March 9

“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered. — Matt 20:22 BSB

The two brothers asked a foolish prayer. They didn’t understand what they were asking for. We know now that two criminals would one day be placed on either side of Jesus. Often, we pray for things without realizing the true cost of what we are asking.

There’s an ancient story of a man who asked for the gift of immortality, and the Fates granted his request. But he had forgotten to ask that his youth, health, and strength would last forever too. So, as the years went on, he grew old and weak, and life became a burden. He couldn’t die, but neither could he truly live. He had asked for something he wasn’t prepared to handle and had to live with the consequences.

In our prayers, we often seek things we wouldn’t dare ask for if we knew what they would cost in pain, tears, and loss. The wiser approach to prayer is to trust God to choose for us and give us what He knows is best in the way that He sees fit.