ListenDaily – 22 June 2010: A question of honesty
"Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed Him. On reaching the place, He said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When He rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. "Why are you sleeping?" He asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." Luke 22:39-46
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
My very good friend Randy responded to yesterday's reading with the following: "I believe the whole of scripture directs us to pray confidently (even boldly) for both our needs and our desires. But our desires must always be subject to pleasing God. Psalm 37 says "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." If we focus on the desire, then we are not delighting in the LORD. Jesus' heartfelt desire to avoid the coming imputation of sin and separation from the Godhead is indeed understandable ... and it is not sin. Neither is it sin on our part if we find obedience to God to be a fearful thing. And when we pray "yet not my will, but yours be done", it establishes the relationship that God seeks."
Thanks, Randy, and I could not agree more. Further, what else can we say to God but the honest truth? Even if we question whether or not we are in His will. God knows out thoughts, we must go honestly before Him in order to have a meaningful exchange with Him. Have you ever had a conversation with someone who was being less than honest with you? How frustrating! Even if our desire is sinful, God knows, and it is good to tell Him. Not that we should be asking for what we know to be a sinful object/event/activity, but confessing to Him that we are struggling with an improper desire.
You might wonder why we confess something to God if He knows it anyway. We do not pray to God to give Him information, but rather to open the line of communication for us to be informed (and encouraged, strengthened, inspired, relieved, etc...) by Him. If you are a parent, you know how it feels to have your child come running to pour out their heart to you.
Run to God.
Pour out your heart, all the good, bad, everything.
How He loves you!
Questions:
1. How does this perspective strike you?
2. What do you think about telling God what He already knows?
3. Is it a concern for you to 'get right' before you pray?
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May we keep listening. Jim.
INTERESTING THOUGHTS:
Better Than A Hallelujah
(Songwriters: Hart, Sarah;Hartford, Chapin)
(See Amy Grant performing this song: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6360145n)
God loves a lullaby in a mother's tears in the dead of night, better than a Hallelujah sometimes
God loves the drunkard's cry; the soldier's plea not to let him die, better than a Hallelujah sometimes
We pour out our miseries, God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are, the honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah
The woman holding on for life, the dying man giving up the fight, better than a Hallelujah sometimes
The tears of shame for what's been done; the silence when the words won't come, better than a Hallelujah sometimes
We pour out our miseries, God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are, the honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah
Better than a church bell ringing, better than a choir singing out, singing out
We pour out our miseries, God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are, the honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah
We pour out our miseries, God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are, the honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah
(Better than a Hallelujah sometimes)
Better than a Hallelujah
(Better than a Hallelujah sometimes)
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