Today in our series from the book of Hebrews that we are calling HeBrews: A Better Blend, I want us to look at one particular verse that hit me full on as if someone had punched me in the gut. God’s Word is like that, you know. You can read a verse that you have read a jillion times before and suddenly be struck afresh with a truth you never saw. So it was with Hebrews 5: 7. Let’s take a gander at it. (You’d have to be southern to understand that ‘taking a gander’ is the same thing as taking a look.
HeBrews: A Better Blend
Here is Hebrews 5: 7 from the NIV:
“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”
Did you see that? There is some mighty powerful theology in that one verse. Let’s see how many theological truths we can list:
- Prayer is communication with God.
- God hears our prayers.
- God is able to answer our prayers.
- Humility and submission on the part of the pray-er enables prayers to be heard.
- God does not always answer prayer in the way we think is best.
- Even when our prayers are not answered the way we think is best or the way we like, we need to bend our knee to that and not throw a screaming fit.
- Not every request, no matter how good or right it seems to us, is in God’s plan.
- God does not mind if we ask for Him to move in certain ways.
- We must be willing to bend our knee to God’s ‘no’ answer.
- When God’s answer is ‘no’, we can be sure He has a better ‘Yes’ somewhere down the road. Every time! Every time! Every time!!
