November 27, 2016 A.D., by Pastor Ben Willis

Mark 14:32-42 [NLTse]
32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba,[f] Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,”he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour?38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

41 Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Sermon
For years, when I thought of prayer, I saw it as an obligation: A discipline that needed to be a part of my daily routine if I was to be a good Christian. I will never forget the day God decided it was time for me to grow out of that small thought.
I was struggling with God! Over the years I had found myself having discussions and arguments with God. It didn’t make a difference to me that He had always proven right in the past, this time He had definitely got it all wrong!

I was hurting, and I was resentful of the Lord’s absence and silence in the midst of my crisis. I was afraid to be honest about my resentment, so it took me a while before I dared to boldly make my complaint. But, eventually, my complaints poured out like a torrent as I listed my faithful efforts to deal with the circumstance. I remember being amazed to hear myself defend and promote myself before God. It was obvious to me that I had done my very best but God remained unfeelingly absent!

As I recall, I was amazed at His response to the ways I was feeling so sorry for myself and to the ways I was being so critical of Him?! Because, as I wound down, I had a growing sense of the presence of Jesus. He seemed to be almost tangibly near to me.

I had the sense that Jesus had been graciously waiting for me to finish! In response to my self-righteous litany of personal faithfulness, my heart heard Him say: “That’s right, Benjamin, you did all those things and much more than you remember! BUT, do you know why you did those things?” The Holy Spirit then opened my eyes to see our wonderful Father “high and lifted up”, sovereign and loving.

“You have prayed many prayers,” He said. “And not one of them has fallen unheard before Me. And I am going to answer above and beyond what you have thought to pray, Benjamin!” He then informed me that the only reason I had even thought of the prayers I had prayed was because I had “glimpsed dimly” what He had shown me in His Own heart! He was teaching me that when I felt like praying it was because He had initiated the prayer!

I have always felt a close affinity with David! His walk with God was so spontaneous, so loving and trusting, so vulnerable, so appealing to me that I have always aspired to be like him. One day I was reading 2 Samuel 7, thoroughly enjoying the conversation David was having with our God, when – it seemed like for the first time – I read David’s words in verse 27, “For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore, your servant found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.”

The Father had taught me that when I felt like praying that it was because He was calling me to prayer. Now He was teaching me that what I prayed for He had inspired! And immediately other Scripture came to mind: “…without Me you can do nothing…” “…we do not know what we should pray for as we ought…” GOD INITIATES PRAYER and GOD INSPIRES PRAYER! He shows me when and what to pray!

Prayer has never been the same for me since. I saw that, while my prayers can be merely the expression of my own ideas, if I choose, that prayer is intended to be a transfer of God’s thoughts and plans into my heart!
The Father wants me to share His heart!! He wants me to be a part of what He is doing! Prayer is intended to be at our Father’s impulse! At His inspiration!

Abba was showing me that prayer was both natural – from me – and supernatural – from God! That, when praying rightly, that God is bridging the gap between Himself and me!

Jesus said, “Ask, and ye shall receive.” James said. “You do not have because you do not ask…or ask amiss.” I think we instinctively know that we can ask. And we know that we should not ask amiss (selfishly). What we often don’t know is that God simply wants us to want what He wants!

As I received the revelations that God initiates and inspires prayer, as I recognized that I was actually praying what originated in God’s heart, I realized that that meant that God desired the answer to those prayers more than I did! And the immediate result was, “Thank You, Father, for what You are going to do!”

Whenever I would face a situation that seemed discouraging, difficult, or even devastating the Holy Spirit would remind me of the reality of God’s heart filling my heart. I would then change my prayer from, “Please, God…” to “Thank You, Father, for what You are going to do!” And problems became possibilities: Possibilities for God to act!

Romans I shows us the importance of such thanksgiving to God. Human beings have become futile thinkers and human hearts have darkened because we have not thanked God! Thanksgiving is an attitude God has designed us for and intends for us to choose! Praying from a place of thanksgiving – for what God has initiated and inspired – is vital to a healthy relationship with our Father! It is living in reality! It is choosing to believe that God’s promises and faithfulness are more real than our circumstances.

“For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18)
Burdensome and heavy prayers become outpourings of faith, hope, and love for our Father as we give thanks for what He is doing in our troublesome and wearying circumstances. Prayer is a joy and our privilege!