Heard, but No

     The verse of the day is an old concept, but in the modern age mine comes by phone. The verse that popped up recently is Heb. 5:7 "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the only one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission." As a long time student of the Bible, I have learned that chapter 5 follows chapter 4, so the context of the passage is Jesus as our high priest. Because Jesus understands the struggles of humanity, we can approach our high priest in prayer with confidence and find grace. Which is why the verse above seems a strange way to confirm that--Jesus prayed to his Father fervently for deliverance from death, was heard, but God's answer was "No." Pardon me, but that seems like a strange example for our confidence in prayer. If the answer is going to be no, what do we need confidence for? We might as well doubt God will answer, like we always do.

     And then there's Paul, he prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh to be removed. While he didn't exactly strike out, and he definitely was heard, the answer was, My grace is sufficient for you. In other words, "No." Moses asked the Lord to find someone else to go to Pharaoh, and though God allowed his brother Aaron to be his plus one, His answer was another "No." Jonah didn't ask to be excused when God said go to Nineveh, but he did cut and run which is worse than a pouty prayer. The fish that swallowed Jonah conveyed the Lord's "No" and the next time God said go, he did.

     So we are to pray, we are to pray confidently, but our confidence is not in believing we will get what we ask for, it is in knowing we are heard by a God who is too wise to just give us what we ask for. And there is another benefit, one that makes us Christlike--

 

Our reverent submission will grow 

when the answer is--I heard, but No.