Monday, October 12, 2015

How do we pray?

If God were to answer one of my many prayer requests, but decided to achieve this outside of my preferred means, would I be okay with that? Would I even acknowledge that my prayer had been answered if it came wrapped in methods I didn’t recognize? What is missed when I presume my will upon God’s? Is not my planning out His course of action a practice in utter futility? Would my response to the above questions be telling of my faith?

Well, the official in John 4 finds himself in a similar situation. He had learned that Jesus was returning to Cana (the place where Christ had performed His first miraculous sign by transforming water into wine), so he went to meet Him there, hoping that Jesus would travel back to Capernaum with him to heal his son (John 4:46-47). This nobleman had walked a great distance and was in great need, for his son was deathly ill (John 4:49).

He made his petition before the Lord, but Jesus was not planning to make the trip to the official’s home. How disappointing! Can you imagine how you might have responded? If I’m the father and my child is about to die, and I truly think this Jesus guy can help, I’m not leaving Cana without Him. I would have bribed Him, bartered with Him, maybe even bullied Him with force. “Listen Jesus, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, but You’re coming with me!”

Interestingly, the father did nothing of the like. Rather, when Christ told him to go because his son would surely live, the official simply believed him. He trusted Jesus at His word and went back home (John 4:50). Before the nobleman could reach his house, one of his servants met him on the road to inform him that his son was recovering and the sickness would not end with the grave (John 4:51).

So then, how do you and I respond? Are we so narrowly focused that we miss His hand at work? Many of us prayed for patience years ago. The Lord later blessed us with children. Coincidence or answered prayer? We often pray for humility, yet how might that take place without our prideful hearts being exposed? When that happens, do we focus on how silly we look and feel or do we see His grace that has revealed these areas of weakness? We long to grow in our faith, but that means we must be stripped of all the other things we place our trust in. Yes, when life’s crutches and false foundations are taken away, we have none other than Jesus to lean upon. To say it rightly, we discover that in reality, we have all things pertaining to life and godliness in Christ alone (2 Peter 1:3). He is the Cornerstone and the Rock on which we stand.

When we pray with our assumed version of God’s plan all mapped out in our mind, His actual response to our plea may go unnoticed. The official could have stayed in Cana, determined to find some way to have Jesus come visit his son personally. But he would have missed the miraculous healing of his child. Instead, he trusted Christ and headed home at the word “go”, only to find that his son had began improving the very hour that he spoke to the Savior a day earlier (John 4:52-53).

That kind of faith is contagious. As noted in the story, not only did the official come to believe, but his entire household did as well (John 4:53). Will we trust God enough to allow Him to answer our prayers in His time and in His way? Will we accept “no” and “not now” as easily as we receive His “yes”? Will we trust Him with all the means and methods? Will we be obedient and faithful whether we can perceive Him at work or not? Oh I pray that we will, for He is glorified in such trust. So, what are you praying for? Have you made your need known to our Heavenly Healer? Good, now rest in confidence that you’ve been heard (1 John 5:14) and believe that His will shall be accomplished.


Matt Fowler
Associate Pastor of Missions & Students
matt@nbchurch.info
@fattmowler

No comments:

Post a Comment