“Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34
Moments after concluding His prayer in The Garden of Gethsemane, and yielding His will to The Father’s will, Jesus was attacked. His disciples were swept away in a swirling series of chaotic events. Everything they had believed appeared to be lost, and out of control. It wasn’t true.
Never forget this. Appearances can be deceiving. You will need persistent prayer to make sense out of life even in the best of times. During the worst of times, the forces of darkness will rob you of your capacity to place your confidence in a Sovereign God who has promised you that He has the power to bring the best of things out of what appears to be the worst of things.
Holding my 93 year-old father’s hand, during his final days in hospice, I heard him whisper words that had carried him through many trials and tests. The power of the resurrection was on his lips. Smiling in triumph he kept repeating,
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28
Allow the events surrounding The Crucifixion and The Resurrection of The Savior to be a vivid reminder of God’s power over the enemy’s deceit. When you are staring into the face of a demonic, intimidating, double-barreled weapon of chaos and confusion, draw your sword of The Spirit and call out to God in prayer. Christ is your Champion in the battle.
“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless work, prayerless study or prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but He trembles when we pray.”
Samuel Chadwick
Praying His way into complete alignment with The Father’s will prepared Jesus to be a victor, not a victim. While He was praying, His ancient enemy entered into the hearts of witless, but willing men to conspire against the redemptive plan of God. They still do. Keep praying.
Soldiers seized Jesus under the cover of darkness, and led Him into chaotic and confusing collisions with the leaders of the religious and the political establishments. Jesus was not caught off-guard. Prayer had prepared Him to be a ready and willing participant in God’s plan. Men conspired their worst. God planned His best. He delivered forgiveness through His Son.
Prayer prepared Jesus for God’s redemptive plan, no matter whose hands God used or the consequences it carried. With His last prayer fresh upon His lips, Jesus experienced His betrayal by a false friend, false accusations and arrest, a rigged trial, abuse and mockery by political and religious leaders, the denial by a real friend, a near fatal beating by Roman soldiers, mocking humiliation before a mob, and an agonizing death upon The Cross. Through it all, Jesus stayed on His mission. He chose to forgive.
The body of Jesus would be beaten, bruised and broken by tough men, but prayer kept His heart tender to the hand of God. After His enemies had done their worst to Him, Jesus did God’s best for them. He forgave. Through the power of the resurrection, you can too.
The Apostle Paul was a willing participant and an eye- witness to Stephen’s death. While being stoned to death, Stephen prayed and echoed the words of His Savior on the cross. Looking into the face of The Risen Christ, he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Paul would never be able to forget what he saw the day Stephen died, interceding for his enemies.
“Then falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them!’ " Acts 7:60
The Assassin Saul became The Apostle Paul when he encountered The Risen Christ on the Road to Damascus. He appropriated the power of the resurrection he had witnessed in Stephen, by maintaining daily dependence upon and consistent companionship with The Risen Christ. He lived…
”That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death; that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Philippians 3:10-11
The essential evidence of the fullness of the Spirit is the power of the resurrection. It was this power that filled Stephen with the grace to forgive his enemies. Paul found the power of the resurrection in embracing the fellowship of Christ’s suffering. He did not stiff-arm the trials, tears, tests and terrible people that came his way.
From a dark prison cell Paul kept his perspective through prayer and praise. “Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25
Paul prayed for the grace to release what was in his hands into the nail-scarred hands of The Risen Christ. Prayer released his white-knuckled grip on resentment towards his enemies, and empowered him to let it go. The Risen Christ transformed Paul’s resentment into contentment as Paul embraced the fellowship of His suffering.
“I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” Philippians 4:11
NOTE TO SELF: If you are still trying to punish a person you have not forgiven them. Remember, forgiveness doesn’t mean being a victim. It means you are a victor. Forgiving someone does not mean you are letting them get away with hurting you. Forgiveness means letting go of your right to get even with them for what they did to you. Forgiveness is not about denying the hurt. It is about releasing the pain. Jesus died to forgive you. You received His forgiveness by praying for Him to release you from your debts. You will never be more like Jesus than when you live to forgive. You will never be less like Jesus than when you can’t wait to get even. Stop saying to people, “I owe you one.” Collecting IOU’s will never let you live debt free.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!