My
Prayer
“Father,
if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine
be done” (Luke 22:42)
There is a cry within the heart of humanity: Why didn't
God answer MY prayer? MY need. "My hope is lost", is a shout within,
and life may well become a time of relentless "hanging-on" by the one
who did not get “their” answer to prayer. The tense person you see in
the next pew at church, or the neighbor who yells at your child may be
one of them. Many are people who have LOVED the Lord, and conclude, "I
know God is OK; so something must be wrong with ME." Some at that point
turn away altogether, into lives of bitterness and disappointment.
Others enter into lives of self-destructive behavior, but
the anger is only partly at themselves. It's also at God, who "allowed
me to be this way!" Sometimes the anger is directed outward, toward
others. "Why don't they do things better? Why can't they ever learn?"
Several times in the last few days, different persons
have asked different versions of the question for today, and for them,
"answers" aren't what’s needed. Sometimes, the person is just too
upset. We need a responsive ear - and lots of prayer.
The other day, I was on my way to someplace or other, and
managed to hear just a bit of a sermon by Pastor Don McClure. I have no
idea what the whole talk was about, but the Scripture was ours for this
morning.
His words were about Jesus and the time when the Father
said “No” to the Son’s prayer. A couple of years ago, we were in the
Garden of Gethsemene, and were intrigued when Ellen the tour guide told
us that some of the olive trees we saw, were over 2000 years old. That
means Jesus touched those same trees, during that brief time in the
Garden.
When He brushed past those trees, which would have been
saplings at the time, He was in agony and likely did not notice them at
all. His attention was on the need at hand. Only it wasn't precisely
HIS need that was being experienced. It was the need of those disciples
who were supposed to pray with Him but kept falling asleep. Trouble was
coming and much prayer was needed. He was concerned about your need and
mine, 2000 years before we even existed. The disciples were sinners; we
are sinners and Jesus was about to deal with our redemption, once and
for all. He was ALONE in this great need!
Jesus cried out, “Father, if
Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be
done” (Luke 22:42). An angel was given to strengthen Him, and He
responded by praying even more earnestly. The stress of the moment
became very great, to the extent that blood was forced through His
pores, which mingled with His sweat (Luke 22:43-44). The answer to His
prayer, “remove this cup from Me,” was
“NO”, for even at that moment, Judas Iscariot was leading a multitude of
men toward our Lord.
A great prayer in the church is for the needs of others,
and it goes something like this: "Lord, what's WRONG with Your people?
Why are they (we) so self-centered? We only have a few short years on
this earth, and yet - such shallowness! Even the "spiritual" ones think
only of themselves..." and so on. The concern is so great that some
LEAVE the church, rather than be surrounded by shallow people who do
nothing of significance for anyone; not even for themselves.
And there’s truth in that observation. The church is
like a hospital, a place for both sickness and healing. Sickness
starts with an "S", and so does "Sin," along with "Shallowness",
"Selfishness" and "Self-centeredness." We need our Savior
to give us another "S" word: "Servanthood". And He will,
if you will spend some time with one more "S" idea: Learn to "Be
Still” before Him, “and
know that (He) is God" (Psalm 46:10). He has much in store for
those you are praying for – and for you!
There comes a time for each one, when we understand that
it's all true - the church, the body of Christ is like a pack of mice in
God's pantry. We shouldn't be there, and wouldn't be, except for the
grace of God. We might squeak at the mouse next to us and complain that
he is eating the King's "bread", but then, it's obvious that one way or
another, we've been doing the same thing. The good news is that Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, became a "mouse" like us, and came into the
"pantry" too. He died a terrible death in a Mouse Trap that was really
set for you and me. We ate the "cheese" and the "bread" and everything
else we could get our little paws on, and He died because of what we
did. Then another miracle: He's ALIVE and we can be, too – in Him.
We're all sinners, in need of the grace of God and all of
us fall short of His glory. We lack LIFE in the sight of God, but we
can have that life and more, if we trust in the One who set us free.
Don't look at your brother, your sister - look at Him, look to Jesus,
and you will find He is looking at you, waiting patiently to touch you
with a greater love. "Be still and know that
I am God" (Psalm 46:10). He says - Do you hear Me? "Abide
in Me" (John 15:4), He whispers. Listen and you will hear His
Word. Then, when the “plank” ("the four by six" as Pastor Chuck Smith
calls it) in your eye has been taken out, “you
will be able to see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's
eye” (Matthew 7:1-5).
He wants to USE you in His kingdom! He will place you
remarkably in His service! He’ll wondrously take your life and make it
COUNT for the kingdom of God! He will RESPOND to your prayers. But
first, come a little closer to our Savior. Trust in Him that He knows
what He was doing when He selected that person in the next pew. And
when YOU have received Him in ways you never expected before, He will
use the warmth of your love to melt the ice that is locked around the
heart of your neighbor.
Father, I come to You now. Forgive me, Lord. Show me
what it means to “abide” in Christ.
Whatever it takes, let me trust in You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
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