Hope and Surrender in Prayer

In the last post, I talked a little about having a hope in a person and not an outcome. When I pray for healing, I am praying for an outcome! I pray boldly for a complete healing, not based on me and whether or not I deserve it, but based on God and his mercy and grace. I pray and hope for my cancer to be one of those astounding statistics of cure...or at the least a deep remission. I don't know what will happen though! or where God's will and providence will take me. It might be his will that I would join him in heaven sooner than I ever imagined. I can't ignore that possibility.

I find myself needing to pray in full hope and belief that God CAN; while surrendering to what God would WILL. Sometimes it is a strange balancing act, but I have found three examples in the bible of this kind of prayer that gives me a model of prayer that I have found encouraging.

The first passage I found was Ezekiel being taken by God in a vision to the Valley of Dry Bones. It probably first appealed to me because of the bones in it! It's taken from Ezekiel 37:1-3.

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”

When I pray for healing, isn't that what I'm asking God? “Can these bones full of cancer live?” And here God asks Ezekiel that question to see what he thinks. He answers: “O Lord God, you know.” It's where the title for this blog comes from because I think it is a great answer to God's question. 

Ezekiel is implicitly acknowledging the God CAN, but it is his choice. Only God knows what he will do with his power and sovereignty. “You can make it be what you will. It is in your hands....your plan....you know.” God raises up the bones, puts on sinews, muscels, skin and finally he breaths on them giving them life. A picture of restoration. God can do amazing works of restoration in the physical body, but also in the heart (which if you read this passage in context this vision is a picture of salvation culminating in the Spirit of God being placed in his people and a promise to do it)! He reveals his plan to Ezekiel and it is a joyous: These bones will live!

The second passage is from the book of Daniel. Powerful, mentally unstable, King Nebuchadnezzar demands that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worhsip his idol or be thrown in the furnace. Their response shows an awesome faithfulness to God. (Daniel 3:16-18)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

I love their reply. God is able, but if he doesn't save us it doesn't change our faith. We are prepared for either outcome. They do go to the furnace, but the Lord saves them so completely that not even their clothes smell like smoke. Again, God saves! He is able! They surrendered to his will, and his will was life!

In each of these two cases, God saves his people and restores. However, God does not always answer the way we want him to in our fragile earthly bodies. Sometimes there is suffering that ends in death. Jesus himself experienced this. He knows my suffering and is our perfect model in all things.

And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

The suffering that Jesus was about to endure caused him to sweat blood. He asked for a way out and God said “no”. Jesus surrenders his will completely and though he has the power to resist, he sacrifices himself for us. His sacrifice would bring salvation to many. Yes he endured the cross, but he also experienced the glory of his resurrection (the first of many). He rose and sat at the right hand of God. His suffering was for a good purpose and ended in glory.

If God answers my prayers with a “no”, I believe that even that can be used for good and will end in glory. We all will suffer. Jesus straight up tells us we will. The bible never shrinks from that truth. But our worse circumstances can be used for good. God has a good plan. So I will pray for healing, believe me I want it! I believe God CAN and he ia ABLE. I'm also surrendered to his plan and wait. “Oh Lord, You know...”