Skip to main content

"Father, I Thank You That You Have Heard Me."

So they took away the stone.
         Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!
               The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
        Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” (John 11:41-44)

          We only just recently covered this passage, but this time, let’s look at it as a prayer. It doesn’t follow the pattern Jesus taught, beyond beginning with “Father,” and being simple. It comes across almost as if He is saying, “OK, Father, let us make this very clear to these folks….” He never asks for Lazarus to be revived. He never even mentions Lazarus. All He seems to pray about here is His relationship with the Father and Their relationship with the people who were there.
         This brings to mind prayers today, in which someone begins, “Father, I lift John Doe up to you this evening. You know that he is suffering greatly with this horrible situation, how his great aunt, Gerta, who moved in with him last month has (insert malady) and his marriage to Philomena has been strained. His children, Thomasina, Dick, and Harriet are acting out, and his dog has run away. And now, Father, John has his own physical needs as well (listed…), so please, Lord, won’t you please, if it is Your will to act on his behalf….and Father, please bless the meeting that will take place next Tuesday night at 7:30 pm in the _________ room here at church where we’ll be discussing (topic.)” God knows what’s going on, so why do we feel the need to gossip to Him? (I know, the reality is that we’re informing other people, but why do we feel the need to do so?)
         Similarly, some people feel the need to pepper their prayers with Oh God, Oh Lord, Our Father, Lord Jesus…. Most of us wouldn’t dream of holding a conversation with any human that way: “Hey, Mary, how you doing, Mary. I was thinking, Mary that we should get together for coffee, and Mary, while we’re at it, Mary, could you bring back that book that I lent to you, Mary? Thanks Mary. See you soon, Mary.”
       Once again, Jesus’ answer seems to be to keep it simple.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more