Awareness of God’s Agenda

In the book My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers writes,

“To say that prayer changes things is not as close to the truth as saying praying changes me and then I change things. God has established things so that prayer, on the basis of redemption, changes the way a person looks at things.”

We often pray and ask God to show up. When we do, how often do we ask with our own agenda in mind?

We want God to help us with the battles around us and the circumstances of our lives.  We want him to show us what he’s doing and take care of it all for us. We want God to be our protector. If someone is against us, we want God to work in their life and reveal the truth to them so they can have a change of heart—but we don’t always invite God to change our hearts first.

How often do we seek divine help, without actively submitting ourselves to God?

You see, if we want God to take care of all the things going on around us, we’re going to need to let him take care of what’s going on in our own hearts. If we want God to guide us as we navigate the everyday circumstances of life, and we want him to fix what’s going wrong in the world, we need to first listen when he tells us what’s wrong with us. That’s the deal. When we can’t see God or hear what he’s saying, we are quick to say he’s distant and silent—when really, we’re the ones far away and closed off to what’s happening.

As followers of Jesus, we must open ourselves up to God’s agenda, both in the world around us and within us. We must invite God to show us what he wants us to see, and then we need to attune our ears to listen and our hearts to receive from God. 

If we want some of God’s help, but not all of it, if we’re holding anything back—something is in the way between us and Jesus. We can’t see clearly until we hand it over. We can’t ask God to help us see what to do about something outside ourselves if we want to stay blind to what’s going on within us. It just doesn’t work that way.

Perhaps we only see a little because we’re only surrendering a little.

Jeremiah 29:13 says we will seek God and find him when we seek him with all our hearts. If we want God to show up in our lives, we must want to see everything he has to show us.

In a way, our level of God-awareness is linked to our desire for self-awareness. We say we want to hear God’s voice, but do we really want to hear everything he has to say?

Are you open to God’s agenda? Are you open to a prayer life that changes the world because it first changes you? This requires a posture of humbleness and openness with God.  Psalm 139:23-24 (CSB) says,

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.”

As disciples of Jesus who want to think, talk, and act more like him every day, self-examination can help us grow in an awareness of how God wants to work in our lives in a way that is furthering his kingdom agenda on earth.

The Daily Examen is a prayer practice that encourages self-reflection with the purpose of noticing God’s presence in our every day and discerning his direction for us. It is often done in the evening as you reflect on your day. Try to set aside 10 minutes. 

Below is a basic outline of the Daily Examen.  However, if you are new to this practice, it’s probably most helpful to be guided through this by using an audio clip. You will find an audio file linked below.

You can also find the audio file on the providencechurch.net homepage by clicking on the Disciple Path tab. You will find a resource section under the list of Disciple Path chapters.

Before you begin, find a quiet place to minimize distractions and interruptions.

Become aware of God’s presence.

Take a few slow, deep breaths. Remind yourself that you are in the presence of God. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be attentive to God as you review your day.

Give thanks.

Take a moment to thank God for something. A person, a conversation, an experience, an item. What are you thankful for?

Review your day.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you freely and honestly review your day. Think about how you spent your time, your interactions and responses to people, your feelings about the day, and your intentions. Think about any moments where you sensed God’s presence with you.

Face your shortcomings.

As you continue to think about your day, does anything bad come to mind? A difficult situation, a decision, a conversation? Take a moment to acknowledge this and ask for God’s forgiveness.

Look to the day to come.

Finally, we look forward to tomorrow. What are you excited about or what are you dreading? Take a moment and ask for God’s grace to help you with whatever is coming up tomorrow. Ask that your day be marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. Commit tomorrow to Jesus.



Action Step

Do you see prayer as an “action?” Or does it feel like a passive way to participate in God’s mission? As you think about God’s agenda, what are some kingdom prayers that you could begin praying—either in your own life or for the world around you? If you already are, share those with your group next time you meet.

Daily Scripture

Read these scripture passages after your Daily Examen practice. Journal your prayers using the prayer prompts from section 1.

Psalm 139 | Psalm 145 | Psalm 86 | Psalm 25 | Psalm 62

What to do when you meet
with your group:

Begin with a short prayer.

Ask God to open your eyes to his perspective on things. Take turns each week opening in prayer.

Questions.

Begin by discussing how you are loving others.

What opportunities has God given you to love other people through serving, speaking truth in love, or pointing them towards Christ since we last met? How did you respond?

Talk about what God has been stirring in you through your time in the Word.

Share about one of your quiet times in God’s Word. What has God been teaching you and how did you respond?

Questions about section 3.

Of the different prayer practices you’ve tried the past few weeks, is there one that’s been most meaningful? Do you think you will regularly use the Daily Examen as part of your prayer habit?

Share one or two of the kingdom prayers that you want to continue praying in the next season.

End your time by praying for each other.

Pray over each other’s discipling efforts and for people in your lives who don’t yet know Jesus. Pray for boldness and a willingness to take steps of obedience.