The God Who Prayed

based on Hebrews 5:7

Lent 5 – April 6, 2003

Pastor Richard Mau

Immanuel Lutheran – Des Plaines, Illinois

Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, our rock and our Redeemer. [Psalm 19:14, adapted]

Hebrews 5:7 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.

Christians pray to God. You and I pray to God. Many people pray to God. We call on God’s name, the one and only Triune God at the beginning of our services. Today is a baptism in which Jesus commands us to baptize in the name of the one and only Triune God. That is God who made us, God who redeemed us, and God who sanctifies us by making us holy again through the blood of Jesus. There is no other God but this Triune God. He is the only God who hears and answers prayer that is given in Jesus’ name.

Recently we have spent quite a bit of our prayer efforts praying for peace. When our nation’s leaders began threatening a war for peace, we prayed for peace. Now that we are actually fighting that war, we continue to pray for peace and for the success and safety of the soldiers committed in that war. We wish that the conflict would be settled without war.

But conflict exists with or without war. Conflict is an absence of peace. So when we pray for peace, we pray for peace in Iraq. We pray for peace in our nation’s relations with other sovereign nations. We pray for peace within the political factions of our own nation. We pray for peace within the state and our local disagreements that occur in voting assemblies and in caucus rooms. We pray for peace on our streets whether it be the overly aggressive driver or the threat of assault. We pray for peace in our congregation when we disagree. We pray for peace with our neighbors over the crudest of offenses given and over the slightest of things. We pray for peace in our families. We pray for peace in individual hearts that are troubled with the guilt of sin. Those are hearts that long for forgiveness and to be made one in reconciliation with God again.

Praying for peace is not new. Hezekiah was in fear of the Babylonians and worried about peace in Israel during his lifetime. "Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?" [2 Kings 20:19b] Jehoshaphat prayed for peace as he prayed for God to deliver Judah from the overwhelming enemy forces of Ammon and Moab. “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." [2 Chronicles 20:12] His men then led the army into battle saying, "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever." [v. 19b] They then found that God had delivered them by the enemies annihilating each other leaving the plunder now belonged to them. There was peace again in Judah.

In Psalm 122 that begins, I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD." [v. 1] there is a prayer for peace in Jerusalem. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.’ For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’ [v. 6-8]

In the late 1520’s, the armies of the Turks threatened Western Europe. Martin Luther wrote a plainsong hymn prayer for peace in that troubled part of the world. Please turn to hymn 219 in Lutheran Worship for that prayer for peace. It is a prayer that we can certainly use today and we will. Please follow this simple prayer as it is sung. Then we will all join in praying it together.

Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord;

Peace in our time, oh send us!

For there is none on earth but you,

None other to defend us.

You only, Lord, can fight for us. Amen.

Key phrases in this prayer are, “For there is none on earth but you,” and, “You only, Lord, can fight for us.” In this simple prayer is a complete recognition that it is our Lord alone who rules over all things on this earth. There is a complete recognition that it is our Lord alone who can fight for us. There is a complete reversal from trusting in our own wills and powers to recognition and submission to God’s will and almighty power.

In the Gradual, the verse we have read each Sunday during Lent, we pray God’s words to us from Hebrews, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”

So many times in our prayers instead of fixing our eyes on Jesus, we fix our eyes on ourselves. We plead to God for specifics that we want and on our terms. We as a people demandingly sing that, “God Bless America,” as we gather in the temples of large arena’s to cheer a favorite team or performer. We forget that all things in our nation, its physical resources and cherished blessings of our freedoms are gifts of God that he has graciously given us and entrusted to us as his stewards of these gifts to use for the welfare of fellow people and to his glory as our maker and redeemer. Jesus prayed that the work of his life glorify his heavenly Father. As we “fix our eyes on him,” is that our prayer in our lives too?

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus as he prays. The writer of Hebrews notes that Jesus, while in his state of humiliation here on earth, “prayed with loud cries and tears.” [v. 7] He states that Jesus was heard not because of his piety or of making a public exhibit of himself. He was heard because of his obedience to his father. He was heard because he did not pray selfishly, but as he taught us to pray, “God, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus prayed passionately that the peace he knew in heaven would be known here on earth as he sweated great drops within a few feet of sleeping disciples. Jesus prayed passionately that he none who would hear his name would ever be taken away by Satan’s forces. He prayed for you to remain in true faith and trust in God alone for this true peace, as it is God alone who does defend you and sends his angels to keep you from all evil, from all harm. [Psalm 91]

In today’s Gospel Jesus points to his upcoming suffering and death and that through it God the Father’s name would be glorified. [John 12:28] That is why Jesus was obedient to death, even the death of the cross so that you and I would today have heavenly peace, knowing sins are forgiven by God the Father whom we have sinned against, and that we have been reunited with God.

You and I and all of the finest armies of any time cannot defeat our greatest enemy, Satan and death. That is why we are here today. We are here today not to wave flags of earthly pride and glory, but to humbly rejoice in the God who loves you so much that he bought you back into his arms again with the life, suffering, death and resurrection of his one and only Son, Jesus Christ. That same Jesus sends us out to do what we are doing here today, teaching and baptizing.

As Star is baptized in the 11:00 service, she receives the gift of Jesus’ death in that the old Adam of original sin is daily destroyed in her life. She receives the gift of Jesus’ resurrection as a child of God who now can walk confidently each day of her life knowing that at the last day she will be taken up into heaven with him. Star and all others baptized in faith in Jesus know the peace that all sins are forgiven and are presented in Jesus’ righteousness at judgment. Star and all other baptized believers can rejoice that God has defended them from all evil and has restored them as his adopted children and heirs of his heavenly treasures.

Include in your prayers all of Immanuel’s boards and the congregation’s Council as they work to carry out the mission given this church, to preach to this community and the world the unsearchable riches of Christ. Pray that we do not fall back on selfish interests and self-serving traditions, but that this congregation boldly reaches out into a greatly unchurched community, nation and world to tell the love of Jesus, that he lived and died for all. Pray that God continue to defend us from all evil, and to fight for us through the power of his word to win all souls away from Satan. Let us pray as Jesus prayed for us. Amen.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen [Philippians 4:7]

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