We read in Jonah 4:3, “Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” (ESV)
As we continue to study about Jonah, there are numerous lessons we have picked up already from the events that transpired in his life. The people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, and God relented from destroying them as He had warned. Jonah was so upset with God for His compassionate stance that he prayed to God to take his life. The reason for this prayer was that Jonah felt disgraced that God had not punished the people of Nineveh as He had proclaimed to the people. God had sent Jonah to preach a message of judgment and punishment, but now the Lord had withheld His anger, and this seemed unbearable for Jonah as he felt dishonored. If we look deep into Jonah’s response, he wanted his way, and was not willing to have it any other way. Jonah was not willing to wait on the Lord to understand what the will of God was, but was hasty to ask God to take his life. If I were to rephrase Jonah’s prayer, he was saying to God, I want to rule in this matter, and I am not willing to submit to your Lordship.
There are many who have the same attitude that Jonah had. They are stubborn, and want to have their own way, and will not agree for anything else. No wonder then that for such people, when things don’t go their way, they opt to end their lives. So many people today, pray erroneously, with wrong motives then wonder why their prayers are not answered. If ever you have said such things like Jonah, and wished that your life would end, do repent of it. Submit to God and ask Him to help you live the life that He has gifted you well, and thereby to fulfill His purposes for your life.
So many people are in much confusion because instead of considering God’s Kingdom or His rule, they are more concerned about their own rule and their desires. When motives are not right there will be no answers to prayers, and no blessing received either.
The right kind of prayers
If you are wondering as to what is the right kind of prayers to pray, let us look at some portions from scripture.
The prayer Jesus taught
Jesus taught this prayer in Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (ESV)
The disciples of Jesus watched Him pray for many long hours, and this then motivated them to ask Jesus to teach them to pray appropriately. Jesus told them to pray that the Kingdom of God would be established on earth, and that the will of God would be accomplished on earth as it was being done in heaven.
There is a close relationship between the Kingdom of God and prayer. The right kind of prayers are those that focus on the will of God being fulfilled here on the earth. Every time we go to God in prayer we need to bring this to our mind that God’s will is of utmost importance.
Jesus’ prayer of surrender
Not only did Jesus teach His disciples to pray this way, but He modeled this for them in His life.
We read in Mark 14:36,"Father," he prayed, "my Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want." (GNB)
When Jesus lived here on the earth, He was submissive to God the Father in all aspects, and He was a true example of how men were meant to live here on earth. In this above mentioned prayer, Jesus acknowledged that God the Father had complete authority and was God over all. Therefore, Jesus submitted His petition to God the Father in total submission to His will and authority.
Often times when we go to God in prayer, we want God to listen to us, and do as we say. We are not to give counsel to God, but must be willing to commit every request to God to permit His will to be done in our lives.
The Kingdom of God is at hand
The first message that Jesus preached when He commenced His ministry is recorded in Mark 1:15, "The right time has come," he said, "and the Kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News!" (GNB)
The first thing Jesus reminded them was that the right time had come. This was the time that the people of Israel were awaiting for many long years, the coming of God’s kingdom. For one to prevail into this kingdom, the first prerequisite is that one should repent and turn away from their sins, and believe the good news.
Every one of us must sincerely pray that God will rule in our hearts. Our prayers must plead with God to rule in our hearts and in our minds.
The Psalmist prayed this way in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (ESV)
David prayed and asked God to examine him, and change anything that was not right before His eyes. The Psalmist asked God to search his heart and mind in order to uproot anything that is grievous and displeasing to God.
Enter into the kingdom of God, and come under His Lordship, for only then we can set aside the way of thinking that we have become used to, and comprehend what pleases the Lord. Without the rule of God in our hearts, everything that we aspire to do will be futile.
Seek first the Kingdom of God
Jesus taught this way in Matthew 6:33, “Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.” (GNB)
The kingdom of God that we lost when Adam sinned against God, the Lord now admonishes us to seek after. Oftentimes we seek after those things that we should not go after, and sadly miss out on what we should truly be concerned about. The Lord is teaching us to set our priorities straight so that we do not miss out on what is truly essential.
We can try to obtain things of this world with our own knowledge, talents and skills. However, there is no guarantee that we will attain what we are pursuing after, and moreover there will be no peace in this path. Jesus on the other hand, assures us that if we seek after God and His kingdom, allowing Him to rule in our hearts, then everything else will follow after us as well.
The prophet and widow who obeyed
Let me explain this to you through an incident from 1 Kings Chapter 17.
We read in 1 Kings 17:9,"Now go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, and stay there. I have commanded a widow who lives there to feed you." (GNB)
The above verse were the words of God to Elijah the prophet. God commanded Elijah to go to Zarephath, and simultaneously the Lord had commanded a widow to feed Elijah. This widow at Zarephath only had with her a little flour and oil with her. There was a severe famine in the land, and this had forced the widow to pick up some sticks to bake what she thought would probably be the last meal to feed herself and her young son. It was at this point that she met Elijah, who requested her to bake him some bread out of the very little oil and flour that she had.
That widow was faced with two options. One was to listen to the prophet of God and do as he bid, and the other was to go ahead to make some bread for herself and her son, as she had planned. Remember that the Lord had already commanded her to share the bread with the prophet, and this widow decided to set aside her plans, and to obey the word of God and that of His prophet. She made bread and brought it to the prophet, and what happened after ward was astounding.
The astounding provision
We read in 1 Kings 17:16, “As the LORD had promised through Elijah, the bowl did not run out of flour nor did the jar run out of oil.” (GNB)
The outcome of the obedience to God’s command both by Elijah and the widow was that the bowl of oil did not run dry, neither did the bowl of flour run out. All through that season of famine the Lord was faithful to provide food for Elijah, the widow and her son.
If we desire to pray the right way, we must tell God, that we are willing to listen to His voice, and are ready to do His will. The first point we looked at is that our prayers should be in line with God’s will, and that we should always surrender our plans to His will. Secondly, we must let the Lord rule in our hearts so that we can do His will. Thirdly, we must tune our hearts to listen to God’s voice, and submit to doing His will alone in our lives.
Jesus preached about the Kingdom of God
Even after the resurrection of Jesus this was what He taught as recorded in Acts 1:3, “For forty days after his death he appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the Kingdom of God.” (GNB)
We can see that the one message that Jesus talked about to the disciples even after His resurrection was pertaining to the Kingdom of God. The resurrection of Jesus reminds us that all of our sins were atoned for by Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God and because He was sinless, He was resurrected from the dead. There is no longer a reason for us to be groping in the darkness of sin, for those who accept Jesus gain entry into the Kingdom of God.
The power of resurrection
Paul says it this way in Philippians 3:10, “All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death,” (GNB)
We may wonder why Paul prayed this way, but it is so vital that we too understand Christ and comprehend his death and the power of His resurrection the right way. Only then when we go through trials, hardships and sufferings, we will be able to overcome them with ease. We will have no place for fear.
The disciples of Jesus were filled with fear when Jesus died, was buried and hid themselves in apprehension. Nonetheless, when the resurrected Lord appeared to them, and emboldened them to not fear, they were fearless and stood up to preach Christ. Their bold preaching led thousands into the Kingdom of God.
As children of God we too must pray that we will truly understand Christ, and the power of His resurrection that is available to us, for only then can we too be courageous in this journey of faith.
Paul preached about the Kingdom of God
Paul preached this way in Act 28:31, “He preached about the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ, speaking with all boldness and freedom.” (GNB)
We note that Paul too preached about the Kingdom of God, and he did so with boldness and freedom.
A lot of people spend much of their time talking about death, longing for death, and about the kingdom of God that they would inherit after they die. They do so because they do not realize that the Kingdom of God is right here with them. The moment we accept the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, we enter into God’s Kingdom. Hence, we experience the power, presence and leading of God right here and now.
Translated from kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light
We read in Colossians 1:13, “He has rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom realm of his beloved Son.” (TPT)
God has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness, and brought us into the Kingdom of His beloved son. This is not in the hereafter, but right here and now.
The things we should pray about
Let us therefore learn to pray the right kind of prayers. Here are some things we should pray about as found in Colossians 1:10, “Then you will be able to live as the Lord wants and will always do what pleases him. Your lives will produce all kinds of good deeds, and you will grow in your knowledge of God.” (GNB)
Let us pray that we will be fruitful in every good work, will grow in the knowledge of God, and will lead lives that are pleasing to the Lord. God will help us if we sincerely pray to Him and ask these of Him. These are days when we as a church must learn to pray in a way that is pleasing to God.
Our prayers should not be like that of Jonah who wanted the Lord to take his life. God has a purpose for keeping us on the earth, and we are called to be His witnesses. We should exhibit this fact that we belong to the Kingdom of God by our thoughts, words and deeds. Once we were in darkness and lived as children of the Kingdom of Satan filled with fear, shame and uncertainty. When Jesus came down to the earth, the Kingdom of God has been brought down to the earth. The resurrection of Jesus gives us the confidence that we too will live with Him forever. Let us consider who we are, and the privileges that are ours as those who belong to the Kingdom of God. As we allow the Lord to rule in our hearts, we will pray appropriately, we will overcome all hardships, and our deeds will be pleasing to God. Setting aside all those things that are not pleasing to God, let us permit God to transform our thoughts, words and actions to come in alignment with the will of God.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
