Today we pray, tomorrow we thank God

Today we pray, tomorrow we thank God

When the crisis of life seems to get us down we ask God for relief in our own words.  God hears and answers our most intense tribulations no matter who it is that is asking.  The interesting tribute is our Lord does not differentiate between his children when they are in straits of pain or confusion.  The one question asked God is why?  Why has this happened to me, or what have I done to receive so much anguish?  

The answers are easy, but may not satisfy most people who are waiting for the hand of God to sweep down and wipe away the clouds from our eyes.  If our vision is 20/20 and nothing is blocking the world in front of us, we would be able to see why our question is still waiting to be unleashed.  

As we look for direction when our prayer is still hanging we must look beyond our immediate circumstance and become a silhouette beside Jesus.  A silhouette is a reflection of something or someone, not completely visible, yet the viewer is able to accept what or who we are looking at.  Come on, let’s take a walk with Jesus from the day he was baptized until he rose from the dead.  The answer to all of our questions begins with the scenario; will you or I be able to emulate what he is about to become and follow the same steps?  As we walk beside him the guesswork will disappear.  (Lk 4: 1 - 12).  

Twice Satan confronted the Son of God tempting his mission of which his Father sent him to accomplish.  Three times in the desert the devil used ideals that a divine entity would be able to perform if the road ahead became too difficult.  Could you react in the same manner of Jesus?  Remember you are going to emulate, as best you are able, everything Jesus encountered.

Secondly, Satan would return for the most crucial event in the life of our Savior.  When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.  (Lk 4: 13).  In the garden at Gethsemane.  “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still not my will but yours be done.”  (Lk 22: 42).

Prior to the passion/crucifixion/death/resurrection of Jesus we find his journey is filled with ignominy, rejection, ridicule and disbelief contrary to what the Jews expected in a Messiah.  (Lk 4: 14).  Are you getting tired and discouraged at the similarities as you  are accompanying Jesus on his walk?  Has your prayer begun to have any semblance of an answer yet?

I wonder just what questions Jesus had for his Father as his mission unfolded before him.  Could any of us just walk while hiding our eyes as we imagined ourselves on the same mission.

When we will ask again for a just hearing in human endeavors each one of us needs to remember what we experienced in our walk with Jesus, that none of us has to repeat in order to expect an answer.  God’s answers are always free and no recompense is expected.  All God wants is a Thank You!

Ralph B. Hathaway