Praying With A Purpose: Filling The Position

“And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,” Acts 1:24

Before the Church could move forward, they had to fill one office of the apostles that was left void due to Judas’ defection and death. They were all gathered in an upper room and discussed the business at hand. They finally came down to two men who met the requirements for the office: Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias. The decision would not be arrived at by popular vote but by prayer. After all, had prayed for this one purpose, the decision was made, and Matthias was chosen. What a lesson we have about prayer here in this text.

The lesson for us to learn is that corporately, we make no final decisions without prayer! This is essential when it comes to the kingdom of God. All things must be done by God’s ordering and by God’s decree. So, to make human decisions concerning kingdom work could lead to chaos and conflict instead of accomplishing God’s purposes his way in each situation. Whether it is praying for a deacon, youth leader, pastor, and all other offices big or small. All the individual parts make up the whole and it is vitally important that we have God’s choice servants in these positions.

But another valuable lesson is one that is personal. You may have been offered a promotion or a new job. You may be considering moving into a new home or purchasing a new automobile. Most importantly you may have children who will someday be getting married, and you want them to make the right choice. All of these decisions must be arrived at by prayer. Praying that God’s will may be done in all things.

Praying takes patience! Sometimes things are offered to us that appear on the surface to be the right thing to do. We would consider them to be No brainers! But that’s how the devil can easily get us out of God’s will. Just as he took Jesus up into a high mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the world, this appealing vision would come with a very costly price, fall down and worship me. (Matthew 4:8,9) The devil may offer you a promotion that will take time away from family or church. He may coerce you into purchasing a home or car and not be able to pay your tithes. He may send you the wrong spouse and end up in a bitter divorce. We must learn to be patient and do all of these things in his time and will.

Praying for and doing God’s will is the main part of worship. It is only when we “Acknowledge him in all our ways” that “He will direct our steps.” Always remember the right decision is God’s decision. The reason why is that he can do nothing wrong. We can! That’s why it is important to have his leading because he sees further down the road than what we can.

Read and meditate on Philippians 4:6,7

Pastor Robby