How do we Really Pray?

 

So Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; Let this happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. Luke 1: 38

Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it. Luke 9: 23-24 

May your Kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Matthew 6: 10

I can picture today’s verses being sung by a choir of nuns as I walk slowly down the open hallway of a convent deep in the European mountains.

Melodramatic, I know, but I did love The Sound of Music as a child.

We make these promises to God. Our lips move, and our hearts want to mean what we’re saying, but until we are faced with a real situation, it’s all just desire. God, we want what You want. We trust You.

Then the stuff hits the fan. Our prayers change. Fix it God! Heal my child! Save my job! Help the doctors put him back together!

In those moments, do we pray, “Your will be done”?

I’m in what JJ Heller calls a slow-motion emergency. I’m waiting for an appointment with the Alford Brain Tumor Center to help determine a course of treatment that will likely include chemotherapy, radiation, or both.

When I first got the news that I had to do this, I jumped straight into denial. After my three brain surgeries last year, they told me I wasn’t a candidate for chemo or radiation. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to be facing this. I did my time already!

As the denial wore off, I began a phase of acceptance. I think that’s supposed to be the last phase, but what can I say, I do things my own way. I really was in a place where I was trusting God that His will would be done and I was ok with it. That lasted for a week or so.

Then I began learning about the potential side effects of radiation. Umm…. God, did You know about this? I began remembering back to all the movies and TV shows I’ve watched where people have done chemotherapy and how very sick they were. How could this possibly be God’s will for me? How can I do this? Where’s the exit door?

You know what, none of that matters. Truly, I believe it’s all a plot of the enemy to stress me out and keep me from where I’m supposed to be, resting in the arms of my Savior. I experienced that the other day. I took a minute to slow down, close my eyes, breathe, and picture myself leaning up against the Father’s chest with His arms wrapped around me. It was wonderful. I highly recommend it.

Here's the Thing: God’s got it. No matter what it is. No matter how bleak it looks. No matter how immediate or distant the need might be. God’s got it. Just rest in His arms.

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