Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply,
“What are you thinking in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–
he said to the one who was paralyzed,
“I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He stood up immediately before them,
picked up what he had been lying on,
and went home, glorifying God.
~ Luke 5:17-26
“Be careful what you ask for in prayer. God just might give it.” This is a common refrain in our family. there have been many instances where what we asked in prayer for was granted – much to the pray-er’s chagrin. We would usually cite the case of Mama, who prayed for long life and got what she prayed for. In the end, she got very impatient waiting for her final journey. She would tell her children in her old age, “Do not pray for long life. God might just grant it to you.”
At the same time, there are times we are too timid or too wavering in our prayers. I sometimes feel that what I am praying for is so ridiculous or too impossible I simply do not ask the Lord anymore. And then, it happens. I would feel chastened for not being daring enough in my prayers. Sometimes, I feel what I am asking for is too trivial or unimportant to bother God with it. But nothing is ever too trivial or too impossible or too much or too little to ask and pray to God for.
I realize that what makes my prayers effective is the on-going conversation and encounter I have with God. As I pray, God loves listening to my thought and feelings. And as I listen, I get to know the heart of God better. PUSH mo yan. Pray Until Something Happens.