Prayer Time – To Remove or To Redeem?
Whenever I learn of a difficult new diagnosis, or encounter the pain of heavy loss, or unforeseen trouble or suffering, my first instinct is to ask God to make the tough circumstances go away. “God, please remove the cancer/suffering/pain…” I’m not apologizing for praying this way - Jesus indeed is the healer of our every ill - but I do recognize that my “God remove this” prayers are largely motivated by my impatient flesh that simply wants the tough stuff to go away. If you know anything about the stages of grief (the process of working through loss and suffering), the early stages are often characterized by denial and anger. Wouldn’t it be great if our faith and prayer life offered an easy escape route from all of that? Or would it?
If God immediately removed any cause of pain and suffering the moment a few genuine prayers hit the throne room of heaven, I would become a total spiritual laggard. I shudder to think what would happen to the fragile virtues of perseverance and spiritual fortitude that I’m compelled to cultivate as I follow Jesus if God responded to prayers like a genie in a bottle. It’s a divine mercy that God doesn’t give every “Remove this, please!” prayer with an immediate, “Yes, my child.”
As I sit with a particular cause of pain and suffering for a while, my prayers typically migrate from “Please, God, remove this” to “Please, God, redeem this.” Praying for God to redeem a source of suffering gives the Lord unlimited latitude for how to lovingly respond.
So maybe the independent friend going through a harsh course of chemotherapy receives the grace of humility, and begins to accept kindness, help, and strength from others
Maybe the grieving spouse courageously decides to share their life and times with children and neighbors and discovers a warmth that had previously eluded them.
Maybe the person who was surprisingly downsized from a great job discovers a new way forward, or a surprising door opens at just the right time after months of frustration.
I’ve seen God recycle and redeem pain in all these ways and dozens more. God is so creative! And sometimes I’ve seen God remove an illness or injustice with divine strength and immediacy. So, it’s good to pray for both. And I believe it to be wise, especially over time, to lean into the “Please, God, redeem this” kind of prayer.
When he came to earth, Jesus never promised to eliminate suffering. He came to redeem it. And just as his own life, death, and resurrection took time to unfold, so typically does our redemption. And though it may take a season or even a lifetime, He will make our paths straight. He will heal every ill. He will mend every tear. Reconcile every brokenness. Cure every cancer. Recycle every bit of sinful garbage there’s ever been. In short, he will redeem.
This Sunday in worship, we will be invited to Jesus’ table, the table of redemption. It’s no ordinary meal; it’s the food and drink that signal that God can turn ultimate suffering into the ultimate salvation. I hope to meet you there!
– Pastor Gregg