How to Live | Lesson 3, Part 1

Greetings MOL Family!

What happens to our plans sometimes?

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God’s Plans the Best

Often our plans fail that God’s plans for us may succeed. – Ministry of Healing, pg. 473

That’s because we’re bad, isn’t it? That’s because we’re off the track isn’t it? If we knew how to pray better, that wouldn’t happen, would it? Which would you rather have, your plans or God’s plans? A Christian is one who would rather have God’s plans succeed. A non-Christian would rather have his own plans succeed. Which are you? There is no clearer test of whether you are really born again or not than this. Which do you wish, God’s plans or your plans?

Now, this doesn’t mean that it is wrong to have plans. We’re told to lay plans. But, we’re also told to lay them at His feet. And then we may lay them aside or carry them out, as His providence shall indicate.

I want to study with you today the prayer life, as it relates to our practical experience in meeting problems, disappointments, disillusions.

Often our plans fail that God’s plans for us may succeed. – Ibid

(The Wisdom of the Great Physician, pg. 156, under the section “God’s Plans the Best”, second par.)

Often our plans fail that God’s plans for us may succeed. – Ibid

Now, there are many people that have the idea that if you only knew how to pray enough, then you wouldn’t have these disappointments. Did you ever hear of a book or a course called, “How to Win Friends and Influence People?” Did you ever hear of a book or a course or a theory called, “The Power of Positive Thinking?” There are all shades and grades of these theories going around. But the essence of a lot of them is this: that if you know how to manipulate things, yourself and other people and God, you can get what you want. So, you had better learn how to pray so you can get your own way…

I have nothing like that to bring to you, in today’s lesson. No, I’m so glad for it. The purpose of prayer is not to change God and get Him on your side, so that you can play the ponies or play the stock market and come out ahead. No. The purpose of prayer is to bring you and me into such harmony with God that we can accept problems and fit into them.

Often our plans fail that God’s plans for us may succeed. – Ibid

Let’s read that again:

Often our plans fail that God’s plans for us may succeed. – Ibid

Now, with this setting, let’s read Luke 11:1:

And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. – Luke 11:1

Now, who is this that was praying? Jesus. He was praying by Himself out in the woods somewhere. And the disciples came upon Him. You can read the comment on this in Christ’s Object Lessons, the chapter, “Asking to Give.” And as they came upon Him there praying, they were so impressed by His prayer, that quiet, silent, they just listened. And when He ceased, what does that mean, when He ceased? When He stopped, one of His disciples said unto Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Do you think they had never prayed in their life up till that time? Ah, my dear friends, if we could hear Jesus pray, we might say just what that disciple said, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

We do not value the power and efficacy of prayer as we should. Prayer and faith will do what no power on earth can accomplish. – Ministry of Healing, pg. 509  {WGP, pg. 168, under the section “The Privilege of Prayer”, par. 1}

How do you solve your problems? Or, do you solve them? Or do they just baffle you? Now, some people get ulcers from problems. Some get heart attacks. Some get nervous breakdowns. Some just get mopey and gloomy, depressed. There’re all kinds of reactions, for there’re all kinds of people. What do you do with your problems? Or, do you have any? Well, if you don’t have any today be sure to get what we’re studying, because you may have some tomorrow or next week.

We do not value the power and efficacy of prayer as we should. Prayer and faith will do what no power on earth can accomplish. – Ibid

Tell me, is there anything in your life that you wish were different?

Prayer and faith will do what no power on earth can accomplish. – Ibid

Is there anything that you wish were different in the home that you are a part of?

Prayer and faith will do what no power on earth can accomplish. – Ibid

Is there anything you wish were different in the church that you are a part of? When you sometimes, as you see certain trends in the church, say, “Oh, my, I wish it weren’t that way?” Well, what do you do about it?

Prayer and faith will do what no power on earth can accomplish. – Ibid

I want you, my dear friend (and I speak to you personally and individually), to become a great problem solver. And the only way you will become a great problem solver is to have great problems to wrestle with. Some of these will be in your own life and experience. Some of them you will find in the experiences of others with whom God brings you in contact. But in each case, the twin tools are mentioned in this sentence. What are they? — Prayer and faith. And they will do what no power on earth can accomplish.

Would you like to make a very practical experiment? When you have your little time alone with Jesus, I invite you to take a little card and write down two or three or half a dozen things or people concerning whom you are especially burdened; perhaps, a problem or two in your own life. If it’s something you wouldn’t want anybody else to see, put it down in code so you and the Lord know about it. But however you do it, select some problems –one or two of your own in your own life, one or two souls that you are especially burdened for– and then set yourself, day by day, in the laboratory of prayer to work with God to solve these problems.

Now, the reason I ask you to write those things down is that unless you do you might forget to pray about them tomorrow. Or if 6 months from now they’re all solved you might forget that you had prayed about them and something happened. As I go back through my files and pick up different cards like that (that I have had at different times in my life), it’s a joy to me to check off one after the other, things that have been done; problems that have been solved, and oft times in unexpected ways. Some of them I’m still praying about, and that’s all right. But this says:

Prayer and faith will do what no power on earth can accomplish. – Ibid

This is the secret of how to live successfully, and I want you to be successful in life. I want you to be a great prayer.

 

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Do You Want To Learn How?

 

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. – Luke 11:1

So, can this be taught? — Apparently. If it can be taught, can it be learned? — Certainly. Then you can learn to pray, and you can learn to pray successfully. Elijah did. Jacob did. Moses did. You can.

Now, who did the disciples ask to teach them? Jesus. Is He still in the business of teaching people to pray? – Most definitely.

Suppose you didn’t know how to swim, and you wanted to learn; who would you be looking for? — A good teacher, a good swimmer. Is that right? Another question: where would you expect to learn? It is in the water and not on the land that men learn to swim. But, suppose I get in the water and I begin to sink. What shall I say? “Well, I guess this is not for me. I guess I’m in the wrong place.” I’m in the only place to learn, is that right?

Jesus is in the business of teaching people to pray. But dear ones (don’t miss this!): We will never learn how to pray any other way than by praying. That’s right. It is in the water not on the land that men learn to swim; and however awkward our movements in the water, the only hope of learning to swim is to get in there. And it’s better to make awkward movements than none at all. — Right?

And so in praying, no matter how awkward you sound, it’s all right, Jesus, praise His name, is in the Sanctuary, and He takes those awkward prayers and shall I say, fixes them up. He adds the incense of His merits, His righteousness, and He prays to the Father and asks the Father to accept what we have presented in that awkward, bungling way; in His name, saturated with His righteousness. That’s what makes our prayers acceptable to God. So, we don’t have to worry about how awkward and bungling they are.

 

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Until next week – Invite a friend, and we’ll see you then…

–Continue on to the next study–

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The experience that Christ had in Gethsemane was not that of beginners in prayer. This habit cultivated is what we must have before the crisis breaks. That time is just before us. There is no time to lose. >> Learn More

 

 

 

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* This study has been adapted from classes taken by Elder W.D. Frazee.