Welcome my friend! I’m truly delighted you have joined me here today! We are going to have such a lovely time together over a cuppa.
We are sitting in the warmth of my living room on this cold winter’s day here in Australia with mugs of Creme Brulee tea & freshly baked gf Apple cinnamon muffins.
Now we are comfy, sipping this delightful tea blend & enjoying our muffins we’ll begin…
The Burden
Did you know that just about every person on this planet, at some point in their lives have prayed!
Especially when a situation is far beyond their ability to intervene, realizing they’re way out of their depth & in need of divine help in the situation. A prayer is uttered.
As the following true story highlights…
Many years ago my now late father-in-law John, shared just such a situation that he’d experienced during his military service in WWII.
He was a young British RAF Aircraft Engineer at the time, serving in the North African campaign, working in maintenance & flight duties on the British bombers.
On this particular evening, it was his turn to be a part of the flight crew for a reconnaissance mission.
While flying, the aircraft came under heavy enemy fire which turned the dusky blue sky to a brilliant orange.
Suddenly, they sustained a direct hit, the aircraft instantly went into a nose dive plummeting towards the earth.
Facing imminent death John had called out to God, whom he remembered from his Sunday School days, asking Him to save them from crashing to the ground.
God miraculously answered his cry for help, the crew were all saved from that horrific situation!
However, John also shared that he felt much shame & guilt when he remembered that prayer. As he had not kept his side of his bargain with God.
You see John had made a promise to God in the moments of that urgent prayer. And because John hadn’t kept his side of that promise, he thought God would not accept or forgive him.
This brings us to some interesting human behavior, bargaining with God in a crisis.
What is prayer?
Prayer in its most simplest form is communicating with God. However, this is a little simplistic in its explanation, as prayer incorporates so much more!
Let’s make this personal…
As a little girl I was taught to pray set prayers that were used by the denomination in which I was raised. I knew all of these prayers by rote & can still say them at a moments notice.
But in my early teens I realized that while these set prayers have their place, I could actually just have a chat with my heavenly Father, as I did with my Dad!
Bringing all my concerns, worries & at that time my naive teenage wants to Him each night in a simple chat (prayer), as teen girls do.
However, as a young woman in my twenties, I came into a deeper relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, which I share Here .
This brought deep revelation into all areas of my life, especially in the area of prayer.
For I came to realize that in this new relationship with God through Jesus, my prayer life was so much richer in the truth of what prayer actually is with the Father.
For His Holy Spirit had now entered my life, He was now not only teaching me the truth of God’s Word but also empowering my prayer life aligning it with God’s will for my life.
“So too the Holy Spirit comes to our aid & bears us up… for we don’t know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it as we ought, but the Spirit Himself pleads on our behalf…because the Spirit intercedes before God…in harmony with God’s will.”
Romans 8:26 & 27 Refer 2
The Reality of Prayer
We are told in God’s Word (the Bible) that prayer is not just a way of communication with God but an important part of Christ’s relationship with God the Father & us through His Spirit.
“For there is one God & one mediator between God & man, His Son, Jesus Christ”
1 Timothy 2: 5
This is a wonderful revelation, that Jesus Christ Himself is our mediator, so even if our chat (prayer) with God isn’t eloquent or we don’t know what to say, it’s totally okay as the His Spirit works on our behalf!
This brings us back to bargaining prayers that are uttered in crises.
Do we need to bargain with God?
As we have seen above Jesus is the only mediator between us & God.
Which means that Jesus’ life, death on the cross, raising from death & ascending into heaven were wholly accepted by God the Father, as a once & for all payment for mankind’s fall from grace in the garden.
So in this knowledge, Jesus has already paid the price that caused man’s broken relationship with God.
Therefore there is nothing we have, can do or promise that can be used as a bargaining chip with God, my friend.
Jesus covered it once & for all through His sacrifice on the cross.
The main desire God has for us, is to accept & acknowledge His Son’s redeeming work & our need of His salvation, personally.
How do we pray then?
While He walked this earth Jesus left us many examples of how to pray. He was in constant communication with God, the Father.
The most famous prayer is when His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. This is what He taught them, its known as the Lord’s prayer or the Our Father;
“Our Father, who is in heaven, glory be your name. Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread & forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power & the glory forever.”
Matthew 6:9 (paraphrased)
It holds some great wisdom for us when we pray or as I like to call it my daily chat (prayer time) with my Heavenly Father.
Freedom from guilt & shame
John & I were able to have a very open & honest discussion that day about God’s love, acceptance & forgiveness for John. Regardless of John’s ability to keep his side of the bargaining prayer or not.
You will be pleased to know that six months after that discussion, while with a friend who was a minister & also a WWII veteran, John prayed another prayer.
This time to know God’s love & forgiveness personally, accepting God’s Son, Jesus Christ’s work of Redemption for himself.
John was truly a changed man, he enjoyed such wondrous peace of mind when his burden of guilt & shame was lifted by seeing God’s amazing love & grace for him.
Do you have a burden that’s weighing your heart down, my friend?
God’s door is always open, He hears every prayer that is directed towards Him & there’s no need for bargaining.
Until next time,
Jennifer
You’re welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
Or in Prayer
© 2020 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog, All Rights Reserved. Photos by Johannes Plenio & Garon Piceli on Pexels.com
Tea With Jennifer 
Thank you, Jennifer for this post on prayer and the reminder that God has forgiven all of our guilt and shame. I know I often forget the power of prayer!
You’re most welcome Donna. Lovely having you join me in a cuppa today sweet friend ☺️
A great post on prayer. I’ve been writing about the disciplines myself. THanks for coming by and sharing your link on the LEgacy Linnkup.
Thank you Mandy! I’m glad you enjoyed our cuppa together 😀
Our God is merciful. Amen.
That He is Susan! 😀
Jennifer, hi! I just baked some blueberry muffins … would love to bring some next time we chat! Meanwhile, thank God for release from guilt and shame, such a tool of the enemy to drag us down and render us useless.
So grateful for the freedom and forgiveness Jesus has given us!
Bless you.
Yum, they sound delicious Linda! Definitely bring them next time there’s room on the table 😀
Amen to His love & grace! Blessings to you!
My father was a young second lieutenant attached to a British Army unit in North Africa during the first part of WWII. Although I have seen photos of him from this time, he never talked about it to me. Now I wish I had asked him to open up a little bit more.
I especially loved this line form your post, Jennifer: “Therefore there is nothing we have, can do or promise that can be used as a bargaining chip with God, my friend.” I am so glad you could relieve your dear father-in-law of the burden of guilt and shame he had been carrying.
That’s so interesting about your Dad, Laurie!
I’m glad that John came to know God’s peace & freedom that comes from a relationship with Jesus before he left this earth too! 😀
Jennifer,
Beautiful post. I think all of us, at one time or another, have promised something to God in exchange for a blessing. Thankfully God is mindful of our frame and knows that we are but dust. I am so thankful that I can chat with my Abba and when my prayers are so painful that they only come out as groans, the Holy Spirit intercedes for me. And, Jesus, He is always going to the Father on my behalf. Truly, what a friend I have in Jesus!
Blessings,
Bev xx
Thank you Bev! Amen, what a friend we have in Jesus! 😀
What good words, Jennifer, and on a topic that is not often mentioned or written about. It offers the grace path needed by more than John to relieve the guilt and shame of such a prayer. (The photo was stunning! Did you take it?)
I hope you are navigating the winter and virus safely. It is such a strange season all around the globe.
God’s blessings be multiplied to you for your faithfulness to Him and to spread His word and truth!
In Him,
Pam
Thank you Pam, it’s a topic I have come across with quite a few people actually.
Unfortunately I cannot take credit for the stunning photo which I found on Pexels.com by Johannes whom I credited at the bottom of my post 🙂
It’s been a colder winter this year here on the east coast but we are keeping warm & being careful in these CoVid times.
How are you & your family fairing with the health conditions that have arisen in recent times?
Blessings to you my friend, 😀
You’re welcome!
Thanks! I didn’t get that note at the bottom of the post on the source of the pic.
Grateful for warm fires and hot cuppas and the Lord covering you and yours.
I am well, thanks, and my husband is recovering on track from both surgeries according to his doctors. This next week he has a follow-up that he hopes will allow him to resume all normal activity. Our son starts Round 3 of chemo and a second spinal tap and infusion on Monday, but was encouraged when the ENT met with him on Friday and said he could not see any evidence of the tumor. His ability to see totally is limited, but a scan is scheduled between rounds 3 and 4 and that should give more specific information on it. The treatment is brutal as you know, but our son has tried to be steady in his faith throughout. The worst thing is the intense throbbing headaches that come from the spinal tap and and infusion and he will face two more of those after Monday. (Each round is 3 weeks apart. The first 2 weeks are hard, but the third week is a recovery week where he feels better and most side effects are gone or less severe.
Thanks for asking.
God’s best to you!💝
Oh Pam, my heart aches for you having to see your son go through so much. It is a grueling regime of treatments but does have some amazing results.
I will continue to uphold you & your family in prayer. May God’s comforting arms surround & strengthen you all at this time. Blessings dear friend ♥
Dearest Jennifer, thank you for sharing about prayer. Prayer is so important in the life of a follower of Jesus. I have heard so many stories of people bargaining with God in times of great trouble. I am thankful to hear that your father-in-law accepted the gift of grace that always changes a life. Your post today is so encouraging. Blessings dear friend ♥️
Thank you Pam, prayer indeed is such an important aspect of our lives.
Yes, John is enjoying heaven now with Jesus, how wondrous that is! Blessings to you sweet friend ♥
…your sky image is amazing! My father was on Guam during the WWII and he NEVER talked about it and we knew not to ask about it. I can only imagine what it must have been like.
Yes, many men didn’t want to relive the horrors that they had witnessed Tom, separating & protecting their families from that time was their only coping mechanism.
Many men also had undiagnosed, what we call PTSD today, so to shut the door on their horrific experiences was also a coping mechanism for them.
John shared some of his horrific experiences of that time which I didn’t share above, as they were just too graphic for this platform & very sad indeed.
Lovely having you drop by today 😀