The request of the sons of Zebedee regarding sitting on either side of Jesus, carnal as it may seem, brings up an important aspect of prayer that is often overlooked; that is, responsibility. More than most people think, prayer will often place a demand on you. If you pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”, you must be ready to work in order to get answer to your prayer. In our text, Jesus implied that what the two brothers were seeking would entail a responsibility, a costly one at that. Praying to sit on either side of the throne would at the very least cost them their lives. So prayer is not a proposition for a lazy man.

“Once you know what God wants you to do, your next prayer should be the courage and wisdom to follow through.”

Not all prayer is in the mode of “give me” or making a long list of what God should do for us. Prayer that absolves one of all duties will fail the test of praying responsibly. Some of the most important prayers would be asking God to open your eyes to truth previously unknown and to show what He would have you do. Saul prayed that way on the way to Damascus and that gave birth to missionary endeavours that greatly impacted the kingdom of God. Nothing wastes time more than praying God to do what He already earmarked for you to do. Once you know what God wants you to do, your next prayer should be the courage and wisdom to follow through.