Praying his will down to earth
Category: Prayer
Key Passage: Matthew 6
Speaker: Paul Chisgar
Date: June 7, 2024
Turn your Bibles, if you would, to Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6. And I’m going to move some of this just so I don’t step on it, break my neck. It’s good right there, Brother Tim. We’re good. I appreciate it. Matthew chapter 6. We have been on for, I think it’s our third Sunday now, if I remember right.
If you weren’t here the last two Sunday mornings, you have to watch on YouTube after this service, the other two, then you can leave. So you’ll be done about 6 o’clock, time for the evening service. So just stay all day long, amen. And I’m teasing, of course, but we have tried to focus on that: your time along with God is key.
It really is. You and God, your one-on-one time. This is what it’s talking about. I’ve challenged you to take at least five minutes—that’s not bad—but at least five minutes you’d carve out of your schedule every day. My challenge was at least five of the seven days. Just make sure. By the way, I mentioned this, but if I don’t schedule, I typically don’t do it, unless it comes to eating ice cream or something like that. But I don’t schedule it typically. I don’t do it. So I’m going to spend some time alone with God during this time of the day. And I’ll challenge you, young people, everyone: five minutes every day, at least five out of the seven days in the next week. I challenge you to do that. If you build that relationship, it’ll be life-changing. I mean that. And I encourage you to do that.
We’re going to talk about that. Today we’re going to focus on one verse. We have started before what we call the Lord’s Prayer. We’ve read it all, but we’re going to really try to get a little bit of one verse of the Lord’s Prayer today. And why did he tell us to pray like this? This is also found in Luke 11. We won’t have time to read over there, but it’s found in the same passage. We’re in Matthew 6. If you’re there, would you say amen? Amen. Good deal.
Would you please stand as we read God’s Word together, Matthew 6, verse number 9. When we get to what we call the Lord’s Prayer, I’ll stop and ask you to read it out loud with me, all right? I’m just going to start verse number 9. “After this manner, therefore pray ye:” Would you read this with me? Here we go: “Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
I’ll call your attention to verse number 10, where he says, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” The first part of the message will be a little bit more doctrinal, and then we’ll get maybe a little bit more to you and our lives. But we need to make sure our thinking, our doctrine, is right first.
Let me say this: It may be different than what you’ve heard, but I’ll back up what I say from the Bible. If I differ from the Bible, you’ll go with the Bible every time. But I’ll back up what I say from the Bible. So stick with me during that time at the beginning. We want to talk about this: “Thy will be done in earth.” Why did he tell us to pray that? The title for the internet will be “Praying His Will Down to Earth.”
Would you pray with me that God will do a work? That He will really grow our prayer lives this morning? Would you pray that God grows your prayer life this morning? Father, Lord, we come to you. Lord, help me not to have on my mind preaching a good message, all that. Lord, help me to forget about all that. It’s vain, Lord. Lord, I do pray that you would help somebody today. Lord, would you let someone grow in your word and understanding of it? And, Father, would you grow our prayer lives? Lord, maybe some that have kind of just gotten stale, stagnant—I pray you should prod them a little bit. Lord, put the fire back in our lives and my life and our prayer lives, Lord. Father, I yield to you. Would you do it? Only you can. And Lord, we’ll brag on you for what you do. And Father, we ask all these things in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
God’s will is often not done in the earth. Often God’s will, what God wants, does not happen here on earth.
Would you look over in Second Peter, keep your finger there, but look over in Second Peter chapter 3. A familiar verse, but I want you to see it. Second Peter chapter 3 and verse number 9. And I think once we read it, you’ll remember you’ve heard this verse before. Second Peter 3, verse number 9. Are you all there? Amen? Good. Here we go, verse number 9: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
From those last couple of phrases, I understand it is the will of God. God’s not willing that any should perish. So God’s will, or God’s desire, God would like it if every person would come to repentance. They would trust fully in Christ. They would trust all the way in Him. They get saved. Let me read for you another passage. I’ll read it for you: First Timothy 2:4, “Who will have all men to be saved.” That’s speaking of God, who will have all men to be saved and come into the knowledge of the truth. So I understand from God’s word—not what the pastor said, but from God’s word—it’s His will for everybody to get saved. But I also know from God’s word, the majority of people are not going to get saved.
You remember Matthew 7? What did He say? He said, “Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that go in thereat.” So God’s word tells me the majority of people are not going to get saved. They’re not going to trust in Christ alone to pay for their sin debt. They’re not going to get saved. The majority of people are going to die and go to hell. But that’s not God’s will. He’s not willing that any should perish. So I go back to the original statement: Often God does not get His will in this world. Now, that’s a little bit hard to understand, but that’s the truth.
Let me ask you this: Is it God’s will for people to sin? He tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, He always makes a way of escape so you can bear it. You don’t have to sin. If you’re a born-again Christian, the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. He gives you the strength to not sin. It’s not His will for you to sin. But are you going to sin? If you say, “No, I’m not going to sin,” you’re sinning. We all sin. So I’m simply just trying to establish and saying, listen, friend, God often does not get His will in this world. And I know that goes against some of the thinking out there, but it’s biblical.
Let me read for you a passage. You’ll know it’s Jesus crying over the city of Jerusalem. It’s in Luke 13:34: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!” He said, man, I wanted to gather you. He was crying. I wanted to gather you like a mother hen. I was up fairly early this morning. By the way, anybody enjoy that extra hour last night? Praise the Lord. I think we ought to have time change in the fall every Sunday. But I heard that old rooster crowing—not ours, one of our neighbors’. It reminds you of that hen gathering the babies. Jesus said, “I want to gather you.” That was His desire. That was His will, if you will. But they would not. God often does not get His will in this world.
Now, let me go to the opposing side. Often you’ll hear this word: “Well, God is sovereign.” Here’s the thing with sovereign or sovereignty: it’s according to what you mean by that. Actually, the word sovereignty is never found in the Bible, so it’s a little bit hard to put a definition on it because there’s not a Bible reference. It’s a man-made word. It’s according to what you mean by sovereignty. If you mean by sovereignty what the Bible says in Psalm 103, verse number 19: “His kingdom ruleth over all.” Yes, that’s Bible. But can I say this? In God’s sovereignty, in His kingdom ruling over all, Him being the King of the universe, He has decided in His kingdom, He doesn’t have robots. And He allows mankind to make decisions. He does not dictate for them every time, all the time, to do His will.
You remember Adam and Eve in the garden? It’s very significant to me. He gave them dominion over everything. But then He said, “Adam, I’m giving you a job to do. Adam, go name all the animals.” Well, that guy with a long neck over there, that’s a giraffe. And that guy over there that every morning wakes everybody up, that’s a rooster. Adam’s giving all these names out. But He says this: “Now Adam, the name you give it, that will be the name thereof.” In my mind, this is God establishing this principle. I read it for you exactly, Genesis 2:19: “And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.” Look at God saying, “All right, Adam, I’m letting you or mankind make decisions, and those decisions will stick. There’ll be consequences for those decisions. I don’t always overrule in those decisions.” Yes, I’m King of the universe. I’ve created it all. If that’s what you mean by sovereign, yes, but if you mean by that sovereign that God always gets His will, that’s not biblical.
In this sin-messed-up, sin-cursed world, it’s very important that you understand that. If not, there’s going to be a chance you’re going to battle bitterness over things in life. I remember a good man who used to be in our church—he’s moved away—he said, “Pastor Paul, why did God give my wife to another man?” I said, “Friend, God did not do that. Your ex-wife chose to do that. God did not do that. God does not always get His will.” Remember somebody coming to the office years ago, a couple, and something very hateful and very mean had happened to their three nieces? And the wife would just ask, “Why did God do that to my nieces?” A very wicked, sinful man did that to your niece. Yes, but God allows us to make decisions, and there are consequences. God values greatly—it’s amazing to me sometimes how greatly God values free will.
I forget years ago, we got a call. A lady, I think her husband had gotten saved in our church, and they were coming to church at the time. They lived up in Antioch, and I rushed up there. Her 27-year-old son had taken a gun—a shotgun—and literally taken his life. Horrible. The authorities and everybody were there, and she was sitting on the couch, but she hadn’t said anything to anybody. I rushed to comfort her, and she hadn’t said a word. I met her husband outside, and he said she wouldn’t say anything. As far as I know, the first words out of her mouth, when I tried to sit by her on that couch, were, “Why did God do that?” By the way, as I went in the house, the room where he lived—and I preached the funeral later on—there were so many demonic symbols all around that place. The music the funeral home was playing, which I didn’t have control of, was very demonic rock and roll music. John was maybe 12 years old, and he went with me that day. John said, “Dad, I’ve never been in a place so dark.” There was just gothic stuff all over and demonic symbols everywhere. Satan is all about that. That’s his agenda: to steal, kill, and destroy. That’s what Satan’s about. Satan was behind that, and Satan’s a master liar, and he blames God for it. God often does not get His will for it. In this sin-messed-up world, God, yes, He’s overall, but He allows people to make decisions. It’s free will, see.
Now, kind of establishing this thing, trying to get our thinking right, because often our thinking is not right in that area. It’s amazing how often it is, to be honest. It’s so often.
So why? Let’s go back over here. We’re in Matthew 6. All right, y’all back over there, Matthew chapter 6. They are asking Him, if we look at the parallel place where the Lord’s Prayer is given in Luke 11, they said, “Teach us to pray.” Jesus is teaching them about prayer life. Why is it in this model prayer, right in the middle of it, verse number 10? He says, “Thy kingdom come.” Would you read the rest of that verse with me? Here we go: “Thy will be done in earth.”
Look at this! God, in His sovereignty, if you will, His being overall, says, “All right, I’m going to let you do your own thing. You have a free will. You can sin if you like to, or not do it.” God has given us free will. But then also, God says, “Now, if one of My creation gets saved and is My child, I’m going to give them an opportunity by their free will also that they can come to Me and say, ‘Now, Lord, I’m going to spend the time, I’m going to pay the cost in prayer for You to intervene and to work.’ You’re overall, but I understand You allow us to make decisions, but I’m going to come as one of Your other free-will people, and You’ve given me a promise: I can come to You in prayer asking and believing, and You’ll intervene. And God, I’m asking for You to bring Your will down here into people’s lives.”
Y’all with me out there? That’s what this is all about, this verse number 10: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”
I think of my former preacher, Brother Howes. His dad was an alcoholic, and his dad eventually left. His mom tried to raise him in church, raise him for the Lord, and bring him to church every time the doors were open. She’d tell him, as a boy, “Hey, I want you to watch those men of that church because you want to grow up and be a man like that.” She was so wise about all those things, but he got into his teen years. Like so often happens, he began to stray a little bit. He began to hang around the wrong crowd. Boy, that is so crucial—who you hang around. The Bible says, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” It’s so very important who you hang around. He was hanging around the wrong crowd, and they went out one night. Brother Howes, or Jack Howes at the time, he was a 16-year-old boy, sitting in the back seat. In that car, they began to pass around a bottle of alcohol. If you’ve ever been in that kind of crowd, you know they are about to come your way and try to get you to do something. Anybody ever been there?
And that’s where he was, and the pressure was on. In your mind, you wonder, “What am I going to do when it happens here? I want to stand, but am I going to have the strength to stand?” That type of thing was going on. The bottle was being passed around, and it came eventually over to him. He had this bottle, and he was thinking, “I don’t want to drink this, but I don’t want to lose my friends. I want to be cool like everybody.” He got the bottle. He said he went to bring it to his mouth, and something just clicked. He said, “It just clicked.” He threw the bottle down and said, “Take me home.” They asked, “What’s your problem?” They picked the bottle up, but they took him home. When he got home, his mom was awake. She said, “What’s going on? Something’s going on.” He began to tell his mom the story: “I was out, and the bottle was getting passed around. I don’t know what happened.” She said, “What time was that?” He said, “I don’t know, Mom. I think it was around midnight.” Brother Howes said his mom started to dance around the little bitty house, just doing the jig. “Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!” And he said, “Mom, what in the world’s wrong with you?” She said, “That was the time, right about the time right before that, God woke me up. That’s when I started praying. I was praying. I knew something. I started praying that you’d win in that battle and you wouldn’t fall, whatever’s going on in your life.” And she was praying. Wasn’t it God’s will for him to drink that bottle? Not on your dear life. But she was praying that God’s will be done in earth in her boy’s life. That’s why he’s telling us, “Hey, you better have a time in your life when you’re praying, ‘Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.’”
Let me go back and catch something I think I missed. Some will mention, “Well, what about Daniel? Three times the Bible says He can put down and raise up kings and all that.” Yes, it’s true, and He can do that. Actually, if you read that, He is dealing with Nebuchadnezzar. Remember that proud man? He was their greatest man, the head on the statue, the great world leader. And God said, “I’m about to put you down. You’re going to be out there for seven years with the pigs and the cows and the eagles and all that. You’re going to be an insane man, and then I’m going to raise you back up.” Eventually, I believe Nebuchadnezzar got saved. That’s where God says, “Look, buddy, I want you to know I’m the one. I can put you down and raise you up anytime I want to.” Yes, God’s overall, but God allows us to have a free will. But God also allows His children to have a free will, and hey, you spend some time in prayer asking, “I want Your will to be done in this situation.” Oh, friend, there’s power in prayer when God’s people say, “Hey, Lord, I’m going to spend time begging for Your will to be done and work in that situation.” I believe that’s why that happened over there with Nebuchadnezzar, because Daniel had been praying, I think he was. And God said, “All right, I’ll humble the mightiest man in the world,” which isn’t much to God. I’ll humble him down. Eventually, I think he got saved. Oh, friend, that’s why He’s teaching us. It’s so vital. So vital.
I thought about it last Saturday. Where’s Brother Bill? Last Saturday, Brother Bill got to go out witnessing a little bit, and there was a man on his front porch. We got to go out there, and he even brought a chair up. I got to sit down. Brother Bill was teasing because he didn’t bring a chair for me. He said this guy’s old; he needs a chair to sit down on. I got to give the gospel to this man, and it was all the Lord. The Lord let me have a little part of it. I’m grateful for that. This man bowed his head and asked Jesus Christ to be his Savior, and he was very thankful for that. He said something—I mentioned it to you later on, Brother Ben, I forgot to do it—but he said something along this line: He said his grandmother was a Christian, even though he had been around Muslims and all these different things. He said something to the effect that she’ll be happy about this. And I thought, this is happening today because that grandmother probably for years has been praying about this. And she might not use these words, but she was praying God’s will—it’s God’s will for everybody to be saved, God’s will to be done in earth as it is in heaven. “Lord, let that man get saved.” Friend, your prayer life—you ought to be praying, “God, I want Your will to be done in this situation.”
Let’s go back to this promise. I want you to notice one word in this promise. Look back at verse number 10, if you would please. Verse number 10. Y’all there, Matthew 6? Amen. Notice what He starts off with. He says, “Thy kingdom.” It’s saying it’s not about my little kingdom or your little kingdom. By the way, it’s not necessarily just about our church here; it’s about God’s churches. It’s not about just your little bitty world or your little bit of castle, your little bit of walls of defense and your life or all the rest of that, your little bit of kingdom. It’s not all that. It’s where you get kind of on board about His agenda: “Thy kingdom come.” See, this is really unselfish praying when you get to this thing, praying God’s will to be done. “Thy kingdom come.” Then He goes on, what’s the next word? He says, “Thy will be done.” Now, I can get in tune with God’s will. I’m praying for somebody getting saved, and I’m in unity with God’s will. I know that’s His will because He’s not willing that any should perish. See, it lines up with other verses in the Bible, 1 John 5:14: “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” So, in my prayer time, I get along with God and I get in unity with God. It’s not about getting everything from God.
Verse number 8—did you look there in verse number 8? Let’s go back. I’ve got to get back there myself. Verse 8: “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth of what things ye have need before ye ask him.” Now, yes, we mentioned, I think last week, yes, there’s a portion to give us this day our daily bread. But it’s not so much about me getting everything from God. He loves you. He likes to give you things. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” He likes to give you things. But it’s about me getting in tune with God and allowing Him to change my heart. That’s what goes along with Psalm 37:4: “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” It doesn’t mean you delight in Him and He gives you whatever you want. It means you delight in Him, and He gives you the very desires that you are wanting. He changes your want to fit His want. And that next verse, “Trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” But first of all, you delight in Him. He gives you the right wants, the right desires. Same thing: “Thy kingdom come.” You realize, “I’m not about me getting what I want. I get in line with what He wants.” And then you start praying for His will to be done in earth and in people’s lives, things down here, problems down here, situations. You start praying, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”
This type of praying is not for the faint-hearted. It’s not for the lazy. It’s not for the selfish. Sometimes it takes years for this type of prayer. Remember the prodigal son? He went out there in a foreign country. He got his family inheritance. He got his half of it. He got a lot of money. It probably took him a little while to spend all that money. Could you spend a million dollars in a day? I better believe I can’t. And I don’t think he was intentionally trying to spend it all in one day. It took him a while. Even after he spent all his money, it took him a while to get down to the pigpen, and he was actually feeding the pigs. After a while, he said he was hungry. He wanted to eat the pig’s food, and the farmer or rancher said, “You can’t eat the pig’s food.” He couldn’t even eat the pig’s feed after a while. And then finally he came to himself. I’m saying that took time. An old dad back home is praying, “Lord, I want Your way to be done in my son’s life. Lord, my son’s away from You. I know it’s not Your will for him to be living over there. I know it’s not Your will for him to be living with those wicked people. I know it’s Your will for him to be in church, living for You, and honoring God. Lord, I’m praying that Your will be done in earth in that situation.” That took a long time, I imagine. Praise the Lord for moms and dads and grandparents that spend the time and the toil and the years sometimes, praying, “Lord, would You get a hold of their hearts?” Can I encourage you: Don’t give up, don’t give up, don’t give up. That type of prayer takes time. You say, “I wish God would,” but He might have that. He’s not making it happen. Kids do that. But God can intervene; He can work. Sometimes He allows the things in the heart to come to fruition for them to see how wicked and wrong and the damnation of it is. Proverbs 1 talks about the prosperity of fools destroying them. Sometimes God has to let that happen for them to see, “Man, this is a wrong road. My heart’s so messed up, and this is a wrong road.” During that time, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle—whoever you are—don’t give up. Keep praying for God’s will to be done in their life. That’s what it’s talking about: “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” This is the hard work praying. It’s not, “I lay me down to sleep, I pray my Lord, Lord of my soul to keep”—I don’t know that thing like I should have. Remember Jesus when He was over there praying in the garden? He was sweating, and He was so intense, they say the capillaries of your skin actually burst, and you can actually sweat blood. It was so intense in prayer. What was His prayer? “Not My will be done, but Thy will be done.” You are doing this type of prayer.
Remember when Jacob wrestled? Remember the talk about wrestling with the Angel of the Lord? That’s the Old Testament. Jesus Christ—Christ—was wrestling there. He wrestled all that long with Him, and He touched the hollow of His thigh, and his thigh was out of joint. He kept wrestling all that long. You know the pain of that? There is pain sometimes when you are praying, “God, would You work in that situation? I want Your will to be done.” I hope some are doing this when it comes to our election. By the way, don’t necessarily fall for the idea that God’s will is going to be done anyway. No, no, no, not biblically. Friend, when somebody gets a hold of God and says, “God, I want You to intervene in this,” and they’re saying, “God, make it fair and let the right people in,” and they spend the time and the agony in prayer, “Lord, Thy will be done in earth”—by the way, last election, the President’s election, I still believe God heard those prayers. We had a 24-hour prayer meeting; someone was down here praying 24 hours. I still believe God heard those. That’s agonizing. That’s what he’s talking about over there in James 5 when he’s talking about praying for the sick people, and he said, “The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Someone that would take the time and the energy and effort, and they’ll beg and they’ll plead, not for themselves to get all this stuff. No, they’re praying for somebody to get healed, and they’re willing to put effort and fervency into this, saying they’re doing this type of praying: “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” That’s why Jesus, when He’s teaching us about prayer, said, “Don’t leave that part out.” “Thy will be done.” Oh, it’s that praying, “Lord, I want You to work there. I want Your will to be done there.” Would you bring revival to our country? Oh, I hope you’re begging for that. That’s America’s greatest need, friend: revival. The Lord is the one that made America great. He’s the only one that can make it great again. He’s the only one that can sustain it, and He’ll do that if we would get right with Him. Oh, it’s God’s people. Revival never comes without God’s people praying. D.L. Moody used to say you can trace back every revival to someone on their knees. This is where the battles are won or lost. It’s not out front for everybody. Remember this whole thing we talked about the first Sunday? He said, “Get in your closet, close the door.” That’s where marriages are won or lost. Children are won or lost. Friend, that’s why Jesus, when He’s teaching how to pray, put this right there. He said, “Boy, you need to pray, ‘Thy will be done.’” It’s crucial.
How many watched some football yesterday? I figured I watched Tennessee get killed. Amen. I’m not trying to take anything away from Georgia. They’re the better team yesterday. They did a great job. At one point, they started comparing quarterback to quarterback, and their quarterback did wonderful. I agree with all that. But can I be honest with you? Even the announcers would agree: it was won or lost way before it got back to the quarterback. It was in those guys they call in the trenches—the center, the guards, and the tackles. Their quarterback did great, not trying to take anything away from him, but he could just stand there and take his time and find out who he was throwing to. Our guy got hammered, trampled by a 400-pound guy about 100 times. Well, you wouldn’t throw very good either like that. But I’m just saying that’s where the battle was. Whether it’s the quarterback or the preacher or whatever, everybody looks at him. Friend, it’s way before it ever gets to the preacher. It’s way before Sunday morning. Somebody’s been in the trenches praying, “Lord, would You get a hold of their heart? Somebody gets saved, let life be changed. Lord, I want Your will to be done in this situation.” That’s where the battles are fought at right there. God’s trying to lift the lid off this thing. He said, “Hey, friend, right down there, somebody must be praying, ‘My will to be done in these situations.’” That’s where it’s won or lost. It’s so important. So often it takes years, kind of like Jacob was in pain, limping, but he just wrestled on. It’s painful praying. It tolls, if you will, sweat, great drops of blood. But you’re praying God’s will to be done in earth. That’s the key.
Years ago, we had a lady in our church. She is still a very dear friend of ours. My wife and some of you probably know who it is. I’m not saying anything bad about it, just a dear lady. Her husband at the time was not saved, and she had been in church for years and years. She had tried to convince him to come to church. As far as I know, he never would come. There was even one time where she wanted to go to church, and he didn’t want to go to church. At least he threatened to slash her tires because he didn’t want to go to church. He just didn’t want anything to do with it. We were in our storefront in our last building. I’ll never forget. It was Sunday morning. God got a hold of that lady’s heart. I was 29 years old, raised in church all my life, and I’d never seen anything like this. I was in church, the ceiling was cracking already, too. But really, God got a hold of her heart one Sunday morning. She came down and knelt by these steps over here. I have never heard a lady in all my life just weeping like that. You could hear her through the auditorium, just weeping. Everything inside of her was coming out. I remember looking back and seeing a big man, where Brother Phillip sits, crying. To hear a lady just weep uncontrollably—and she was doing the work: “I want Your will to be done in my husband’s life. It’s not Your will that anybody dies.” I’ve never heard anything like it.
A little bit after that, her husband got small cell lung cancer. If you know anything about it, that’s a bad type of cancer to have. I went by; I tried to witness to him. He was very kind to me, and I was appreciative of that, but he wouldn’t get saved. I remember our church in the last building was a little smaller. I have never seen since then—I’ve tried to get our church, and you are good about praying, I’m not complaining—we came close, I think, especially with the new land and all that stuff. But I have never seen our church just band together for that man to get saved in prayer. I remember so many people saying, “Pastor, I just think about it all day long; I’m praying for Chuck to get saved all the time.” I remember somebody saying that at nighttime, as they were sleeping, they would roll over in their sleep thinking, “Lord, let Chuck get saved.” Our church, as a wonderful church family, was really begging for God’s will to be done in that situation. I have never really seen it before. Everybody was praying, “Lord, save Chuck, save Chuck, save Chuck.” I went by there, and he was kind, but he wouldn’t get saved. He was getting worse. Everybody was praying. She had poured her heart out like I’ve never heard anybody do. One night she was lying in bed sleeping, and it just seemed like the Lord must have nudged her: “Get up.” She told me, “I was just lying in bed sleeping. I woke up. I didn’t know what was going on in the middle of the night.” She said she rolled over in time to see her husband on his knees asking Jesus to save him. He got saved. My wife said when he came to church after he got saved, she said she had never seen a countenance on a person change so quickly, so much. Just a look on his face—everything was different. Now, unfortunately, he did pass. He’s in heaven today. She’s remarried and so on. But, friend, it was because that lady and many of the people of the church had prayed, “Thy will be done.” They had prayed the Lord’s will down into earth into that man’s life. That’s why Jesus is teaching us in your prayer time: Better be the time, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes? You say, “Preacher, I need to get busy praying God’s will to be done in life. I need to enter into this gym prayer, the workout place of prayer, praying, ‘Lord, I want Your will to be done in my life.’” When God spoke to my heart, I’m willing, and I want to get involved in this praying: “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” If God spoke to your heart, that’s you this morning. “Preacher, I’m going to get involved in this type of prayer, and I’m going to get more involved.” If that’s you, just lift your hand. “Preacher, that’s me. I want to get involved in this thing.” God bless you. That’s vital. That’s where the battles are fought and won. Thank you so very much. Put your hands down.
Maybe you are here this morning, and maybe it’s a child, a grandchild, an uncle, a neighbor, a spouse, but they’re not with the Lord. You’ve been in the battle, but you’re a little weary, a little tired. Maybe this morning you can get some energy: “I’m going to stay in this battle. I’m going to keep praying God’s will to be done in this life, in this situation.” I’m going to stay in the fight. I’m praying God’s will into earth. I’m not going to let go of that grandson, that granddaughter. I’m going to keep holding on. Billy Sunday used to say, “Hell can’t tear a child away from a praying mother.” You say, “I’m going to hang on in prayer. I’m not going to let go.” That’s you this morning, slip your hand up. “I’m going to stay in there.” God bless you. That’s where battles are won, right there in the trenches. God bless you. Maybe there’ll be one more person, “Preacher, I’m not going to let go of so-and-so. I’m going to pray God’s will to be done in their life.” Anybody like that? God bless you. Thank you so very much. You can put your hands down.
Maybe you hear this morning and say, “You know, I’m the one that’s been prayed for.” Maybe your mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt, or uncle has been praying for you. Maybe you need to be saved. Maybe you say, “I’m saved, but I’m just backslidden. I need to get right, living for the Lord.” But I want God’s will to be done in my life. I want their prayers to be heard. I need to make some changes to make that happen. If God spoke to your heart, “I need to get saved. I need to rededicate my life to the Lord,” slip your hand up. I see that. God bless you. Would there be another? “I’m the one that’s been prayed for all these years. I need to get right.” Just slip it up. I’d like their prayers to be heard. God bless you. That’s wonderful.
Would you please stand, all of us? I think it would be a great morning for us to come to an old-fashioned altar. “Lord, I want Your will to be done in this life. I’m going to grab a hold. I’m going to get in the trenches and battle over this person, over this situation, over the election, whatever may be.” Say, “I’ve been the one that’s been prayed for. I want to get right.” Would you come let the Lord know about that? Would you come spend some time with God about that? Lord, thank You for Your goodness. Jesus, thank You. You taught us about this thing of prayer. Thank You that You didn’t leave out this phrase: “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” Father, help us to take the time and the energy and the effort to pray Your will into this earth. Lord, I pray that granddaughters, nieces, cousins, nephews get right with You because someone here this morning is praying Your will to be done in their life. Bless those that raised their hand. Bless the others who have been prayed for all these years; let them just get thoroughly right with You and close to You. Bless these few minutes, Father, please. We’ll thank You for what You do.
Would you come? Maybe for our election, would you come? Whatever it is. Would you come as we’re saying, “No way for everybody else”? Let’s come. Let’s agonize with God. Let’s please God: “Lord, I want Your will to be done. I know this is Your will.” Maybe someone is battling addiction. They need You. They need you to pray God’s will to be done in that situation. I mention this word addiction. Sometimes folks who have major addictions have so many issues, sometimes they don’t even understand themselves. I’m not saying they can’t win, but they’ve got so much baggage often. They need a Christian brother or sister that loves them and is willing to go to the trenches for them, battle over their soul, battle over their heart, and battle over their future—they need that prayer warrior. Jesus didn’t come to condemn; let’s don’t condemn. He came to save. Let’s be a part of that. “Lord, I need to battle for those people. Lord, I’m going to battle that Your will be done in that situation.” Would you let Him know of that? Whatever they need, you need to come. We’ll come. We’ll sing another verse. That doesn’t work unless they’re plugged in. That’s our way to plug into Almighty Power. I’m so glad you’re here.
Original File: Praying his will down to earth - Pastor Paul Chisgar - Sunday PM 1162022