I enjoyed Bobby's sermon on prayer. Jesus' example shows me that you don't really need God to intervene in the affairs of life if you have faith that He is here at all times and in all things. Still, when faced with life's most difficult events, I can't help but hope He changes things to my favor. I need to remember the prayer Jesus never said. If I do, I won't pray for 12 legions of angels, or even a winning lottery ticket, to bail me out of a jam. Instead, I shall be still and cede control over to God, instead of asking him to intercede.
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I enjoyed Bobby's sermon too; it was clear, literate and to the point, as Bobby's sermons mostly are. But I'm not sure that we are to take Jesus' reproving words to his defenders as an edict to downscale our own prayers. Jesus was speaking of himself as the son of God---someone who KNEW there would be instant intervention if he asked for it. The whole point of the statement was that he was choosing his destiny and needed no earthly intervention. We are the children of God, but we are not Christ, and we do not choose much of what befalls us. It's my feeling that to pray for lottery tickets, bail money, and so forth isn't quite appropriate but for many people the feeling that they can turn to God for anything in time of stress is a comforting one. The real danger of that is, as Bobby pointed out, that such people may lose their faith if these miraculous prayers are not answered as they would like. However, if the prayers can be must with Christ's own submissiveness ("Nevertheless, not my will but Thy will be done"), then surely there should be no limit on supplications.....?
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