Day 21: Martin Luther King, Jr. - “Aligning to God’s Will”
“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.””
Introduction
The world may know Martin Luther King, Jr. primarily as a civil rights activist, but above all else, he was a faithful man of God. Reverend King was committed to putting God first and allowing God’s will to permeate through his ministry, calling, and life in all that he did. He was able to accomplish this through a life of prayer and intimacy with God, who shaped who he was.
Aligning to God’s Will
In the middle of the night in 1956, as Reverend King was beginning to become known for his activism, he received a threatening phone call that shook him to his core. He felt fear gripping him as he realized his strength and courage were slipping away. His response? He sat at his kitchen table and turned to God in prayer. He spoke to God of his fear. He knew what God was calling him to do, but that fear gripped him tightly and threatened to break him. However, as he prayed, he felt God give him assurance for God’s will in his life, and he felt the fear quickly fading.
This moment was just a peek into his rich prayer life that led him to align his entire life to God’s will. Despite the many trials and difficulties that lay ahead on the path God had set before him, he was able to persevere through prayer. His prayers kept him close to God and continued to revitalize him throughout all that he did. God gave Reverend King the reassurance and boldness that he needed to live his life for God.
Reflection
Reverend King did not live a life that was aligned with God’s will through sheer grit or effort. Whenever fear crept into his heart, he did not try harder through his own efforts— he turned to God in prayer. Consider your own life. Are you aligned with God’s will? Are fear and anxiety ruling over your heart? Let us posture ourselves before God in humble and regular prayer so we do not stray from Him.