Proven Way to Get Your Way
Oh my. This girl. She. Cracks. Me. Up.
On the way to Beavers Bend a couple of weeks ago, my granddaughter was working her daddy over to stop “pleeease” stop at a Chick-fil-A so she could get a biscuit. We were already running behind in our schedule. And she could have easily gotten herself one at the nearby Chick-fil-A where she works at not too far from our homes, but she wasn’t hungry then. This day, and time, you would think that she was an “expectant” mother with her craving for a Chick-fil-A biscuit. Nothing seemed to work for her in her appeal for her dad to stop, even though she used every tactic imaginable. He was bound and determined to catch up on the time we had lost. After all, those fish were just waiting for us to catch them!
Then, our drama queen applied a Russian accent along with a proposition he couldn’t refuse “Dad, I’ll buy you a biscuit also if you’ll stop for me.” Needless to say, he couldn’t refuse and it just so happened, within a few blocks, was a Chick-fil-A. Pleading her case in that Russian accent sealed the deal. It was a hilarious moment for all of us.
I started thinking about Alexia’s “begging” strategies, and it made me think about how we plead and beg God for answers to our prayers. Alexia knew her dad’s faithfulness. We know our Heavenly Father’s faithfulness. Our faith gets bolstered when we ask and we receive. His love is unfailing. But sometimes, we desperately need God to prove His faithfulness and His unfailing love in our lives RIGHT NOW!
A story is found in Mark 9:14-27 about a man who brought his son to Jesus’ disciples because an evil spirit possessed his boy. Unfortunately, Jesus’ disciples couldn’t drive the spirit out. Jesus was away at the time, and when He returned, a large crowd had gathered for a theological discussion. Seeing the crowd, Jesus asked what they were arguing about. The father told him how awful life was for his boy and how Jesus’ disciples failed to help. Jesus rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith then focused His attention on the boy. As the evil spirit acted out, the boy’s father prayed, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us”. Jesus heard the father’s desperate plea and picked up on one tiny, two-letter word: if. “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes” (v. Mark 9:23).
And then the father responded with one of the most honest prayers I’ve ever heard: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).
How many of us, if we were really honest, pray as this dad did. “I do, believe, Lord, but please help me with my doubt.” My favorite part of this story is the next part. Jesus helped this dad with his doubt by answering his prayer. I love that!! Just like the father who brought his son to Jesus, we also really know that God hears our prayers, is intimately aware of our needs, and that He has the power to solve our problems. It’s one thing to profess a distant belief in the faithfulness and love of a faraway God but quite another to experience His faithfulness and love as it intersects our desperate heart’s cry. It is quite all right to beg God to answer our prayers quickly. Begging is OK. Not that we have to beg God, because his tender loving-kindness is for us and to give us what we need the most. But coming to Him and asking in whatever accent we are using, we can expect to receive. His Word says “Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9).
If you’re there needing a NOW answer, please pray with me: “Dear Jesus, I do believe! Help me with my unbelief! I have this need [tell Him all about it], and I desperately need You to help me.” I set myself in agreement for your prayers to be answered and if the answer doesn’t come right away, God is simply replying “Just a minute! I’m working out a plan that’s better than RIGHT NOW!”
Enjoy the antics of my granddaughter and remember that God’s ear is always open to us. Maybe try your best accent. Now, back to my “multi-lingual” granddaughter and this video. The last night at Beaver’s Bend, Alexia and I stayed back at the cabin while the others fished more. We were sitting on the cabin deck when Alexia noticed we had new neighbors. She picked up the broom and started to go into motion with her Swedish accent about how we need to help them sweep their porch and rid themselves of the bacterias of this world: hate, sin, and unicorns. Go ahead. Laugh along with me. It’s good medicine for what ails you!