Harris Faulkner
Are you like me? Do you pray thinking of a desired outcome? When you say you will pray for someone, do you? Do you pray with a Plan B in mind?
I gained new insight on prayer from Harris Faulkner’s great book Faith Still Moves Mountains.
When I think about praying, it’s as if somehow God may not know what I need and how to handle my situation without my input.
Our God does want us to pray, but He needs no help with the answers. How many times have you experienced and also heard others relate how God miraculously answered prayer, everything turned out the way you/they wanted and everyone continued to live “happily ever after?”
But what if maybe the pain doesn’t go away? What if maybe you remain afflicted? What if the money doesn’t come? What if the family doesn’t get back together? What if you still hurt physically, emotionally, spiritually?
Did God not answer?
God’s will is not always about you being in a happy place. His will is about you being in a growing place. Consequently His answers to prayer may not be instantly obvious.
Harris relates some wonderful stories of people who had, or acquired great faith, courage, strength and maybe even a new outlook on prayer. These are stories that could have come from the Bible itself, but Harris’s people are those you can see, feel and touch and possibly even know.
As I read her stories of great pain, great suffering, followed by examples of great faith I realized that many times the pain and the suffering are in reality steps to growth.
She writes glowingly of her Dad. I’m also a Dad. I have three daughters of whom I am very proud. I hope in some small way I have had a positive impact on their lives.
Harris speaks of what her father taught her about prayer. “For one thing, he taught me the value of prayer. I remember him saying “People say they’ll do lots of things for you. There’s one thing they’ll say they’ll do: pray. But they don’t. They don’t pray effectively for you. They don’t even pray effectively for themselves. But you know that I will always pray without ceasing for you.”
An excellent and insightful lesson on prayer from a fighter pilot.
She saved the best for the last. The story of a person she knows who’s prayer was answered in an unusual way. It’s the story of Jesus’ last hours.
She writes: “Jesus is the ultimate prayer warrior. From the outset, He knew what his assigned mission would be. He knew that He would have to pay the ultimate sacrifice. As part of His dual nature as human being and divine being, He would feel the pain of persecution and crucifixion. But He still cried out to God in prayer at his weakest moment. Matthew captures one of the most moving stories in the New Testament when Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray:
Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. – Matthew 26:36-39 (KJV)
“Jesus prayed and God heard his son’s prayer:”
And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. – Luke 22:43-44 (KJV)
“After a time, Jesus gathered himself. His strength, His courage, and his faith carried him forward.”
And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter. What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. – Matthew 26:40-41 (KJV)
The important example of Jesus prayer, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” It wasn’t to be Jesus’ will but His Father’s.
And the example of the disciples praying; is really not praying.
We and they are fallen people, and we need our Lord’s lesson of prayer.