Tug-of-war Prayer

Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, “Father, save me from this hour”? But this is the very reason I came! Father, bring glory to your name.

John 12:27–28 nlt

Pause

Living at a year-round Christian camp provided opportunity to watch children play a variety of games. Tug-of-war was a classic. Back and forth, back and forth the teams pulled until the stronger won.

Have you ever played spiritual tug-of-war? It happens when our desires pull in opposite directions. Even Jesus dealt with it. Understandably, he wanted to avoid the suffering that awaited him. He considered praying that God would save him from it. At the same time, he knew that suffering was his purpose for coming, so he prayed instead that it would bring glory to God’s name.

Jesus understands when we feel pulled in two directions. We want our crisis to end because suffering hurts. At the same time, we want God’s will to be done even if that means our pain continues. We’ll always be on the winning team if we pray for God to be honored.

Ponder

How might your thoughts in this situation be playing tug-of-war with God?

Pray

Father, grant me a heart that desires your glory above all else.