“Daddy…can I have some chocolate? Daddy…can I have some candy? Daddy…can I have two?” “No. It’s 7 in the morning…wait till after lunch”
“Awwwwwwwwhhhhhhhwwwwwhwhhhwhwhwhwhhwhw”
5 minutes later….repeat. 10 minutes later…repeat. 20 minutes, 30 minutes, on the hour every hour till noon. When it comes to pleading it seems to be something we really know how to do even from childhood. Sometimes, What starts out as a simple mundane request becomes something we long for. We plead for the desires of our heart. We plead for gifts from mom and dad. We plead for help from others. We plead, and plead, and plead. Sometimes our simple asking just slips down the hill to pleading and begging.
Sometimes we even find ourselves pleading to God. “God I’m Begging you, help us find a way to pay these bills. God I’m begging you take the lumps and the cancer away. God I’m begging you, keep the drug dealers from our kids. God I am begging you to take the abuse and the memories away. God I’m begging you, dont let my loved one die. God I am begging with you to help to stop this marriage from exploding. God I am pleading with you to stop those people who are trying to hurt me. God I am pleading with you…I am begging you…please remove this sin from my life.”
It’s interesting to notice that Paul the apostle himself prayed the same prayer. He prayed, the verse says he pleaded. Of all the pleading in scripture It’s the only place in scripture where we see someone pleading in prayer to Jesus. Paul pleads with God multiple times, all day long, morning, afternoon, and evening. Three times a day he prays. He has a thorn. We aren’t told what it was exactly. But thorns stick, they hurt, they prick, they make us bleed, and they just plain out suck. And we see this grand apostle, humble like the rest of us, and praying, pleading with Jesus to take it out.
Surprisingly, the answer came back as a resounding ”No.” How frustrating. Back to pleading. But while we are at it…maybe we can learn a lesson about leaning on Jesus in those times. And instead of being ungreatfull for what he has done for me, cross and all, I’ll lean on his grace.
In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV) it says,
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.“
Great thoughts…thanks for the message.