Praying, Even For the Reluctant!
Have you ever noticed that there are only a few days during Holy Week that are cited in the Bible? Taking a little liberty with my imagination I feel that Jesus being very God and very man knew enough of what was ahead of Him, that He concentrated as much time as He could in praying to His Father. When you think of how anxious you must get when facing an exam, or interview, or any kind of challenge; how much more could Jesus in His Humanity have faced with bearing the sins of the whole world on His back! Getting quiet, asking His Father to endow Him with the strength to endure was most assuredly His primary focus.
We need to take that same posture when facing this present crisis we are in. We have been called aside from our regularly scheduled program, to "shelter at home". What are we doing with it? The prophet Isaiah told rebellious Israel:
15 For the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel has said this,
"In returning [to Me] and rest you shall be saved,
In quietness and confident trust is your strength."
But you were not willing,
In this passage we see that God had called the Israelites aside to a time of quietness, trusting not in horses and chariots but in trusting the Lord God Himself:
16 And you said, "No! We will flee on horses!"
Therefore you will flee [from your enemies]!
And [you said], "We will ride on swift horses!"
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17 A thousand of you will flee at the threat of one man
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left like a flag on the top of a mountain,
And like a signal on a hill.
With the willfulness exhibited by Israel, God said, "O.K. – I will leave you to your own plan. And because your plan is not my plan, this is what will happen, you going to be on the run, you going to have to flee for your life, and you will be left in a pitiful state".
18 Therefore the Lord waits [expectantly] and longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
Blessed (happy, fortunate) are all those who long for Him [since He will never fail them]. Isaiah 30;15-18 (AMP)
Even so, even with all their willfulness, God’s Hand was stretched out still. He longed to not only have compassion on them, but to give them grace and comfort. He longed to reinstate them as His own. So too, today. We still have countless people who are resisting the ordinances of the law, who not only reject God, but reject man as well. Yet, that same invitation is extended to them. And God would have us, who have heard Him, to pray for those who haven’t. In this present pandemic, we need to make this journey together. Let’s continue to pray for all.
Maria