Pastor Joynt's Devotionals

How Should I Pray, Week 1, Day 7

MATTHEW 6:9-13

The Lord’s Prayer is also, after its address, a series of requests. We ask that God’s rule will be extended, that our daily needs will be met, that forgiveness will be extended by us and to us, and that we’ll avoid moments of trial. Notice all these requests are matters of immediate importance to any disciple.

Now prayer is more than asking for what we want, since God is not a cosmic vending machine, and the universe is not simply there to meet our desires. But that does not mean we must pray for non-personal or for spiritual matters and leave out our actual concerns. This kind of prayer is unsustainable. We must pray for what we care about, and as we interact with God, the circle of our concern will grow and expand toward the largeness of his love. We must ask as a child does a parent, or a friend does a friend. Dallas Willard defines prayer as “talking to God about what we are doing together.” God is concerned about our concerns—and that they coincide with his.

Prayer

Great God, I ask you to deepen my praying. Let it be honest and real. Widen the circle of my concern toward those you love and value that are currently marginal to me. Help me gain a new sense of partnership with you, every day. Amen.

How Should I Pray, Week 1, Day 6

MATTHEW 26:39

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not my will but yours be done.”

What of the fact we do not get everything we ask for in prayer? Just as we do not get everything we ask for from others. Not getting all we ask for is actually a great blessing—because you and I are limited in love and in knowledge and in our capacity to articulate and understand even our own needs, let alone the needs of others. Our angle of vision is colored by all aspects of our particular experience and social location. We must “ask Google” many times a day, or consult others, as questions arise. Our desires are not perfect enough to be automatically granted!

This is not because prayer is weaker than other kinds of causation, but because, as C. S. Lewis says, “it is stronger.” It works unlimited by time and space. God has to retain “discretional power” over it, sometimes granting, other times refusing. Prayer works by request and so it is not under our direct control.

Prayer

Gracious God, Your son prayed that the bitter cup of the cross be removed from his life. But you did not accede to his request. His suffering, death, and Resurrection became the turning point in the story of salvation. Teach us to pray boldly but to always know that you know what is best for us. When requests are not granted, let us accept it with grace and faith. Amen.