ...

John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

Luke 22:41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done.”

So then ... what shall we say ?

Certainly, if we strive to follow Jesus' example, we should strive to make the will of the Father primary ... in all things.

And yet, as His children, we can offer to the Lord whatever request that we desire, ... even knowing that it may not be His will ... and so, will not be done.

In the examples in scriptures where God gave man the desire of his fallen heart, even when those desires did not exemplify His will ... calamity resulted.

When the Israelites wanted a king "like all of the other nations", God sent Samuel to tell them that it was not His will that they have a king, ... because they would be worse for it. Yet, they continued to clamor, ... and God told Samuel to give them what they wanted ... and they chose Saul ... who failed magnificently in his reign.

When good king Hezekiah was upon his deathbed, and God's prophet told him that he would die soon, Hezekiah cried out for fifteen more years. In response to Hezekiah's request, God gave him those years, ... and in those years he fathered Manasseh, the worst king Judah ever had ... which, inextricably, led Judah into judgement by God.

 

[quietbloke]

We can certainly do all things in Christ,who strengthens us!

 

[quietbloke]

When Joshua led the children of Israel through the promised land,he said,'We can certainly do this! (In God's strength,not ours)

 

[rocknanchor]

While speaking of the ancients, the author of the "by faith" chapter/epistle is widely held as, unknown, I think it safe to say the spirits of our prophets are still "subject to the Prophets". Parameters do arise. Unlike, following the Son of man into the depths of nowhere to lay His head when more correctly, the Apostle enquired of our investments in dwelling places (1 Corinthians 11:22).