not afraid to ask

This post is a little untimely since Easter was last weekend, but I wanted to flesh out my thoughts anyway.  I keep thinking about the prayer Jesus prayed right before he was betrayed and handed over to be unjustly convicted and crucified.

"Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.  Remove this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what you will."

It's almost baffling that Jesus prays this prayer when we reeeeeaally consider it.  The whole crux of redemptive history rests on Him, and what he is about to do has been set in stone since Genesis 3.

He's Jesus.  God's Son.  The fullness of deity wrapped in flesh.  Surely, we think, he knew what he had to do.  Surely he understood beforehand that he was going to have to die for the sins of the world.  So why even bother asking God to remove this cup of affliction? Why bother?

It seriously baffles me that Jesus was not afraid to ask his Father to save him from the whole dying on the cross thing.  Think about how much childlike trust it takes to pray that kind of a prayer.

Jesus is so honest.  We Christians can be so pretentious.  We try to start anticipating what we think God will do, or what we think he wants us to ask, and we forsake honesty in our asking.  Look at Jesus.  He is not afraid of being honest with his Father.  He is not afraid that God will reject him or be disappointed that he didn't just skip the "save me" part and immediately pray the "your will be done" part.

I think we are most pretentious and the least childlike when there are prayers we won't pray because they don't seem spiritual enough for us - or because we aren't 100% sure that we are asking for something God wants to give us.  Like maybe asking for safety.  Or asking God to help our kids play well in their soccer games.  Or asking for a parking spot.  Or even to help us get that business deal.

Jesus didn't skip straight to the "your will be done" part and neither should we.

Jesus is not afraid of making his Father look bad.  Hidden deeply behind my refusal to ask anything, especially impossible things from God is that I am afraid the answer will be no.  It's not necessarily that I am afraid God can't do it, but I am afraid that he won't.  Jesus wasn't afraid of hearing "no."  He wasn't afraid that a "no" would prove God wasn't trustworthy.  He wasn't afraid that a "no" meant God wasn't powerful.

I think about how he was hanging on the cross, and he's crying, "Why have you forsaken me?" (Also a very honest cry.)  And everyone was just waiting to see if God would save him.  And, from what anyone could tell at the time, God didn't save him.  God said "no" to his very own Son.

Jesus wasn't insecure about protecting God's reputation as his prayers and cries went seemingly unanswered.  And God wasn't really insecure about protecting his reputation either.

I met a friend this summer who often sees sick people or people in wheelchairs, and she believes that God has called her to go pray for their healing.  I can't say I've never ignored a prompting to go and publicly pray for a miracle.  You know why?  Because "What if God says no?"  I will look foolish and naive.  God will look powerless and untrustworthy.  There's so much fear that keeps us from asking the impossible.  On one hand we need to deal with the fear of what people think of us, but on the other hand, why in the world are we worried that God won't come through on behalf of his name? He most definitely will.

Once again, Jesus didn't skip straight to the "your will be done" part, and neither should we.  Boldly ask the Father for healing, for salvation, for the impossible.  Don't be afraid to do it in public, in front of your kids, in places where there is a real chance for embarrassment. (For that takes faith.)  If he says no, we're in good company because he said no to Jesus.  And if his answer to a prayer for healing is death instead, then we know that resurrection is coming. 

No act of faith is ever in vain.  We may not immediately get the answer we are seeking, but it would seem based on Jesus's example that our relationship with God the Father is meant to be about more than just getting everything we ask.  Prayer is about relationship more than it is about results.

I could keep going, but I will stop.  This is enough for me to chew on right now!