Keep Praying!

 

READ Matthew 8-12

Without paying attention, I started reading at Matthew 8 today instead of 9, and am glad. It began with helpful examples of prayer and showed variations in attitudes and requests as well as Jesus’ responses.

Tentative. Lepers were forbidden to go near anyone, but this leper took a risk. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Matthew 8:2–3)

This man was seeking the will of God, not demanding his own way. He knew God’s will was more important than his own well-being. While his words seem tentative, hesitant, even timid and uncertain, this attitude brought an immediate answer — Jesus healed him. Was this because God’s will is wholeness or because the person praying wanted God’s will no matter what it was?

Recognition of Authority. The second request came from a soldier who recognized his own lack of worth but also the authority of Jesus. “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith . . . . And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. (Matthew 8:6–13)

This man knew he didn’t deserve anything from God and that the Lord is the boss. He would not tell him what to do either. He just knew that Jesus could speak and his servant would be healed. Jesus did speak and the healing was instant. How much does submission to God’s authority play a part in praying?

In Fear. I nearly left this one out, but realize that when I am afraid, the Lord helps me realize He is with me and fear is not from Him. Sometimes He does this by taking away the source of my fears like He did this time for the disciples. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:24–27) Note that this show of power had a great effect on their ‘little’ faith. Being open about their fears, as negative as that can be, resulted in the Lord coming to their aid.

In faith for the needs of others. This time it was bad health — and how often we pray for health issues — but it could be financial or relationship needs or anything else that is crippling those we care about. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:2) Note that Jesus responded first to the sin issue. In every case of human need, the root of it could easily be unconfessed sin. Sin can make us sick, uncertain, messed up in all sorts of ways. When I pray for my own well-being or that of others, I need to consider that the deeper need must be taken care of first, or the symptoms will return. In this case, Jesus did that, then healed the man. Keep short accounts when I make requests to God.

Earlier this week I was lamenting that God seemed deaf to my prayers for the needs around me looming large. I tried to pray in faith and found myself asking God to show me some action. It is important to walk by faith, not by sight, yet I asked Him to surprise me, to show me what He is doing.

Yesterday, He did something so amazing that I am still shaking. It involves the spiritual life of a person on my prayer list that seems the ‘least likely to believe’ — but Jesus revealed how He is working in that person’s life and what He did to show me made me thoroughly ashamed of my lack of faith and utterly overwhelmed by His grace and power. Like the disciples with their ‘little’ faith, I am amazed at our God!

That said, I want to encourage anyone reading this to keep praying. We don’t always get to ‘see’ what God is doing, but He loves us more than we know and hears our cries for our own needs and for the needs of others. Keep praying. And this is His Word for me also — keep praying!