Please note, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is rated PG-13. At the start of Wakanda Forever, Shuri prays Bast, the panther god: Please allow me to heal my brother of this illness and I will never question your existence again. Bargaining, particularly over the life of a loved one, is fairly common when it comes to prayer. Asking for something and promising something back is tempting to do. This is true even with some negative examples of doing so in Scripture. This is because when we love someone, it is hard to let them go. The difficulty with prayer, particularly bargaining prayer, is that God sometimes says no. Such is the case with Shuri here. I doubt there are many who have never experienced God’s reply of “no” to a request. Jesus gives us a great example of how to pray in these dire situations. When Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane, He knows His death is coming. He even prays to the Father, more than once, that He “take this cup away.” Yet Jesus also adds “not as I will, but as You will.” Even at the point of His own death, Jesus is willing to put aside His own wants for the Father’s. Even as He faces one of the worst deaths possible, Jesus lets the Father know He is okay if the answer He receives is “no.” It’s okay for us to ask things of God. It’s even okay to ask for things we know we won’t receive. Jesus shows us that. Like Jesus, though, we have to be willing to accept God’s answer, even if it is not the one we want to hear. Being willing to hear God’s “no” helps us slow align our will with the Lord’s. It also accepts that there are things occurring that we might not be aware of. Shuri learns more about her brother T’Challa’s illness and T’Challa’s own response as the movie continues. She also learns more about what her path forward needs to be. Praying as Shuri does shows a great deal of love, which is a good thing. We may find ourselves praying the same way from time to time. When you do, don’t forget that Jesus once prayed in hope that His own suffering would be removed. Don’t forget too that even in this time of darkness, Jesus turned His will over to the Father’s, and we are called to follow in His footsteps. Disclaimer: unless otherwise stated, the majority of images produced here are not owned or created by me. Commenting is encouraged. Please use discretion leaving comments below, letting the love of God guide you.
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The Rev. Trey KennedyHere is my take on how Superheroes and other characters can help us know God better. Categories
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