Monday, September 3, 2018

"As Jesus Prayed" September 3 Readings: Matthew 26:30-56, Mark 14:26-52, Luke 22:39-53, John 18:1-24


Today's Reading - Matthew 26:30-56, Mark 14:26-52, Luke 22:39-53, John 18:1-24


Background


After the prediction of Peter's betrayal (which is placed differently in gospels), Jesus leaves the Upper Room to head down into the valley between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives to pray in a beautiful garden called Gethsemane. There, Jesus battles his own heart in prayer while his disciples sleep. It is there in the garden the Judas leads temple guard to arrest Jesus, thus committing the most heinous act of betrayal in this world's history.

It is also there that one of the silliest acts of fleshly effort takes place. Peter picks up a sword and attempts to defend Jesus. Yes, that Peter - the one who was about to deny him in fear and flee in shame. But at this moment, his impulsiveness took over and he lashed out. But being a fisherman his ability to fight was minimal. the best he could do was cut off a servant's ear! Jesus picked up the ear and healed the man.

Here's the irony of the whole thing. With his fleshly act, what was it that Peter was trying to accomplish? He was trying to stop the CRUCIFIXION! Had he succeeded he would have damned his own soul to eternal hell. Think about that. Jesus was submitting to the Father's plan and the flesh was fighting what the Father was planning. Our flesh never understands and it always resists. Better just to submit to the Father's will. 

Devotional - As Jesus Prayed


Long ago I read an essay by CS Lewis about prayer in which he defined two styles of prayer - "A Pattern" and "B Pattern" prayers. He showed that both are found in the Bible, frequently, but that they seem to be diametrically opposed to each other and admitted that he had no solution to the problem presented by these divergent prayer styles.

"A Pattern" prayers call for the will of God to be done, for his glory to be revealed and his sovereign plan to be carried out on the earth. "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," Jesus prayed in Matthew 6. When we pray "A Pattern" prayers, we seek the will of God and submit ourselves to that will. The goal of these prayers is to align ourselves with the divine will.

In "B Pattern" prayers, we make bold requests, in which we petition God for that which we need or want. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus sanctioned this type of prayer when he said to his disciples, "Ask and it will be given to you." We all to God for the desires of our hearts!

Which kind of prayer is right? Ought we pray to ask God to give us our desires or ought we pray to seek to align our hearts with the will of God? The answer to that would seem, from the example of Jesus in Luke 22:42, to be YES. As Lewis said, this is a quandary with no easy solution. We don't choose one or the other, but like Jesus, we engage in both.
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
In one short prayer, Jesus prayed both styles of prayer. He made a bold request, perhaps the boldest ever made. Think about it. In eternity past, the Godhead devised this glorious plan of redemption then the night before the plan went into effect, Jesus says, "Let's find another way. I don't want to go through with it." What is bolder than that? There is nothing wrong with asking big things from God. Bold things. That which only God can do, which requires the miraculous release of God's power. Do it. Pray big. Pray bold. Pray audacious and aggressive prayers.

But Jesus did not demand his own way. He asked God for his request, then he returned to A Pattern prayer. "Your will be done." Do you really want your will to be done instead of God's? Do you really want that thing you ask for if God has something different for you? Don't you trust God enough to believe that his way, even if it requires suffering, sacrifice, and hardship (as it certainly did for Jesus) may lead to a greater blessing in the end that what you THINK you want or you THINK you need?

So pray big prayers. I stood beside a woman who was about to die knowing she would probably die. I asked God to heal her and raise her up. He didn't. But that didn't stop me from asking. Ask God to save sinners and bring revival and turn the darkness to light and do what only he can do!

But don't be a petulant child demanding that God yields to you. Don't forget which one of your is God! It is his will that ought to be done, not yours. His will is best, his ways are right and our default position ought to always be to yield to his will. Ask God audacious requests then fall into his arms of grace and trust him to do what is right.
Father, I thank you for the privilege of praying and asking you for big things. But I also pray that your will, not mine, will always be done. There is comfort in knowing that you are in charge, not me

Think and Pray


Do you balance both bold and humble prayer?
Which of CS Lewis' styles of prayers do you pray more often - the type A or type B? Do you pray bold prayers or do you pray, "not my will but yours be done?"
Consider how you can balance those kinds of prayers. 



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