April 15, 2014
Requesting Prayer
Recently I received a
follow-up prayer request for a fellow believer who has for some time been in
debilitating pain. It’s not unusual for someone to ask the prayer chain to pray
specifically, however, this request included five selected verses that a family
member felt corresponded with the condition. I looked up the verses and while
they were impactful, to me they seemed spiritually restrictive. Whether or not
we have a coordinated prayer voice, our prayers are heard. From the Lord’s
perspective it’s not always about what we pray for, but how we pray. Jesus
said, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (Matt
21:22 NIV).”
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Gail;
-----If we believe what? That was always my question. If we believe the Lord answers our prayers? Or, just if we believe Jesus is Lord? Or, is it that we must believe everything the scriptures basically teach? And then, how deeply into that? It is interesting that Paul believed more than anyone in all these ways. And still, whether or not the Lord told him why, the thorn in his flesh was not removed at his request.
-----The hospitals yet run near maximum capacity. Is that because too few people believe? Or is it because too few people pray? Or is it because illness and injury and death are all parts of life? And we pray and pray and pray for healing, and we pray and pray and pray for obedience, and we pray and we pray and we pray for illumination. Regardless, the hospitals are full and some come out in hearses; others come out to only perpetually go back in; the drunk still drinks; and the fool still votes. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what was that special belief?
-----I think it is instructive that the first two requests in the prayer model Jesus taught were for the coming of His kingdom and the doing of His will. He made this world to perform both good and bad, birth and death, sorrow and joy, pain and comfort. From the depths of the seas to the tips of the mountains, these all function quite well. He made it this way or He wouldn’t have given snakes and spiders venom and crocodiles and lions teeth. It’s almost enough to make me stop believing in prayer.
-----But not quite enough. Paul’s belief was corrected after he asked the Lord to remove the thorn. He never believed in its removal again. My daughter’s bunny was old, and it’s health was failing. She was doing everything she could to keep it alive. She asked me to pray for it. In my prayers that morning, I couldn’t pray for its life. It had lived beyond its days. God made a process for all creatures; it’s hard not to believe when it is so seen. So I asked God to give her bunny a comfortable passing. That very morning, possibly even while I was praying, when Rachel took her bunny out of its cage, it crawled into the comfort of her arms on her bed and died. It still mists my eyes. The little bunny died in the comfort of more love than most people will know. And I learned a little about belief.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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