#DailyDevotion The Father Answers Our Prayers With Wisdom
Heb. 5 7In His humble life on earth Jesus came to Him Who could save Him from death and prayed and pleaded, crying loud with tears, and because He feared God, He was heard. 8Although Jesus is the Son, He learned from what He suffered what it means to obey. 9And when He was finished, He became One Who gives everlasting salvation to all who obey Him, 10proclaimed by God a high priest like Melchizedek.
You know, if there was any picture of the Christian life it is this picture of Jesus here. I’m absolutely serious. If you learn this lesson well, you will not become disappointed or disillusioned about God. The problem we all face is we want to test the Almighty, and I used that name purposely here. We often will hear other say and we may think it ourselves, “If God is Almighty, if He is all loving, if He is ______(fill in the blank) then why doesn’t He_____(fill in the blank with whatever great wisdom you think you have here).
Now read the above verses again. Jesus, in His humble life (humble, having humility, not thinking He is better than anyone else, including God the Father) came to God the Father, “Who could save Him from death and prayed and pleaded, crying loud with tears…” And what did Jesus pray, three times no less, sweating what seemed like drops of blood because of the stress He was going through? Mark 14:36 “My Father,. . . You can do anything. Take this cup away from Me. But let it not be as I want it but as you want it.” You may need to read this a few more times. What did the Father answer? Apparently, that isn’t my will. You are going through this. You may think the Father did not hear Jesus’ prayer or answer Jesus’ prayer. He suffered under the Jewish Sanhedrin. He suffered under Pontius Pilate. He was crucified, died and was buried. By all looks of it, the Father did not hear or answer Jesus’ prayer.
Yet what did the author write here? He says, “and because He feared God, He was heard…” He was heard. God the Father raised Jesus from the dead. This is how God the Father answered Jesus’ faithful and fearful prayer. He went to the cross, died (of course He gave up the Spirit by His own will), was raised from the dead on the third day, and ascended to the right hand of the Father. You see, Jesus, God’s Son, “learned from what He suffered what it means to obey.” This is much like the previous statement in the book in 2:10, “He should make the One Who gives them salvation perfect through suffering.”
Having gone through this, ” He became One Who gives everlasting salvation to all who obey Him.” Jesus learned obedience through suffering. Now we are called to obey Him. What does it mean to obey Him than to suffer with Him? You should think of all your prayers in light of Jesus’ prayer to God the Father in the Garden. Jesus submitted His human will to God the Father in His prayer. Do you submit your human will to God the Father in prayer or are you acting like a spoiled brat? True, God the Father is almighty and loving. Do you trust His wisdom? In the movie “Bruce Almighty” is given all of God’s power but is not given God’s wisdom and Bruce makes a mess of things. We need to obey Jesus and be like Jesus trusting in God’s wisdom when we pray. Then we will not be so disappointed when what we think we pray for doesn’t come to pass. Look how Jesus’ prayer was answered. He was raised from the dead and glorified. Shall not all those who obey Him, suffering with Him, be raised to glory as well? We most certainly shall.
O all wise Father, You use Your might and love for our ultimate good, if we only trust You and Your Son. Give us humility so we may be obedient like Jesus and trust in Your wisdom when You answer our prayers. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.