Daily Devotions
Glorify Thy Name
Title: Glorify Thy Name
Reading for December 8: Galatians 4-6
Weekly reading for December 2-8: John 11-15
"Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name."
John 12:27-28
One of the primary mistakes we make in prayer is to think that the goal of prayer is comfort and convenience. It's not necessarily wrong to pray for comfort or convenience, but we've missed the point of prayer if we think that is the chief end.
I remember Ben Hall preaching one time on Acts 12 and those disciples who were gathered in Mary's house praying for Peter who was in prison. Herod had beheaded James and had arrested Peter with the intention to execute him. An angel helps Peter escape and when Peter goes to Mary's house a servant girl name Rhoda comes to the door and in her joy leaves Peter at the door to go and inform the others that he is there. They assume that she is mistaken and that she has merely seen his angel. I remember Ben saying that it is at this point that we make fun of those disciples praying for Peter because we assume they were praying for Peter to be released. "Isn't it ironic," we say, "that they were praying for something and yet they didn't even believe it when God answered their prayer."
Ben suggested we might be missing something. What if they weren't praying for Peter to be released? What if the primary prayer was something closer to what the disciples prayed in Acts 4 after they experienced the first taste of real persecution: "Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness." (v 29)
What if their priorities in prayer were completely different than our priorities? What if instead of being devoted to Peter's comfort or convenience or for their own safety and security, they were actually following the Lord's example of prayer here in John chapter twelve by simply praying, "Father, glorify your name?"
Father, we do not merely ask for lives of ease or abundance. We pray for whatever it must be for your name to be magnified. Glorify your name!
