In less than two weeks we will celebrate Good Friday, which with Easter become the central axis of Christianity.  There would be no Christianity without the death and the resurrection of Jesus. As we focus our hearts and minds to the crucifixion of Jesus, we remember the pivotal role of prayer and submission to the will of God modeled by Our Lord Jesus, especially days before His arrest.  The nearer He was to His death, the nearer He drew Himself to His Father through prayer.  Rightly did E. Stanley Jones say, “Our circumstances do not decide our destiny, but prayer does.”  Jesus was always in the hands of His Heavenly Father, never in the hands of men.  And He knew it.

Once He talked about His relationship with His Father, calling God as His Father who had sent Him into the world, but “no one laid hands on Him. For His hour had not yet come” (John 8:20).  His hour here referred to His time of arrest and crucifixion—His death! Jesus was secure in His Father’s hands but this security, which translated into peace, could only be harnessed through and in prayer. Hence, He prayed a lot.  Here is another insight from E. Stanley Jones, “Our spiritual lives are determined by the power we take into them through prayer.” We can then say that we are as strong as our prayer.  It is when we come to God fully submitting to His divine will can we then be strong and have peace to face days of adversity.

As we know, Corrie ten Boom was spiritually graced by her sister, Betsie, who died in concentration camp.  One of the insights she often shared with Corrie was, “There are no ‘ifs’ in God’s Kingdom.  His timing is perfect.  His will is our hiding place.”  Oh, how often, when facing days of adversity, we ask, “What if?”  What if we never did this or went there?  Perhaps we would have reaped a different outcome.  Perhaps.  But remember: God is almighty and He is never restrained by circumstances; He’s transcendent over our limitations.

Pastor Paul