Another thread reminded me of a question I've always had regarding prayer and asking for things from God.
The apostle John said that whatever we ask "according to God's will", he hears us. Perhaps that is the key.....knowing what the will of God is regarding world peace. (1 John 5:14) Why did we lose it after such an idyllic beginning.....and how do we get it back?
Is there something strange about asking for "world peace" ? Isn't it kind of like telling God what to do? Is it criticism? Or just plain dumb? It's never going to happen!
The desire of most people is for world peace, but apparently only if it doesn't require anything from them....its a bit like watching the earth choking on plastic and no one doing anything to stop them manufacturing it, nor doing anything to actively clean up the mess. Surely, whoever made the mess is under obligation to clean it up. Yet no one is.
My local supermarket is still selling produce and other products wrapped in non biodegradable plastics.
So if God has the power, (and we know he does) why is there no peace in the world? Most people don't understand why he holds back.
In the beginning, according to Genesis, the serpent and the first humans began a rebellion, which started when the serpent implied that God was badly motivated and was holding back something that humans needed. He accused him of lying to them.
To slander God in such a way was unforgivable, but the actions of those three rebels, set in motion the greatest object lesson that humans and angels will ever experience. Because of abusing free will, God had rebellion in both camps that eventually spread to others. Eliminating the rebels would not have addressed the issues....was God the rightful Sovereign over mankind, or were they better off making their own choices and decisions independently?
Was the "knowledge of good and evil" something that would benefit mankind? Would humans fare better if they could decide for themselves what was good and what was evil? There was only one way to settle this....allow the rebels to prove their case. So God stepped out of the picture and allowed the humans the independence they desired, and he allowed the serpent to have the power he wanted to be their god as well. How has that turned out for all concerned?
How many forms of self rule have humans tried? Have any of them worked for the good of all?
Do dictatorships result in good government? What about Monarchies?....Oligarchies?......Nazism?.....Communism.....Socialism....Fascism?.....Democratic rule? What always happens? The minute you give humans power over other humans, it always corrupts them. We are not designed to rule each other....we are designed to be ruled by our Creator.
At the end of this exercise, God will have allowed humans to prove beyond a doubt that they cannot rule themselves without him....and that the devil is a lousy god. Only then can free will become the gift it was meant to be...instead of the curse it became.
When Jesus taught us to pray for "God's Kingdom to come" and for his "will to be done on earth as it is in heaven".....that is what we are praying for.....for God's rulership to come back to this earth where it should have been all along. With this exercise complete and precedents set for all time to come, humans can get on with what God put them here to do....to take care of his creation whilst he takes care of business elsewhere.
God does not tell us what is to be beyond his purpose for this earth becoming a reality....but its a vast universe.....and with his power and no limitations...who knows what he has planned for it? The question is...will we be around to see it....and to enjoy the fruits of his labor and the reward for our faithfulness and loyalty?
That is how I see things.....praying for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven is not depending on man to bring it about, but depending on God, who always finishes what he starts. (Isaiah 55:11)