Prayer

An Unforgettable Prayer

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment 
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”  Matthew 26:39 ESV

This prayer of Jesus was etched into the minds of His disciples, like none other He had prayed. At an earlier time, when the disciples had seen Jesus praying, they asked, “Lord teach us to pray.” But this prayer was not like that one. This midnight prayer left them so overwhelmed by sorrow, that they fell asleep. They had never seen Jesus like this. They were used to Him commanding the wind and waves or casting out demons. But at this moment it almost seemed as if Jesus was afraid. His words were so unforgettable that three of the four gospels repeat them. His words seemed shocking, “If it is possible, let this cup pass.”  It sounded like such a hopeless prayer. They must have wondered how that could be? Didn’t Jesus have enough faith? Had He done something wrong? NO, not for a moment! But the answer to His cry lay hidden even from Him for that moment. Hidden behind the suffering, shame, betrayal, and mocking was the miracle of our redemption. The Father would remove the cup from His hand, but not until He after had drunk from it for us all. When Jesus accepted that cup in Gethsemane, and drained it of its poison, He made it possible for it to be filled it with the new wine of salvation that is still running over with eternal life for you and me!

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

House Cleaning

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Mark 11:17 ESV

Sometimes we get the idea that Jesus went through His ministry smiling, blessing children, and sitting with lambs. But on Monday of Holy Week; the same Jesus who had forgiven the woman caught in adultery and sat down to eat with sinners, became angry when He went into the temple. At its entrance, He found a group of people setting up shop in hopes of making a quick buck. Then the one we call gentle Jesus, made a whip, and started driving them out while shouting, “Is it not written My House shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?” When Jesus used the word “House” He meant household or family. In other words, the place where God’s family meets should be especially for coming together to pray. It is easy for us to criticize the money changers, but do we sometimes maneuver our way into strategic positions in order to take advantage of others at church? Can we say with all honesty that prayer is the main thing that happens when we show up on Sunday morning? Jesus also went on to say that His family was also supposed to include all nations. Are all nations showing up at our place of worship or are we separated by race, economic status, or education? Yes, Jesus is humble and gentle, but He is also Holy and angry with anyone who hurts His family and tries to keep us from Him

Photo by Shelagh Murphy on Pexels.com

Praying for Our Children

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments 
Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. 
Psalm 90:16 ESV

When our children were young, we had big plans for their lives. We sacrificed, saved, and struggled so that they would have better opportunities than we had. But the day came with each of them, when they moved out on their own and began doing things on their own, sometimes in directions we had never thought of. Though it wasn’t easy, the reality was that we had to learn to let go of our control. We needed to trust that just as God had lovingly directed and corrected us over the years, that they would also have to fall down here and there in order to experience God’s power in helping them back up again. That is something of the situation in which Moses writes Psalm 90. The children of Israel were somewhere in the desert on their forty-year journey. They definitely had some huge missteps along the way. They grumbled, tried to elect a new leader to take them back to Egypt and even built a golden calf. Yet, after some grave consequences, along with Moses pleading for God’s mercy, they eventually made it. It amazes me that Moses didn’t plead for himself to be allowed to go into the promised land, instead, he prayed that God would show His power to the next generation. With all the focus that is put on discovering our gifts and fulfilling our purpose, sometimes we forget that God also has a purpose for the next generation. Sometimes the most important job we have is to pray for God to help our children experience His power for themselves. We may not have the opportunity to cross every river ourselves, but we can ask for God’s grace and power for those who will. God gives each of us a small but special part in His enormous plan. First we need to be faithful to do all the work that God has given us, and then we need to pray for the ones coming after us to discover His will for themselves. Our job is to pass along our faith, not our plans. In our case, though our kids haven’t done a lot of things we planned on, what God has given them to do is better than anything we ever imagined. If we will be willing to pray, for them to see God’s power for themselves, then one day, we will meet on the other side of the river and rejoice together because of both God’s amazing plan and HIs amazing grace