Passion of Presumption?

I like to hear passionate prayers that originate from the heart and are delivered on the wings of faith to the almighty ear of God. While spending time with a sweet family this week, I have been uttering a steady stream of prayers, petitioning for the Lord’s mercy and help. I stopped myself short last evening as I was praying in the Spirit, because my prayers seemed strong, almost to the point of expecting God to move in the manner that I requested. Had I crossed the line that separates passionate prayer and presumptive prayer? Had I insulted the Lord with my strong prayer for healing and deliverance?

My petition gave way to a time of meditation as I considered the prayers of Jesus in the Garden. He passionately prayed in the moments before his betrayal and arrest. His prayers were characterized in the Gospel of Luke as being earnest to the point of agony, so much so that an angel came to minister to our Lord in the throes of His prayer. The transfer of our sin debt to Jesus, in the cup that could not be taken away, was an agonizing aspect of the Father’s plan for mankind’s redemption.

I was emboldened by our Lord’s example to prayer earnestly and passionately, never against the Father’s will, but never in passionless platitudes that belie our supposed faith. May we all go to the Father attuned to the Spirit’s leadership and ready to battle toward the Father’s will. May we dispense with our smooth knees and weak faith as we cling to the hem of His robe until He blesses us according to our heart’s desire or dislocates our petition to align with His will (See Genesis 32:22-32).