What kind of a child am I?

Recently in a conversation about healing prayer, I was reminded that we cannot command God.  I hadn’t said  anything about commanding God anything. I just mentioned that in the entire New Testament, we cannot find a single example of someone asking God to heal another. In each case, a man, submitted to God and empowered by the Holy Spirit, commanded the BODY to be healed.

But, it started me thinking about prayer and how we approach God when we pray. Everytime we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are, in effect, commanding God. Nothing in that prayer is a request, but a statement. “Lead us not….” “Deliver us…” “Give us….” And, we have often heard other, similar prayers that were, technically, commands. “Be with….” “Bless….” “Go with…” So, we are comfortable with commanding God in certain areas, just not others.

One aspect of prayer is, by faith, declaring something to be so on earth or another person’s life that God has already promised or declared to be true and we just aren’t seeing it or experiencing it yet. He has promised us that if we seek Him, we will find Him. Am I commanding Him when I say, “Show me Your face. Don’t hide Yourself from me.” I don’t think so. My tone of voice may sound like a command to a listener, but I’m simply taking what He has already said is His desire and speaking it in the form of a prayer.

We are told in Scripture that, if we pray according to His will, He will answer. But so often, we pray or ask what we want and end with the words(or similar), “if this is Your will”.  But, praying according to God’s will isn’t simply throwing up several possibilities that we would like to see, and asking God to choose which is His will.  Prayer is learning His will….and then joining in a partnership with Him by declaring His will be be so on earth as it is in heaven. We take the time to listen and learn His will….and then pray it….with confidence.

But, there’s another telling aspect to the manner in which we pray.  We all know that, as believers, we are the adopted sons of God. So, as sons, we can come to Him in one of three ways: as a bratty, arrogant kid who is used to getting his way; as a child who isn’t fully convinved the adoption was complete; or, as a child fully confident of his rights and privileges as a full Son and the ability and desire of His Father to act.

Here are a few scenarios. All involved 2 boys who are friends. Let’s call them Nate and Billy. Nate’s father is the president of the United States. He was adopted before his father became president. Billy is his friend who has a broken bike. He doesn’t have a dad, or anyone else, to fix it for him.

In the first scenario, Nate storms into his dad’s office and insists that his father drop what he is doing and fix Billy’s bike NOW! He will take nothing but compliance from his father on that point. That bike WILL be fixed by his father. And, it will be fixed NOW or his dad will be sorry!

In the second scenario, Nate comes to his father. He is so hesitant to enter his father’s office because he feels so unimportant compared to what his dad must do. After all,  not long ago, he was just an orphan living on the streets. He mustn’t ever forget that. What right did he, an orphan, have in asking the president of the United States to do something so little like fix a bike???? But, he softly, hestitatingly, asks anyway. “Dad, I know you’re busy and I really shouldn’t be bothering you. You’re so important and have so many other things that are far more important than this stupid bike. But, if you could just please find a few minutes of your time to look at the bike….and maybe….. pleassssseeeee??    ….could you fix it? I’m so sorry to even be asking anything of your time, but it would be so neat if you did. And, I’d be forever grateful.  Please, dad? I won’t bother you again if you say you can’t.”

In the third scenario, Nate remembers well that he was once an orphan. But, he remembers just as vividly the day in the courthouse when the papers were signed declaring him to be a part of this family. He finally had a father! He was no longer an orphan! What joy! And, he quickly learned that his father adored him. Even after he became president, Nate knew he could walk into his dad’s office anytime and sit on his lap; that nothing he faced was too small for his dad to care about. And, like so many true sons, he believed his father could do anything! Sure, his dad was the president, but he was still his daddy. So, when Billy’s bike broke, his response was instant. “My dad will fix it. I know he will.  Come on! Let’s ask.” So, they go into his dad’s office and approach him-not as the President, but as a daddy- “Daddy, Billy’s bike broke. I told him you’d fix it ’cause you’re the best at fixing bikes. Come on outside, daddy. Let me show it to you. I know you’ll fix it.”

Which child has the fullest confidence not only in his father’s ability and love, but also in his own status as his son? When I come into God’s presence, I come as a child, fully confident of who I am because of Jesus. I’m not an orphan who doesn’t deserve to be in His presence. I do not need to ask feebly, continually reminding myself of who I was and how undeserving I am. Nor, am I a god myself who can keep the King of Kings at my beck and call.

I am His child, with all the rights and privileges that go with Sonship. Oh, I was once an orphan, completely undeserving, but because of what Jesus did, I AM NOW HIS CHILD!!! I’m not an orphan any longer! And, I NEVER will be again! I can come into His presence anytime I like, climb up on His lap and talk to Him with all the confidence and boldness a 4 year old talks to his dad. When I pray, I know my Dad can do anything….and He wants to! I can talk to Him often enough and long enough to learn what His heart is on anything. And, if I know His heart, I don’t need to pray soft prayers requesting it. I can declare it to be so. I can speak and pray confidently because He’s my Dad and He’s already told this is what He wants. I’m simply repeating it in the form of a prayer.

So, which kind of son are you?