It's hard for us to imagine Jesus struggling in prayer, but that's exactly what we see him doing in the Garden of Gethsemane as he faces the cross. It's an amazing scene. First of all, Jesus doesn't want to be alone. He asks his three closest disciples to join him in prayer that fateful night. And he shows his obvious disappointment when they fall asleep.

But even more striking is the fact that Jesus prays that he will not receive something from the Father. Though he has predicted it a number of times, he now shrinks in fear from the prospect of the cross ahead. It's not just the pain and ridicule, but that he knows that he will bear the guilt of all human sin. "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me" (Matt. 26:39).

Note two things about this prayer. Jesus prays, "If it is possible." The only reason to say these words is because he senses it is not possible. Yet, he prays it anyway. There is an utter honesty to Jesus' prayer. He holds nothing back from the Father. The second thing is that, no matter what he wants, what matters most is what the Father wants. "Yet, not as I will, but as you will" (v. 39). And this struggle goes on for what may have been hours. Jesus persists, and Jesus surrenders.

We find something of the same struggle in the apostle Paul. He struggles with what he calls a "thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan" (2 Cor. 12:7). We have no idea what this was, but it was physically or spiritually painful, and Paul wanted release. Three times he asked that it be removed, and three times he sensed that the answer was no. Finally, Paul says that the Lord spoke to him. It may have been in a vision or dream, or it may have been an insight given by the Holy Spirit. Paul sums up the Lord's response in these words: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (v. 9).

It's not that Paul's prayer was faulty or wrong any more than Jesus' prayer. It's that sometimes our immediate desires are in conflict with God's plans. It's not the time or place; or it's for our own good or the good of others. We don't always know the reason. But we do know this: God hears our prayers and God is good. With that in mind, we can rest assured that God will answer our deepest prayer: to be with him and in his perfect will.

Psalm 13 is an example of the kind of honesty we often see in the Psalms. "How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?" While Jesus is ready to defer to the Father's will, and Paul sees that his weakness can be used for God's glory, the Psalmist will have none of that. Over and over he asks, "How long, how long?" He's not ready to surrender to God's will, or to find a larger purpose. He wants an answer.

This prayer too, is honored in Scripture. If we don't think God is playing fair, or feel that God isn't listening, the counsel of the Bible is to let God know. God can take it. The worst thing is not to tell God exactly what we feel, even if it's anger and doubt. Prayer is a "no-holds-barred" exercise in faith.