ThatĀ āNeverthelessā Faith
When I was a kid and even as I transitioned into a young adult, I used to pray a lot of ābutā prayers. You know these prayers ā āLord, I would really love if you could make this happen!ā I would declare, and then quickly whisper, ābut if you donāt, thatās cool, too. I donāt want to hold you to it.ā It was a cop out ā I was giving God room to say no or not come through (thatās what I told myself). In reality, I was preparing myself for disappointment in the event that he didnāt come through. āNo big deal,ā I would convince myself. āI figured he wouldnāt.ā Over time, resentment grew for āunansweredā prayers. These ābutā prayers tended to be selfishly motivated and came from a place of fear of disappointment ā and they tragically showed the little faith I actually had in my God.
Iāve been away from the blog for a bit recently because some things came up and I needed to shift my focus to my family. Itās been a stressful time, but Iāve been amazed at the peace and calm Iāve had through the Holy Spirit! Since my new walk with God began, heās given me the desire to pray āneverthelessā prayers. These are the prayers that declare, āGod, I believe you for this outcome, for this healing. Nevertheless, I know your Will shall be done and it will come to good no matter what.ā
You may be thinking, āThat sounds kind of the same as the ābutā prayer,ā and at first I used to think that, too, and was hesitant. I remembered two instances in the Bible where someone essentially uses a āneverthelessā prayer. The first is in the Old Testament in Daniel 3, where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego are standing before crazy King Nebuchadnezzar. They defy the order to bow to the golden image and heās threatening them with a fiery furnace if they donāt bow. Their response? āIf it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.ā Daniel 3:17-18. You can take āBut if notā and replace it with āNeverthelessā. That doesnāt sound much like a cop out, for them or for God.
The second instance is documented in Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36, and Luke 22:42. For context, Jesus has just entered the garden to pray as he knows his time is drawing near to be crucified. Knowing what is in store, he is deeply anguished and, leaving his disciples to be alone, prays an interesting prayer. Here is the version from Matthew: āAnd he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.ā Note, in this prayer, Jesus isnāt questioning Godās ability to take this trial away. Heās asking for another way that isnāt the horror of the cross ā in fact, in Mark, you have this prayer: āAnd he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.ā Jesus acknowledges that God is fully capable, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego did before King Nebuchadnezzar. But Jesus acknowledges something I think sometimes we as Christians donāt like to think about ā that even though our God has all power to do all things, he might choose not to do what we know he can do. This isnāt because our God is arbitrary and unloving, but because his Will is far above our desires. He came through and saved those boys from the fiery furnace to show Nebuchadnezzar who the true God was, but he chose to have his only Son drink the cup of wrath to show the world how much he loves us.
These prayers werenāt cop outs designed to give God leeway to not do what was asked of him or to lessen the disappointment. These men spoke with the authority of their belief, knowing God was capable but also knowing that Godās capability and his will for our lives can sometimes diverge. And they accepted that Godās Will would trump their desires and prayed accordingly.
I think we are hesitant to add āneverthelessā to our prayers because it feels like maybe we donāt believe God enough for what weāre praying for, especially when it comes to breakthroughs and healing. Iāve even heard preachers say a prayer like that opens the way for doubt. But the reality of our God is that he isnāt going to give us everything we ask for or give it to us in the time that we ask for it, even if weāre walking faithfully and desiring things that we know he would desire. Does he hear our prayers and yearn to comfort us in our distress? Absolutely. But he may rescue us, and then again he may ask us to drink the cup faithfully, and I donāt think itās doubting to acknowledge this as a possibility in our prayers. Doubt is worrying if Godās going to give you what you ask for, exactly as you asked for it, exactly when you asked for it. Faith is knowing God is going to supply you with what you need, no matter the answer to your prayer.
It takes a lot of faith to believe in Godās omnipotence and also accept that he may choose not to show this all-powerful capability in my situation, and simply show his all-consuming peace through the power of the Holy Spirit. Praying from that āneverthelessā position of, āGod, I really need you to work this out, but Iām gonna trust you no matter the outcome,ā isnāt a cop out. Itās placing tremendous faith in God that he knows what he is doing, that he is a faithful and trustworthy God that keeps the promises he has made, and that he will work all things out for good for them who place their trust in him.
My prayers for God to work were answered in such a mighty way. But I know just from the peace that I have walked in that no matter the outcome, I would have still given thanks for his provision, even if it was simply the peace of God that passes all understanding.
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