According to His Will

Mark Dunagan
05/03/15 - Sunday Morning

According to His Will

“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14)

God's servant and prophet Elisha is sick with an illness that will eventually result in his death (2 Kings 13:14).  Joash the king of Israel comes and weeps over Elisha’s condition, at a loss as to how the nation will go forward without this mighty prophet, and haunted with a sense that the nation is being left less defended, for Elisha had been like an army for Israel.  Elisha then told the king to take a bow and arrows, open a widow toward the East and shoot.  Why this random order? This arrow symbolized God helping them defeat the Syrians (2 Kings 13:17).  Then the king is told to strike the arrows on the ground, so the king struck three times.  At this Elisha is quite angry and states he should have struck five or six times (2 Kings 13:19).  So what gives? 

The half-hearted obedience with which King Joash obeys Elisha's command, exemplified his general attitude toward His service to God as king.  “The king lacked perseverance and determination.  He was content with half-measures (which was seen in his relationship with God) and incomplete achievement, and therefore the future victory over Syria would be a limited victory” (Dilday p. 385).  This begs our own self-examination. Are we content with half-measures and incomplete achievements?  Are we content with slow or nonexistent spiritual growth and progress?  Do we have problems in our personal lives because our struggle against temptation is half-hearted?   Are we determined to give ourselves over to honoring God that we bask in the light and joy of His presence for all eternity, and be His instrument in aiding others to do likewise?  Do we lack unwavering determination when it comes to resisting evil?   Note in the account of King Joash that victory against God’s enemies does, at least in part, depend upon our own zeal and determination.  Yes, victory belongs to the Lord, but those who know the God of the Bible, realize that God will not give spiritual success to those who are only willing to "go half-way" or are lukewarm.  

•  “Does he want to eliminate Syria or not (v. 19)?  Elisha gives Joash a blank check of the word of God, and the king says, ‘Thank you, I’ll only cash half of it’” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 191).   He was content to be a “three-victories” man.  How often is our response to the word of God, “Well, this will do, will it not”?  Is our response inadequate to what is at stake? 
• “His lack of persistence reflected his weakness—no deep agitation over Syria’s encroachment on the Holy Land” (Winters p. 237).    God will allow us to miss or forfeit great opportunities if we are lethargic, but yet He wants so much more for us. Pray that He gives you a heart with the passion for Him and the holy living He deserves from you; spend quiet time with Him every day and see what a difference for good this makes in your battle for your soul. 

An Application to Prayer

The Bible frequently exhorts believers to not only pray, but to come confidently before God with our requests.  We are encouraged to pray frequently and fervently (1 Thessalonians 5:17), to persist in prayer (Luke 18:1), and to come as close to God as possible with asking, seeking and knocking (Luke 11:9).  We are then told that if what we are requesting aligns with the revealed will of God, we then will know that God has indeed heard us, that such requests are right before His holy throne (1 John 5:14). More than once, scripture describes the prayers of the righteous as going all the way before His heavenly throne (Hebrews 4:16). In other beautiful passages, your pouring out your soul to God is described as a fragrant incense that arises to His good pleasure (Revelation 6:8). 

Are My Prayers Too Small?

Obviously we should not ignore praying for daily food (Luke 11:3) or the simple things of life.  In addition, it is acceptable to pray for safe travels for oneself or others.  Yet, in many of our prayers are we content to strike the arrows only three times on the ground?   Like King Joash, we are exhorted to “ask” (Luke 11:9) and to make our “requests” known to God (1 John 5:15).  In addition, we are encouraged to come to God for “help” (Hebrews 4:16)—and, in view of how dangerous it is for Christians around the world to stand up for truth, God’s people desperately need help in view of the task we are given.  Added to all this, we are even shown the example of Elijah who prayed that it would not rain and it did not rain for three years. How very true “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16).   In light of those statements, consider the following chart when it comes to our own prayer life.  I have often prayed the prayer in the first column and I am not saying that such is a wrong thing to pray, but is it stopping short?  Is it settling for a three-victory situation instead of a complete victory? 

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net