...If it is your will.

Jesus never concluded a prayer for others with the phrase "...if it is your will." At least that is what Dallas Willard says in Celebration of Discipline. I havn't actually fact checked that one - but I'm going to accept it at face value for now... it is a pretty well respected and widely read book.

For some reason that really surprised me and captured my attention today. Prayer is such a mysterious thing. I feel very dichotomous if I think about it, because I know through both accumulated knowledge and experience that God answers prayers. I know the theological truth in my head, I've experienced it first-hand, and I've heard too many other personal stories to count. Yet still, so often, I pray with this "if" mindset, if not the exact words. He goes on to explain that using such a phrase is completely appropriate when seeking God's will in our own lives - and Jesus did the same. But when praying for someone else, it is so easy to approach it with uncertainty. It is a thought provoking reminder to consciously consider how I am praying.