The Struggle is Real . . . So is the Answer.

Scripture: Luke 22:45-46 "When [Jesus] rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, he found them sleeping from sorrow. then he said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."

Observations:
There are several observations I see in this passage. Prayer is indispensable. Prayer protects. The apostles and Jesus were united in heart ache. Prayer is supreme. Sorrow is dangerous. All these concepts are buried in the passage of Luke 22:31-46.

Luke describes an emotional roller coaster in Chapter 22. The excitement that any Jew would experience during preparation for the Passover was overshadowed by Jesus' affirmation that he would be rejected by the people. The joy of the Passover meal, which was based on God's salvation from the Egyptian captivity, was covered by the looming betrayal of one of Jesus' disciples--betrayal that Jesus knew would lead to his own death. John's description of this time period shows a closeness--an intimacy--with strands of fear and uncertainty woven into it. To make matters worse, Jesus (seemingly) changes his peace-loving tactics and says they should arm themselves for protection . . . more pending danger? We can see the sadness was overwhelming for the disciples, for Jesus, for all of them.

It is this context that Jesus uses to teach on the perils of the soul and the protection of prayer.

Twice Jesus warns them to pray. But why? He said, "so you don't fall into temptation." Wait. What? "Jesus, we're hurting. We're afraid. We're saddened to even think of you leaving and now you're even telling us you're going to die! We've given up everything to be with you; if you're gone, we have nothing--no where to go. And we love you. Why are you disregarding our pain with preaching on sin?"

Why, indeed?

Emotional distress and pain will come to all. And it's dangerous, Jesus says. The truth is in my sorrow often I'm tempted to abandon God. We've experienced time and time again that it's an opportunity to turn to a thousand things that promise to satisfy and comfort us, but, alas, satisfaction and comfort are the very things God desires to give us and, in fact, are the things that he alone can actually give. He is also the guard rail to keep us from careening over the cliff of selfishness into-self-pity. When I'm reminded I'm not in control of things--and consequently, that I can't truly protect what I hold dear--abandoning God is ultimately a sure path to a spiraling descent into mental suicide.


So, we should pray.

Imagine the deep gash I would inflict on my wife if in my pain I ran to another woman instead of her. That would be insanity. It is the same with God. He has jealousy over his children and his relationship with them. The question here usually is, "How is that okay?" But's it's not just "okay"; truly, it's a good thing! After all, he is the greatest good in the universe--the greatest comfort--the greatest satisfaction. If anything else becomes the salve for our wounds or the source of our joy, we are in fact settling for something far, far, far less good, comforting, or satisfying.

Finally, prayer is the dam stopping the flood of sins (and, indeed, they are sins) that result in making something else god or striving to control it all (trying to be God). So, it's not just a matter of exchanging the greatest Good for a lesser satisfaction. No, as Jesus warned, failing to seek God in our pain, loneliness, fear, or disappointment (or even all joys and happiness and successes) will cause us to sin each and every time. How can I say that so confidently? Doesn't that require an unsubstantiated judgment on everyone? I do not think so simply because it is in and of itself a sin--the sin of idolatry that replaces God with something we think will better meet our needs. If the first step of replacing God is a sin, then necessarily, without immediate repentance and returning to God, walking down that road will only lead us into more sin.


Application:
So, pray. Pray when we hurt. Pray when sorrow seems to be our most loyal friend. Pray when disappointment grips you like a jacked up wrestler. Pray when doubt trips you in full sprint. Pray when fear gathers an army to assault your dreams.

Why pray? Because God is stronger than all these emotions. Pray because God knows, feels, and understands your turmoil. Pray because God is a good Father who wants to hold you in his arms until the thundering storm fades into the distance. And pray because God is the the only one that can actually do anything about your "enemies."

Begin today--set a daily appointment. Make time on your schedule to thank him, ask him for help, pour out your heart to him, LISTEN to him, and tell him what he means to you. That last bit may seem pointless if in fact he already knows, but here is a thing we do not always realize--always our pleasure in a beautiful sunset of our favorite song is incomplete until we praise it--speak of it--tell someone about it. It is the same with praising God; our joy in him must be expressed if our joy is to be full.

Prayer: . . .