Prayer

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:42   

There is a scene in the movie Evan Almighty that I absolutely adore, Morgan Freeman (God) is explaining to Lauren Graham (Joan, Evan’s wife) that God doesn’t always clearly grant our prayers in the ways that we expect them to be granted. In this scene God says “Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?”

This is such a short burst in the film but it always stays with me and I love the way it ties to this verse – if you believe that you have received what you have prayed for, it will be yours. As humans, we think about our desires, and we pray for ourselves and those around us. We ask God to be in our lives, but we are frustrated when we have to admit that his power and will is greater than our own.   

As I reflected on this verse and this scene I thought back over times when I have asked God for something and he has delivered in ways that I would not have expected.  When I prayed that my son would receive an education that would make him successful and enriched, I wasn’t ready for him to move 640 miles away, but it has been such an amazing experience for him. Years ago, when I prayed for a very ill friend to have less suffering, I wasn’t ready for his death to be so sudden, but I know that he has been released from all the pain his body experienced on earth. As part of our spiritual and emotional growth we have to accept our gifts and make the most of them and we must have faith that God will continue to provide for us in ways that we could never have imagined. Especially in those moments were we don’t get what we ask for.    

Prayer: God who knows our deepest fears and hopes, please continue to help us grow. Continue to respond to prayers in ways that are better than we could have asked, and guide us on the path that you have always planned. Amen.     

Christi Moock