The Priority of Prayer

He wants me to wake up every morning and say, not my will today, God, your will today. Dr. Tony Evans talks about getting our prayer priorities in order.

You can only experience the power and presence of the Kingdom if you're willing to submit to the purposes of the King. This is The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and president of the Urban Alternative. Most of us have no problem praying for what we want or even praying for what others want. Today, Dr. Evans talks about the importance of praying for what God wants.

Let's join him as he explains. When you merge onto a highway, the traffic is going in a particular direction, and that requires an adjustment as you move off of the on-ramp into the traffic flow. There is an adjustment no matter what the size of your vehicle happens to be. You must adjust to where the traffic is headed.

If you try to go your own way on a moving highway, you are creating a disaster, because you're going in the opposite direction to where the traffic is seeking to go. God is going somewhere, and where He is going is the building of His Kingdom, Thy Kingdom Come. Everything is about God's Kingdom. From Genesis to Revelation, the word Kingdom is the driving narrative of the story, the rule of God from eternity into history, but in relationship with His people. And what God is asking you to do is to merge into His program, to merge into where He's going, to merge in the direction He's taking. And the way that you merge into His Kingdom program is prioritizing His will over yours. Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Now, the first thing you have to understand is the comprehensive nature of God's will.

Nothing sits outside of it. In other words, God's will is what He wants, where He wants it, and when He wants it. It is absolute control over all of His creation. For example, let me read to you Isaiah chapter 14, verse 24 and verse 27, the Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely just as I have intended, so it happened, and just as I planned it, it will stand. Verse 27 says, For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? As for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back? Chapter 43 of Isaiah, verse 13, reads as follows, Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of my hand.

I act, and who can reverse it? So God's will is comprehensive. I am now speaking about the unconditional will of God, that is, His will when He doesn't have any conditions tied to it, when He's going to do it because He decided to do it because it's in His right to do it. He told Pharaoh, Pharaoh, let my people go. Now, they're going to leave, whether you cooperate with it or whether you don't cooperate with it.

If I have to bring frogs, if I have to turn the water into blood, if I have to bring lice, or if I have to kill the firstborn in every one of your house, I have decided they're not going to stay there anymore. So whether you work with me or don't work with me is irrelevant because in my unconditional will, I have decided this is going to happen, so I'm going to make it happen. So that is this comprehensive will of God. I love the way Psalm 115 verse 3 says, God is in heaven and He does whatever He pleases.

Romans chapter 11 verse 36 says, from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things. So when we're talking about the God of the Bible, we're talking about a person who has absolute control over anything he decides to do because he has both the right and the power to do what he determines. Having explained his unconditional will, that's not the only will he has. God has another will, and that is the will of what he desires that may or may not occur. In other words, he has a desirable will, things he wishes and things he wants. The things he wishes and wants are in partnership with mankind, and it may or may not happen.

For example, 1 Timothy 2, 4 says, God desires that all men are saved, yet the Bible is clear all men are not saved. Even though he wants it to happen, he does not impose it to happen because it's conditional on what man does or does not do, in this case, receiving Christ. In the conditional will of God, he allows choices. Deuteronomy chapter 30 verses 15 to the end of the chapter says that you have a choice. He says, choose life or you can choose death. I want you to choose life.

I'm not going to make you choose life. So there is a unconditional will. He's going to do it because he decides to do it. But then there is this partnership will, where he will partner with you in the doing of it, but he won't make you do it. The reason why we have to pray thy will be done is because, obviously, his will is not always done.

That's why we have to pray for it. So he's calling for a partnership in prayer so that what he has determined conditionally from heaven to come to earth can come because we have cooperated with it for it to be released from heaven into earth. Now what this means is that a decision has to be made if you're going to pray this prayer and mean it. He says that we must be willing to submit to the will of God. Now I'm going to give you four words that some of you may not like, four words that sometimes I don't prefer.

I'm going to give you four words that can ruin your perspective of who you are and why you are here. Those four words come from 1 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 6, and those four words read as follows. We exist for him. 1 Corinthians 8 says we exist for him. Translation, he does not exist for you. He does not exist for me. God did not create us so that we would not be for him. He created us so that we could be for him. His program, his will, his plan, his goals, his desires, his drive. He wants you to wake up every morning. He wants me to wake up every morning and say, not my will today, God, your will today. And if anybody has to adjust, I'm adjustable.

I am adjustable. We exist for him. That is the surrender decision that every Christian has to face.

Jesus put it this way. Even when he was physically hungry in John 4.34, he says, I exist. My food is to do the Father's will. I'm hungry right now, but what really satisfies me is when I've done the Father's will.

You can only experience the power and presence of the kingdom if you're willing to submit to the purposes of the king. Your goal, my goal, should be what God said about David in Acts 13, 22. He said, David is a man after my own heart who loves to do my will. David was an imperfect man, but when God wrote his obituary, he says, that man loves to do my will. In other words, when he failed doing my will, he got on his knees and confessed it, got it right, and got right back in my will. He loves to do my will.

That's what you want to be said of your life, my life. I didn't just do it, I preferred it. The only way you're going to prefer to do God's will is if you believe he knows what he's doing. Because if you don't believe he knows what he's doing, you're going to drift to your will, to your preference. But if you believe he knows what he's doing, even when you don't like what he's doing, you have to trust him that he knows better than you do, and I submit to the will of God.

So there must be a surrender charge. There must be a decision to be committed to the will of God. So that brings up this issue of confidence in God. First John 5 verses 14 and 15 says we have this confidence that anything we ask in his will, we know he's going to do it.

We have this confidence. The problem with many of us submitting to the will of God is we don't have confidence in him. We got confidence when we like it, but we don't have confidence when we loathe it.

We have confidence when we want it, but we don't have confidence when we don't want it. John says, but we have this confidence that we know when we pray in his will because one prayer that will always be answered and that is his will. If you pray and it's in his will, it will happen. But if it's a conditional desire, but you don't pray, it might not happen even though it's in his will. But you can know, he says, because God gives you a confidence when you're in his will. So that's why we pray because I don't want anything left in heaven that was meant to come to earth. I don't want to miss anything he wanted to do, but he was waiting for me to follow him, to pray to him, to depend on him, and so I did not get it.

Now let me make something clear. You will not learn what his secret will is if you ignore his revealed will. When Dr. Evans continues our message in just a moment, he'll tell us more about how God gives back to us when we pray according to his priorities. But first, I'd like to tell you how to get Tony's popular and life-changing book, God Is More Than Enough. In it, he takes a close look at the 23rd Psalm, pointing out that it's much more than poetic verse. It's David and us realizing that God is totally capable of taking care of any distress, anxiety, or fears we may have.

We only need to allow him to do it. We'd like to send this book to you as our way of saying thanks when you make a contribution to help keep Tony's teaching on this station. And if you do it right away, as an added bonus, we'll also include all eight full-length messages from his current teaching series, The Lord's Prayer.

These lessons will help you discover why the Lord's example of how to pray is also an example of how to live. But this offer is only available for a short time, so be sure to contact us right away. All the details and the instantly downloadable message files are waiting for you at tonyevans.org. Or you can give us a phone call day or night at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you with your resource request.

I'll have that information for you again right after part two of today's message and this. It was my first time meeting Jesus in the Bible. That's what one student is saying after studying bibliology through the Tony Evans Training Center, taught by renowned theologian, Dr. Tony Evans. These online courses feature compelling and exclusive video and audio teaching, plus an interactive scripture-based curriculum you can access online or through the mobile app. Sign up now at tonyevanstraining.org.

Take a course with Dr. Evans and explore the kingdom anytime, anywhere, tonyevanstraining.org. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 29, 29, God has a secret will. That is, things He hadn't disclosed, things He hadn't talked about. Parents have secret wills. We have things we don't tell our children. We've already made the decision, but we haven't informed them. Maybe because it's not time. Maybe they're not old enough. Maybe they're not mature enough, but we have secret wills.

That is, things we know that nobody else knows about in the family. God has a secret will. When you go to God for stuff that's not written in the Bible specifically, but it's your personal need and you want to know, God, what you're going to do about this thing that I can't find a particular verse on, you cannot find His secret will if you rebel against His revealed will. In John chapter 11, Jesus told Martha to move the stone, and she wanted to debate about mortuary science.

He's been dead four days. He's thinking, Jesus said, I didn't ask you that. I told you, move the stone. And Jesus wouldn't say anything until she moved the stone, but when she moved the stone, she saw what God was planning to do in secret, Lazarus come forth.

But there is something I like about Martha. She went to God crying. Where were you? If you would have been here, she said, this disaster wouldn't occur, this sickness wouldn't be there, this, if you would have just been here, where were you?

And if the truth be told, if you haven't said it, you thunk it. Where were you in this financial situation? Where were you in this relational crisis? Where were you?

Where were you? And she says, where were you? It can't get any worse than her situation. Lazarus was totally gone, but her confidence was so deep with tears rolling down her eyes. She said, but even now, when I see no help, no hope, no deliverance, no victory, no way out, even now. And I'm so glad I know an even now God, even now, when there are no solutions, when there are no deliverances. That's why you don't ever want to give up on God, because he can do things even now.

Now he may not, but you at least want to know somebody who can if they choose to. The Hebrew boy said, now I know God can deliver. He can deliver us from your fiery furnace, but if he does not, we're still going to praise you and praise him. We're still going to worship him. We're still going to give him glory. We're still going to exalt him, even if he doesn't do it. As we wrestle through our crisis, our prayer is God even now, but if you don't, we're going to worship you, praise you, pray to you, glorify you, exalt you, magnify you, bless you, because we exist for you.

You don't exist for us. And so what that means is that we must do a number of things. First of all, we must be willing to discover his will. Psalm 119 verse 18 says, open our eyes so that we see.

Open our eyes. You must be willing to say, God, what do you say about this situation? What principles are in the Bible about what I'm dealing with, what I'm going through?

You must be willing to discover it. Then secondly, you must be willing to understand it. The Bible calls that wisdom. Verse James 1 5, if any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, Lord, how do you want me to handle this thing?

How do you want me to deal with this? Then Romans 12, one and two, you must be willing to submit to it. You must say, yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes to your will.

And then you must be willing to accomplish it. I love Colossians 1, nine and 10, here's what it says, for this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and understanding so that you might walk in a manner worthy of the Lord to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. He says, I'm praying for you. I'm praying for you, he says, to that church, to this church.

Thank you for praying for me and for us, but we're praying for you. We're praying that you will know the knowledge of God in whatever situation you're facing, that you will have the wisdom of God to how to address it, and that you will walk in that and you will make that the basis of your decision until your change comes or whether or not your change comes. That in either way, thy will be done, if we will, and I'm talking to me too, get up every day and say, God, this is what I want. This is what I desire. This is what I prefer, because I have to be honest with you. This is my dream.

This is my goal. However, after having said what I said, told you what I told you, not my will, but thy will be done, because I exist for you. We exist for you, for your glory and for your name's sake, and here's what Jesus promises in Mark chapter three, verse 35, that he who does my will will be my mother, father, brother, and sister.

You know what he's saying? If you will do my will, I'm going to bring you into the family. You're already a Christian, but I'm going to now tell you family secrets.

I'm going to do things in your situation, whether or not I change your scenario to let you know I'm family. When Stephen was being stoned to death, God didn't change his situation, but he was family, and because he was family, the Bible says he saw heaven open and Jesus Christ standing on the right hand of the father, giving him a standing ovation because he was family. When you're family, God shows up in ways that blows your mind. Sometimes it's a miracle that you didn't expect coming. Sometimes it's a deliverance that you didn't think was possible.

Sometimes a last minute bill being paid when you thought you were going to be evicted, but sometimes he doesn't do anything with the situation. He just stands in the middle of it and lets you know he's right there because you're family. He says, if you're willing to do my will, I'm going to treat you like family. I'm going to be close to you in a crisis, so may this church and every individual in this church pray, Lord, your program is your kingdom, and I want to be a highway you can ride on. I don't want you to skip me, bypass me, or discipline me.

You can ride this highway because I'm saying thy will be done, and I'm willing to adjust my way to your way, my will to your will, my desire to your desire to please you, and if I please you, you're going to show up in whatever situation you choose to for your glory and my good. Dr. Evans will be back in a moment with a final story to drive home today's message. First, though, I want to let you know that there's a lot more material from this lesson than what we had time to share over the air, and that's why we make the full-length versions of each message available on both CD and digital download, so you can review it on your own or even share it with a friend or family member. You can get Tony's complete eight-part series, The Lord's Prayer, as our thank-you gift when you make a contribution to help support his ministry. And as I mentioned earlier, we'll also include a copy of God is More Than Enough, Tony's well-received book that has already helped thousands of others find the strength they need to overcome inadequacy, worries, and hardship with the Lord in charge. Just get in touch with us today and make your request before this special offer runs out. You can get all the information and make your donation online at toneeevans.org, or call us at 1-800-800-3222. Our resource center is open 24-7, so there's no need to wait.

Again that's 1-800-800-3222. They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Well tomorrow Jonathan Evans will explain why it can also be the strongest demonstration of devotion as he talks about what it means to be made in the image of God.

And now though, Tony's back with his final thought for today. Drunk drivers are told to give their keys to somebody who's not intoxicated. Because if you're drunk and you get behind the wheel, you're jeopardizing yourself and other folk. So they say give your keys up, hand them over to somebody who's not intoxicated who can get you home safely.

You and I live in an intoxicating world, causing us to stammer and stutter all over the place. We're happy today, we're sad tomorrow, we're joyful today, we're miserable tomorrow. This day's up, tomorrow is down. We live in an intoxicating world, but God is saying, hand me the keys. Give me the keys, submit me the keys, because I know where I'm going. And even though you're confused, I know how to get you to the will of God, to the plan of God, in the kingdom of God, for the glory of God, and for your best interest. Hand me the keys so that I can run your life the way that it should be run according to the program of God. The alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by the Urban Alternative and is made possible by the generous contributions of listeners like you.