Prayer of Faith

How many times do we have to do something we don’t want to do, but know that it has to be done? The answer is- most of the time! Achieving great results in something requires us to move even when we do not want to. Everything we do has an ending result whether it is good or bad- there is always a result. 

Jesus as we know was crucified and raised from the dead to pay the price for our sins. Generally speaking, most people know the story of Jesus on the cross, but no one really mentions how Jesus felt about all of it. We never talk about how Jesus might have felt regarding what He knew He had to do, or how he reacted when faced with knowing the time had come for Him to do it. The Bible tells us in Luke 22 that Jesus was with His disciples and stopped to pray and told them to do the same. He then went off by Himself to pray alone. He asks God "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me, yet not My will but Thine be done." The Bible then says that an angel from heaven appeared to Him and was strengthening Him. It goes on to say Jesus was in agony and praying very fervently and His sweat became like drops of blood falling upon the ground. We know that Jesus was then arrested and crucified just as it was planned to be.

Nobody not even Jesus wanted to be crucified and die. The act of being crucified was a slow and painful death, not to mention all the mockery that took place along with all the physical and verbal torture. Jesus was brought into this world as flesh and blood and He did not want to endure that painful death, but He said "Yet, not My will, but Thine be done." Jesus knew it was the only way for mankind to be saved. This was why He was born and brought into the world. This was the purpose that He was meant to fulfill, and He did it. He did it because it was obedience unto His Father, and of His love for us. It also meant salvation for mankind if they chose to receive it. It took faith for Jesus to complete His purpose on earth- faith in His Father that this was the right thing to do and to do it. By Jesus doing what He did, we benefit if we choose to. We can benefit by living with Christ in Heaven for eternity, because of the price Jesus paid for us. Jesus redeemed us from our sins by going to the cross that day. Was it easy for Jesus? Absolutely not! Imagine what He was going through in that Garden. Imagine the fear, sorrow, and stress that were a part of His thoughts. Imagine Him being so grieved that His sweat was drops of blood coming from his forehead. Imagine Him being so overcome in His spirit that God would have to send an angel to strengthen him? The angel however did not change "The plan” but strengthened Jesus enough for Him to finish the will of His Father.

When God asks us to do something we may not like it, and maybe even be fearful, full of anxiety, stress, and worry. However, we need to remember Jesus is with us and will strengthen us to do whatever is needed. When we decide to say “Yes” to whatever Jesus is asking us to do we are also saying “Yes” to those we are called to minister to in this world. Jesus by doing what He was called to do meant that He was saying “Yes” to us by saying “Yes” to God. That “Yes” for us means we are cleansed from our sins and can become a new creature in Christ. We can have the slate wiped clean and start anew. We can have the Lord live inside of us, never be alone and each day come to the fuller knowledge of how much Christ loves us.

Romans 10:9-11 says “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”  

If you want to be a part of God’s family and live with Him for eternity, please pray this prayer wherever you are at right now. This prayer is the gift that Jesus offers to each of us- it is why He died on that cross that day. It’s not that He didn’t want to die on the cross because He didn’t love us or want us to have eternal life with Him, it was a normal thing to reject at first. Remember He was born in human form and He felt everything physically that we feel. It was the brutality of it that he was rejecting, but He endured it for us because of His love for us. If He was so willing to be obedient for us shouldn’t we all accept His free gift to us? Please pray this simple but life changing prayer. “Lord Jesus I come to you now believing you are the Son of God. That You died on the cross and rose on the third day from the dead. I now ask You to forgive me of my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Please now come into my heart and life and be the Lord of my life. Thank you for paying the price for me and for saying yes to me. Thank you that I am a new creature in Christ. Lead and guide me throughout my life and help me in all that I do, so I may glorify you, in Jesus name I pray amen.

For those of you who perhaps do know the Lord but have allowed circumstances and situations to draw you away from living your life completely for Him and you want to recommit your life back to Him, please know that Jesus is with you. Pray this wherever you are and know that the Lord hears you with all the love He has for you. “Father I ask that you forgive me for allowing my life to be lived without you being the center of it. I now recommit my life to living completely for You. I ask that You daily guide, lead and strengthen me. Keep my life on track with You and what Your word says from now on, in Jesus name I pray amen.”

Jesus by faith and love paid the price for each of us. He said “Yes” to His Father for the will of Him and essentially said “Yes” to us. Now each of us has the chance to say “Yes" back to Him and others by always doing what He asks of us. Doing things that God asks us is not always easy and something that we desire to do even as Jesus found out. Anything though that God would ask of us can never compare to what Jesus had to endure for us. Everything we are feeling we need to bring it before the Lord even as Jesus did, and then do whatever He has asked of us. A prayer of faith and obedience is all we need to do, and God will handle the rest. One more thing to remember is that whatever God would ask of you He's only asking because knows you can do it!

From Gardens of Splendor by Gina Burns