When You Need to Pray “Teach me to do Your Will, Lord”
Today, I am delighted to welcome my wise friend, Michelle, to encourage us as we pray: Lord, teach me to do Your will and surrender mine.
I’ll never forget the day. I had been working over 100 hours a week in my private practice; I worked at the office seeing patient after patient during the day before writing up patient reports in the evening. I returned home at midnight or one in the morning for a quick shower and short nap before returning to the office by three or four in the morning to start the next day. My husband had been diagnosed with cancer, and I took it on as my responsibility to work more to compensate for what he couldn’t do.
The problem was, God never asked me to be my own provider. I appointed myself to that role, and He let me follow my own free will until I learned to do His.
That morning I was assessing a patient when I doubled over in pain. Moments later, I was on my way to the emergency room. What ensued was two surgeries, five months of medically-induced bedrest, dwindling down from 113 pounds to a skeletal 74, and being kept alive on IV-hydration and nutrition.
I could no longer be a doctor for my patients, much less much of a wife or mother. The longer I remained on bedrest, the more depressed I became. If that was going to be my life, I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue living. I questioned my worth and my identity. If I could no longer be a doctor, what good was I?
As I cried out to the Lord in my physical and emotional anguish, I clearly sensed Him whisper to my spirit, “I never asked you to work that hard. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. If you never work another day, I will not love you less. But if you go back to working all hours of the day and night, I will not love you more. You think I love you because of what you do, but I love you because you are mine.”
It was a time of awakening for me. I grew up in the church, and accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was seven, but I had not truly made Him Lord. Moving forward, I determined to seek His will for my life rather than my own. When I returned to my private practice to see patients, I did so out of gratitude that the Lord saved my life. It became my offering and sacrifice to Him, rather than trying to earn His love or be my own provider.
Scripture reminds us, “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (Psalm 143:10 NIV).
Friend, the world encourages us to do more and be more. But God never asks us to do anything that He doesn’t equip us to do. And He never asks us to do His will in our own strength, but with His. He will never put on us any burden that is too heavy for us to bear, but we must guard against putting more on our plate than He would. God is not looking for weary soldiers, but instead rested warriors.
“For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:30 NLT).
As you go about your day, offer it to Him. When you are weary, He offers you rest. When you are burdened, He offers to carry it for you. When you are weak, He lends you His strength. As we learn His ways, we learn His heart, which is always for us.
I now start my day with a prayer like this: Father, so many things clamor for my attention. The tasks that I think need to be done are great. But I only want to do what You ask me to do. Teach me to do Your will instead of mine. I surrender this day to You. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
My life changed for the better when I started each day surrendering it to God in prayer. Would you consider doing the same? At times it seems like a bold prayer because it means putting aside my own agenda and trusting His. But His plan is always perfect.
As we ask God to teach us His ways, our priorities will change, our load won’t be as heavy, and we will be satisfied in doing less because in God’s economy when we obey His leading the reward is great.
Lord, teach me to do Your will and surrender mine.
Meet Michelle
Dr. Michelle Bengtson is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist, multi-award winning author, speaker, and podcast host whose mission it is to restore hope, renew minds, and empower others to live in their God-given identity. She loves offering practical resources to help you grow in your walk with the Lord. For more encouragement, follow her at DrMichelleB.com, find her books on Amazon, or listen to her podcast here. She provides daily written inspiration on Facebook and visual inspiration on Pinterest.
Her books Breaking Anxiety’s Grip and Hope Prevails as well as the Hope Prevails Bible Study will help equip you with tools to cope with the crushing emotional burden of anxiety and depression.
The Pray Big Sisterhood
Every morning, I wake up and lift my heart to God in prayer.
I praise Him for His glory and goodness.
I surrender my agenda and expectations to His greater kingdom purposes.
I yield my desires to do His will.
And, then I ask for Him to move a mountain.
I cry out to Him for that mountain to crumble.
I believe that God is bigger than any obstacle or stronghold.
Yet, my mountain remains — immovable and unyielding.
Do you have a mountain? I bet you do.
Like me, you may be discouraged by the darkness that looms large in your view.
You aren’t alone. If we sat down today in my kitchen and shared our stories, I bet we would see similarities.
Together, we would ask God to move two mountains.
The Holy Spirit will teach us how to pray even if we can’t find words.
With worshipful hearts, let’s keep crying out to the Lord for those mountains to crumble.
Let’s pray big!
Let’s ask God to help us have an expectant heart that is not overwhelmed by all the negativity in this world. Let’s pray big and believe God is bigger than the obstacles we are facing. Our Mighty God is going to do more than we can ask, think, or imagine as we pray with hope. He will teach us how to pray as we get on our knees.
I was to also invite you to join a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for sisters to share our stories and surrender them to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s lift up holy hands together and pray big in community.
To help you get started, I’m sharing a copy of My Pray Big Prayer Calendar with you. Join the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library. Print out your copy and start each morning inviting God to strengthen your step and breathe fresh wind into your weary spirit.
Lord, teach us to pray.
If you are visiting from Michelle’s today,
welcome to my little space on the web!
Here you will find fuel for a wildfire faith to help you
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- LOVE DEEP: Fervently extend God’s kindness and grace to pesky people.
- PRAY BIG: Go down fighting on your knees with fire in your bones.
- HOPE FULL: Stay tethered to a confident anticipation that keeps your heart ablaze.
- STAND STRONG: Rest courageously on God’s promises with red-hot resolve.
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Challenge:
BEGIN EACH DAY THIS WEEK BY PRAYING: LORD, teach me to do Your will and surrender mine.
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I’ve just been becoming aware this year that it takes faith to rest–faith that it’s God who keeps everything together and provide all that’s needed. What a respite.
This is a subject that God has been impressing on my heart as well, Barbara. It’s part of surrendering my day to Him. I am not meant to hold the heavy weight of “EVERYTHING.”
Oh, this is just what I needed this morning. I so often ask Him to teach me His ways and then go about my own business, forgetting what I just asked Him. I so want to walk in His ways.
Lord, guide my heart and mind to stay close to You and on Your path for my life. Amen.
Amen, friend. I am thankful He is patient with us as we slowly learn!
I always know that rest is good for us, yet I still too often toss it aside. I know rest doesn’t cure everything, but it can help life go a little smoother, per God’s guidance. I’m glad things worked out well for you in the long run, Michelle! Thanks for sharing this with us.
This is such good news, isn’t it? Thank you fir sharing this.