I am filled with awe and admiration whenever I think of the young girl Mary's words when she is told by the angel Gabriel that she will give birth to the son of God.
She is initially troubled because she is a virgin, but Gabriel assures her the birth will be miraculous.
And she responds: "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." (Luke 1)
What trust and faith in God!
I consider her words a prayer of acceptance and faith. She believed God was honouring her by choosing her to bear Jesus (Luke 1:47-49).
But it was not an easy choice for her.
Even Joseph, her husband-to-be, thought she had done something wrong - pregnant before marriage - and was thinking of divorcing her quietly. But an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and explained the miraculous conception.
There is no doubt that Gabriel's appearance must have been amazing. But Moses tried to get out of leading the Israelites even though God spoke to him from a burning bush. And Gideon tested God several times when an angel told him he was to lead the Israelites.
Yet Mary - a humble young woman - accepted her role immediately.
It is that kind of faith that God is looking for in me. Am I willing to do what he asks me to do? Am I prepared to say to the Lord "Your will be done" no matter what the cost may seem to be?
Derek Prince, author of Secrets of a Prayer Warrior, says that submission to God's will is essential in seeing prayers answered.
Prince declares that he gets what he prays for. He points to great prayer promises in the Bible available to all of us. He has experienced personally marvellous answers to prayer.
But there are conditions. And the first is "come with reverent submission" to the Lord.
Hebrews 5:7 says Jesus' prayers on earth were heard because of his reverent submission to the Father.
Jesus displayed this virtue most vividly in the Garden of Gethsemane when he sweat drops of blood while pleading with the Father to spare him death on the cross. But he surrendered himself entirely to the destiny chosen for him, saying: "Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." (Matthew 26:39)
This may seem fatalistic. But Prince doesn't see it that way.
"When we pray for anything, we need to begin by asking ourselves, Am I praying for this thing because I want it, or because God wants it? It makes a great deal of difference. If it is because I want it, my prayers may not be answered; but if it is because God wants it, then my prayers will be answered."
George Muller was a great example of seeking God's will in a situation and then praying confidently until he saw the answer. He kept a diary of his requests and God's answers for decades while he operated orphanages in England without ever asking people for money.
On significant matters, he would pray for the Holy Spirit to guide him as he read scriptures and placed his requests before God. When he was convinced of God's will in a situation, he knew he would receive a "Yes" in response.
"When we say, 'Your will be done,' we are becoming instruments for God to do what he wants," Prince says.
And nothing is more powerful than that.
Think of it. When Mary said "Yes" to God, she gave birth to the Messiah.
And the world was changed.
She is initially troubled because she is a virgin, but Gabriel assures her the birth will be miraculous.
And she responds: "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." (Luke 1)
What trust and faith in God!
I consider her words a prayer of acceptance and faith. She believed God was honouring her by choosing her to bear Jesus (Luke 1:47-49).
But it was not an easy choice for her.
Even Joseph, her husband-to-be, thought she had done something wrong - pregnant before marriage - and was thinking of divorcing her quietly. But an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and explained the miraculous conception.
There is no doubt that Gabriel's appearance must have been amazing. But Moses tried to get out of leading the Israelites even though God spoke to him from a burning bush. And Gideon tested God several times when an angel told him he was to lead the Israelites.
Yet Mary - a humble young woman - accepted her role immediately.
It is that kind of faith that God is looking for in me. Am I willing to do what he asks me to do? Am I prepared to say to the Lord "Your will be done" no matter what the cost may seem to be?
Derek Prince, author of Secrets of a Prayer Warrior, says that submission to God's will is essential in seeing prayers answered.
Prince declares that he gets what he prays for. He points to great prayer promises in the Bible available to all of us. He has experienced personally marvellous answers to prayer.
But there are conditions. And the first is "come with reverent submission" to the Lord.
Hebrews 5:7 says Jesus' prayers on earth were heard because of his reverent submission to the Father.
Jesus displayed this virtue most vividly in the Garden of Gethsemane when he sweat drops of blood while pleading with the Father to spare him death on the cross. But he surrendered himself entirely to the destiny chosen for him, saying: "Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." (Matthew 26:39)
This may seem fatalistic. But Prince doesn't see it that way.
"When we pray for anything, we need to begin by asking ourselves, Am I praying for this thing because I want it, or because God wants it? It makes a great deal of difference. If it is because I want it, my prayers may not be answered; but if it is because God wants it, then my prayers will be answered."
George Muller was a great example of seeking God's will in a situation and then praying confidently until he saw the answer. He kept a diary of his requests and God's answers for decades while he operated orphanages in England without ever asking people for money.
On significant matters, he would pray for the Holy Spirit to guide him as he read scriptures and placed his requests before God. When he was convinced of God's will in a situation, he knew he would receive a "Yes" in response.
"When we say, 'Your will be done,' we are becoming instruments for God to do what he wants," Prince says.
And nothing is more powerful than that.
Think of it. When Mary said "Yes" to God, she gave birth to the Messiah.
And the world was changed.
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