by Kala Loptien

His Willingness

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this Sound Cloud link.

So he said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Luke 11:2-4 NKJV

When I see a rainbow like this — in all its vibrant, masterfully-bent glory — I can’t help but smile. (I feel like I should quickly note that I was the passenger when I snapped this photo.:) I think about all of the promises God so purposefully, perfectly and generously fulfilled. It’s probably one of the most beautiful reminder messages we could ever receive.

I know there are seasons in our life when we wonder if He has heard our requests. We might think: what’s the holdup here? Should I be doing something differently? Am I praying the right way? How do I approach the almighty with my “stuff”? Am I too selfish in my prayer life? The struggle seemed real for the disciples too. They asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. And so The Lord’s Prayer was taught.

I ran across a quote from Martin Luther recently. He addresses (and offers some conviction) around our prayer posture:

“Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance. It is laying hold of His willingness.”

Seems like there’s so much to unpack there. If we look at the first part, we recognize there are times we think He’s withholding or just not delivering. Sentence two is that ever-challenging, all-important art of total release. It’s dying to self; surrendering control and trusting HIS plan. He is the sovereign Lord. The truth of the matter is that the ultimate promise was already delivered in full. It’s finished. God loved us so much that He sent His son to suffer and die for us. We’ve been given new life. That should overwhelm us every single day. But there’s more. It’s undoubtedly the most comforting and empowering promise we have with us on earth. It’s His promise to be with us always, until the end. He’ll be there when we walk through valleys and endure storms. He’ll be there for our mountain-top moments. He cares about you and me. He’s always there. He hears us. Will we lay hold of His willingness?

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado