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Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Matthew 26:51-54 (CSB): “At that moment one of those with Jesus reached out his hand and drew his sword. He struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his ear. Then Jesus told him, ‘Put your sword back in its place because all who take up the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will provide me here and now with more than twelve legions of angels? How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?’”
Reflecting on God’s Word
Our adrenaline levels would have spiked if we were with Jesus in the moment recounted in our Verses for Today. We had been in the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus as He prayed for about two hours. It was quiet and peaceful, so much so that we may have joined the others in falling to sleep.
But then we were awakened in a moment. A crowd with torches had entered the Garden. As we wiped our eyes, trying to wake ourselves up quickly, we recognized Judas and wondered what he was doing. We saw the garb of the other folks and realized the mob was made up of religious leaders and guards from the Temple.
Tension was building as we came to realize what the crowd was up to. They had come for Jesus and might even have intentions of killing Him. Peter took out his dagger and swung at the guy who happened to be closest to him. While Peter was a master fisherman, he wasn’t good at swinging a blade because he merely took the ear off the Temple guard. You should have heard him yell out in pain!
This gathering was about to blow sky-high. Many people were about to get hurt. And that’s when Jesus spoke into the situation.
Matthew 26:52 (CSB): “Then Jesus told him, ‘Put your sword back in its place because all who take up the sword will perish by the sword.’”
What was Jesus saying? Simply put, if we respond to a threat with a weapon and violence, then we have escalated the situation. Further, we should expect those threatening us to pull out the same weapons. People are going to get hurt, maybe even killed, if we escalate it.
There is certainly a justification for using weapons against real threats. But Jesus’ principle still stands. If we pull out a weapon, we have escalated the situation.
So, what is a Christian to do? What were those disciples to do? A clear threat was before them, and Jesus instructed Peter to put his weapon away. Were they simply to sit back and take it? Hardly! Jesus said that in that situation, and in our situations, prayer is the answer.
Matthew 26:53 (CSB): “Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will provide me here and now with more than twelve legions of angels?”
Jesus said that Peter’s sword was completely uncalled for in that particular situation. Protection could come in response, not to a dagger, but prayer. Jesus said He could have prayed, and God would sent 60,000 – 70,000 angels to protect Him.
If our response to what Jesus said is doubt about whether prayer works, it’s not prayer that is called into question. It is our view of prayer. So many Christians have such a low view of prayer. They don’t get their prayers answered because they don’t comply with prayer principles laid out in Scripture. And when their prayers go unanswered, they assume that prayer doesn’t work. Clearly, Jesus believed that it did.
Getting back to Jesus’ words in Matthew 26, we realize that sometimes it is not God’s will to protect us from threats. Sometimes, it is His will that we experience tragedy. Simply put, if Jesus didn’t go to the cross and experience the horrors of that incident, we would have no hope of salvation. The vicarious death of Jesus was always the plan outlined in Scripture.
Matthew 26:54 (CSB): “How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”
Friend, prayer works! Dig into God’s Word to find out what principles you must comply with in order to get your prayers heard and answered. And then fight on your knees. But realize that sometimes, it is not God’s will to protect us from unpleasant things. But then pray as you go through that situation, asking the Lord to use those trials to whittle away at anything in You that does not bring Him glory. Let those trials make you more like Jesus.
Spend Time in Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to see prayer as You saw it there in the Garden. Help me to realize that when I comply with biblical prayer principles, it can sometimes be as powerful as a physical weapon. But also help me not to doubt your goodness and grace when life gets tough. You demonstrated that even when there is a cross to bear, God is still in control and working out His plan. I pray this in Your Name, Amen.
Going Deeper
If you want to go deeper, check out this article by Got Questions: “What is the key to effective prayer?”
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com).
Matt’s Musings 