Before I start into this topic, I must first give credit to Family Life Today, a radio show broadcast each evening on my local Christian radio station, wihsradio.org.  On the show, Paul Miller, the former director of World Harvest Mission, voiced the phrase, “ask boldly, surrender completely”, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

So what is so profound about this thought – to ask boldly, surrender completely?

Having heard countless sermons, read books like Prayer: Does it Make Any Difference?, listened to people pray, listened to pastor’s pray, formulated my own thoughts on prayer, prayed for others…in all of this time, I have never put these two ideas together in one sentence!

The “ask boldly” camp – those who pray for best outcomes and appealing circumstances – have always seemed zealous and assertive in applying their faith in a loving God.

Truly, a God who loves us has our best interest at heart, and that means that I receive the promotion, get healed from my sickness, am restored to my spouse.  God will keep my child from failing second grade, protect my finances from a stock market crash, and keep me and my family healthy and out of harm’s way. This is faith.

I like the “ask boldly” people.  I like their innocence, their trust, their childlike dependence upon our heavenly Father.  I like their emphasis on promises like “no weapon formed against you will prosper”, “God will supply all of your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus”, and “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  Because, all of these promises are true – and scriptural.  Faith often defies circumstances.  It is true that God invites us to

...draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  Hebrews 4:16 NASB

The other, potentially opposing camp, is made up of the “surrender completely” brothers and sisters.  These dear folks pray, but make sure they tack on “if it is God’s will” to the end of every prayer.  Don’t get too specific with God.

Also grounded in the prayer the Lord taught us, which definitely contains the words “Thy will be done”, those in the ‘surrender camp’ do not claim to know what the exact will of God is.  The thoughts behind the prayers coming from this camp are something like:

Any outcome is possible, for God will turn even bad outcomes into good, in his higher plan.  So leave it all up to God and don’t try to pray something that He might not bless.

I do admire these people for recognizing the absolute lordship and sovereignty of God and possessing a deep humility, by bowing to a will that is higher than theirs.  For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. What could be more scriptural?

Of course I have to ask myself, which camp do I belong to.  And, honestly, I find myself, like in my politics, swinging back and forth.  I recently had my cat in an overnight, emergency vet facility with the hope and prayer that the veterinarians and technicians at the facility would be able to save her.  I knew she had a thread of hope to live, and prayed throughout the night that Callie would survive her toxic ingestion of tylenol.

In the back of my mind, I knew that God might have another plan, other than saving her… but nevertheless, I asked for one thing, and one thing only.

A revived cat to pick up the next day!  But when I got the dreaded call, and was told she had passed away during the night, I was able to say with sadness that it was God’s will that was accomplished.

That is the tension that turns many away from the claims of Christianity. It does sound contradictory.

If I really thought about it, how could it be God’s will that my cat dies, the complete opposite of what I had prayed for?

That is why I think that having these two ideas, ask boldly, surrender completely, side by side is so amazing.  In relation to biblical prayer these two thoughts, however opposite-sounding, do work.  Jesus prayed,  “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” Mark 14:36 NASB

Jesus modeled it in one of his last prayers before his death.  In essence, Jesus is saying, “I don’t want to do this! Take this mission away from me, Father.”  Yet, in the same breath, Jesus surrenders to His Father’s higher will as more important than what He earnestly desires and thinks. It sounds like asking boldly, surrendering completely to me (and to Paul Miller). How about you?