Not Until You Bless Me

Sometimes I feel so confused in regards to how I should pray. I fluctuate back and forth. Do I ask for blessings? Do I ask for acceptance of my current gifts? Do I ask for God's will to be done? I've never been what you might call a "prayer giant" or an "intercessor". And I feel like the older I get, the more life I live, the worse I get. When I look to his word, I feel like the various stories in the Bible are sometimes in competition or just don't agree. And honestly, it seems to me I'm not the only one. One Sunday you'll hear one sermon, the next something different as the speaker pulls from a different scripture. It seems as if those things just couldn't possibly align. I know that the Bible is God's word and Truth, but sometimes, I feel clueless as to what He is trying to tell me.

Jacob warred with God all night and declared, even after sustaining an injury, that he would not let go without a blessing from the Lord.

"But Jacob replied, 'I will not let you go unless you bless me.'... Then he blessed him there."

Genesis 32:26&29      

But Jesus, when faced with the perfect reason to put his foot down, to hold on with both hands, to fight God's will, relinquished and prayed for God's will not his own.

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

Luke 22:42                                                

I was studying both of these passages, and I came across this discussion online. Linda, the author, is a pastor of a Baptist Church in Moorestown New Jersey. Here are some of her thoughts on Jacob's wrestling match:

But Jacob knew that entering into covenant with God meant that they were more like partners- and that God’s part in that covenant said that God would never leave him or forsake him- that God would protect him and provide for him.  And  if God is the one who made the promises- then it was OK to remind God of those promises… boldly! Jacob is someone who was not afraid to be completely vulnerable and honest with God.

 You and I... we live in an anxiety filled world- we are fed fear for breakfast lunch and dinner, 24/7. We live in a constant state of feeling threatened, in everything from 9/11 and terror attacks, to global warming, to disease, infection, crime, economy… pick your poison…

 Yet very rarely, if at all, do we stand toe to toe with God in prayer about any of it.  We don’t boldly claim the promises as our own, but instead take a  small, helpless 'wringing our hands' type of stand when it comes to our fears, and sadly, our prayers. But I believe it is through this kind of active bold prayer that we are empowered for the struggle that could come next.  

But, in a completely different opinion on prayer, R.C Sproul, the noted author, pastor, and founder of Ligonier Ministries, looks at Jesus' prayer in the Garden and says this:

It is important to see what Jesus prays here. He says, “Not My will, but Yours, be done.” Jesus was not saying, “I don’t want to be obedient” or “I refuse to submit.” Jesus was saying: “Father, if there’s any other way, all things being equal, I would rather not have to do it this way. What You have set before Me is more ghastly than I can contemplate. I’m entering into My grand passion and I’m terrified, but if this is what You want, this is what I’ll do. Not My will, but Your will, be done, because My will is to do Your will.”
 I also want you to notice what happened after Jesus prayed. Luke tells us that an angel came to Him and strengthened Him. The angel was the messenger of God. He came from heaven with the Father’s answer to Jesus’ prayer. That answer was this: “You must drink the cup.”
 This is what it means to pray that the will of God would be done. It is the highest expression of faith to submit to the sovereignty of God. The real prayer of faith is the prayer that trusts God no matter whether the answer is yes or no. It takes no faith to “claim,” like a robber, something that is not ours to claim. We are to come to God and tell Him what we want, but we must trust Him to give the answer that is best for us. That is what Jesus did.

Looking at these two very different opinions on how to pray, you'll see how I can occasionally be confused. Are we to be like Jacob, holding the Lord to His promises, asking for more? Or, are we to be like Jesus, placing our trust in Him to do what is best? Do we ask for blessings, or do we ask for God's will and acceptance of it? Maybe it's both.

I had the privilege of meeting and speaking with Louie Giglio several years ago. In a conversation with myself and several others, he challenged us to begin to pray BIG. He said to ask for huge things not only because you want what your asking for, but because through BIG prayers, we have the greatest potential for BIG faith. I think, if I'm honest, part of my problem has been this: If I pray for something big, expecting God to come through in a big way, won't my faith suffer a BIG blow if I don't see the results? Doesn't it work both ways?

I think ultimately both thoughts on prayer are true. God commands us to pray about everything and pray to him continuously. I think He knows that prayers would become quite dull and rote if we only prayed, "You're will be done." God wants to hear our wants and our desires. He wants a relationship, a communion. But he wants obedience too. I think there must be some balance therein, where you can pray with boldness, believing that God wants to care for you, protect you, love you, and give you your greatest desires. But, and this is a big but, you also have to remember that this life, is not about you. It's all about HIS story and your life and all of creation is about shining the biggest spotlight imaginable on Him. So, when things don't come out just as you imagined, when those BIG prayers go unanswered and your faith feels shaken, you have to remember that He still loves you, but that what you've been praying for simply does not fit into His story right now.

So what about you? Do you find yourselves praying boldly for BIG things? Or do you tend to pray for His will and not your own? Do you think you can do both? Have you found your perfect balance?