“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 |
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Dear First name / friend, |
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“I’m not sure I’m praying correctly,” she wrote. “I don’t want to say something wrong! How do I pray specifically if what I’m asking for isn’t God’s will?” Forms of that email have come into the Every Woman a Theologian inbox many times. What this sweet reader asked is a worthy question. How do we pray if we’re supposed to pray “in God’s will”? What is His will, anyway? That’s the question we’ll be answering this week on Verity Podcast (episode dropping Thursday!), and in today’s newsletter I’ll share a small portion of the full treatment coming later this week. To pray God’s will we first have to know what God’s will is. Looking at the Greek word (thelema), we see the term “will” used to describe God’s purpose, decrees, determinations and commands. In other words, God’s will is what God wishes to be done; God’s commanded intentions for His people. If I had to summarize God’s will in my own words, I’d put it this way: God’s “will” = the things God desires for us that He has articulated through Scripture in the Old Testament Law and reaffirmed and expressed by Jesus; the principles and precepts His people are to live by for flourishing in this world and the next. This means God’s will is first, revealed to us in Scripture through the broad principles of the Word. Second, God’s will is revealed by the specific application of those Scriptures to our lives. This is done by the Holy Spirit’s personal leading in our hearts. We pray in God’s will to learn from the Spirit how to apply Scripture and follow its wisdom in the specific decisions of our lives. In other words, we pray God’s “will” not to try to guess at or determine a specific outcome but to align our prayers with the principles of His truth and character. We pray in alignment with His heart and in submission to His commandments. This doesn’t require mental or spiritual gymnastics to figure out what God thinks before we ask something. As we ask (and keep asking!), God leads us, speaks to us, and refines our prayers in alignment with the best outcome for us. Sometimes God’s answer isn’t what we hope . . . but we’ll talk about that in episode four of the prayer series. Subscribe to Verity on YouTube or your favorite podcast app to listen to the whole episode! |
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- NEW on Substack: the Every Home a Foundation podcast! This podcast is embedded in my Substack with mini-episodes sharing the content you loved so much from Instagram. Rather than contribute to the addictive row of IG stories and reels, you can listen to these episodes for encouragement and quick ideas for loving the home you have.
- Day in the Life has also moved to Substack. Each month I will post an hour-by-hour of an average day at home, behind the scenes of Every Woman a Theologian. This and the EHAF podcast are totally free.
- Do your kids like LEGO? Ours do! Josh’s childhood bin of LEGO is a constant living room companion here, especially during read-alouds. To control the explosion of tiny pieces (especially important as Vera gets ready to crawl), we started using Josh’s puzzle board on our coffee table. Puzzle boards are great for in-progress puzzles that you need to put away, but they work well for LEGO too. It’s like an instant, removable LEGO table.
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The last few weeks have illustrated just how divided our nation is. Many voices are raised about the rising conflict in Minnesota (and elsewhere in the United States) between ICE agents and those protesting ICE deportations (and now, violence committed during those deportations). Right-leaning Christians believe ICE is fulfilling a lawful obligation to remove violent criminals, r*apists, abusers, and illegal aliens. Agents are entitled to self-defense when protesters attack them, and obstructing law enforcement simply enables crime to continue, endangering law-abiding citizens. Left-leaning Christians believe ICE has gone beyond the call of duty, has transgressed first and second amendment rights, and is using unnecessary force in the fulfillment of (sometimes wrongful) arrests and deportations. How do we think biblically about all this? Here are some short thoughts. First, it is the right of nations to protect their borders and require immigrants to follow protocols to dwell within the country. Our family has had the privilege of attending the only outdoor naturalization ceremony in the nation (held at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello every 4th of July) three times. During this ceremony we heard the stories of individuals who spent years in the citizenship process, studying American history to pass their citizenship test, testifying to their gratitude for America and its opportunities. This process is long and complicated, more so in recent years. What is happening in Minnesota is especially complicated for refugees, a group which includes persecuted Christians. More on this here. It is possible to support both the removal of violent criminals and the prevention of violent protests while also advocating for protective processes for refugees, the constitutional right to representation for citizens and noncitizens, and God-honoring language for the entire population. This is a spiritual war before it is a physical one: the demonic forces of division, dissension, chaos, dehumanization, and dishonor are all at play. When Christians speak up about this, they are often labeled “liberal leaning,” but this is a nonpartisan issue. Christian liberals claim godliness while stirring up conflict and hatred for ICE, Trump, and those who elected him in the name of justice. Conservatives whitewash biblically condemned sins of ungodly, coarse talk, dissension, and hatred for the Left in the name of truth. The strongest step forward is prayer. Pray for the Spirit to convict all who are acting in sin to repent. Pray for God’s judgment on this nation, this handing over to a depraved mind that we witness before our eyes (Romans 1) to be turned back as a revival of true faith comes to our people. Pray for persecuted Christians to be safe and for criminals to receive justice. Pray for our government and agents to be guided by truth, (real) justice, and compassion, as God Himself is. Pray first. If you wish to take more action, see the above-linked resources from Women of Welcome (EWAT donates to this organization) and World Relief. |
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Giants in the Earth got better and better. I was deeply moved by the final quarter. Definitely recommend this one for a raw picture of life on the prairie for settlers of the Midwest. The Privilege of Being a Woman: I’m halfway through this (Catholic) resource. It’s a slim little book. Some of the arguments are a little weak, in my opinion, but I enjoy reading her perspective. All Creatures Great and Small: We bought this on Audible and are listening to it with the kids. I grew up loving these books, and the kids adore the show. |
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Petoskey, MI 49770, USA |
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