Discerning God’s Will
Discerning God’s Will
Matthew 16:21-26 (NASB)
21 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.
22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”
23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
It’s tempting to think we know what’s best, and this tendency often shows up in our prayers. Instead of laying our concerns at the Lord’s feet and asking Him for guidance and peace in the situation, we start telling Him exactly how we want Him to answer. Although today’s passage isn’t about prayer, it demonstrates a biblical principle that applies to our communication with God.
In making our requests, we should seek to align them as closely as possible with God’s revealed will as found in Scripture. This requires setting our minds on the Lord’s interests, not our own desires.
The way Peter saw things, rejecting Jesus’ announcement of His death made perfect sense. Even though this prophesy came directly from his Lord, Peter couldn’t reconcile the words crucified and Messiah. He had left everything to follow Jesus and was expecting to share in the glory. If Jesus was killed, there would be no kingdom. What he didn’t understand at the time was Isaiah’s prophesy of the suffering Messiah (Isa. 53:1-12).
By becoming students of God’s Word, we have more insight into His ways, will, and desires. With God’s perspective in mind, we can pray more knowledgeably, which in turn leads to increased answers to prayer (John 15:7).
John 15:7 (NASB)
7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
To accept Jesus’ words, Peter would have to surrender his expectations for both himself and Christ. And the same is true for us as well. To follow Jesus, we must deny ourselves and even be willing to die for Him, if necessary. Sometimes dying to self involves surrendering how we want God to answer prayer. But when we do, we’ll find His best.