How often do we pray for deliverance, thinking that God will
resolve our problem, somehow making it go away, or vindicating us before our
enemies? When I am in a tight place, that is exactly what I want. However, when Paul wrote to the Philippian
church about his confidence of deliverance from prison, he had some other
possibilities in mind:
Yes, I will continue
to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the
Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my
deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but
will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my
body, whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1:18b-20)
This is not a popular view of deliverance. Like the boy who
finds himself locked in the hot garden shed, we want to be set free so that we
can frolic in the shade with our friends. We want to be comfortable again, and
the restoration of our own comfort is the motive for our prayers. Paul, in
contrast to our current views on comfort, has one priority in mind: the
exaltation of Christ. How this happens, (whether by life or by death), is up to
God. Only the ultimate result matters.
While I generally agree with teachings about praying
specifically so that God can show his might in our lives, I think there is humility
in not counseling God to do our will. What if our prayers were that we could
know his will, accepting and even facilitating it, no matter what? Jesus in Gethsemane showed us the bridge between these two
views of prayer. He prayed repeatedly that “this cup,” (the crucifixion and
temporary separation from God the Father and God the Spirit), would be taken
from him. Ultimately, he submitted to God the Father, praying that the Father’s
will be done even in this most extreme of circumstances. Frankly, some today would consider this
waffling, asserting that we should not be double-minded in our prayers, leaving
room for doubt. There is a difference between double-mindedness and remembering
who is God.
Such a biblical view of deliverance is a “win-win” view of
life’s circumstances. There is no bad outcome as long as Christ is glorified.
We can unclench our minds and let go of the circumstantial outcomes. If our
focus in on Christ alone, he will have our backs, causing all things to work
for our (eternal) good. Let’s ask God to deliver us—from our selfish motivations
to restore our own comfort—as we love him and others above ourselves.
