What exactly did He do concerning the cup? He spoke the way He felt (in His human nature), but He immediately gave it all to Father's will. Obedience, FK, unquestionable obedience from the bottom of one's heart, is the true prayer: giving yourself completely to God, no matter what.
The way I look at it is that God invented the sense of humor
I don't remember reading that in any of the Scriptures (including Apocrypha). Maybe you have verses you can share?
While I "lose" on the first prayer, I think it still could have been made with good intent.
No, it wasn't because you wanted God to give you that job rather than saying "Whatever your will is, Lord, I accept." Back to the cup...
All you say is right, but what did Jesus actually say? :
Luke 22:42 : "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
To me, this sounds like a perfectly good supplication from a true believer :), with the appropriate attitude attached. Jesus was asking for something. I don't see why any good Christian, regardless of maturity, shouldn't copy this style all the time.
FK: "The way I look at it is that God invented the sense of humor."
I don't remember reading that in any of the Scriptures (including Apocrypha). Maybe you have verses you can share?
Absolutely. :) We can start with Gen. 1:27: God created man in His own image. Humans have a sense of humor (and it is possibly used for good), therefore so must God. Now, there is much humor that is unGodly, but there is also Godly humor. Here is an example:
1 Sam 5:1-5 : 1 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then they carried the ark into Dagon's temple and set it beside Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. 5 That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon's temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.
With the mind-picture, this has me howling with laughter. :) To these idolaters, this was a total "IN YOUR FACE" by God. :) But, my most favorite example of true Biblical humor is when Elijah has a "God-off" : :)
1 Kings 18:20-39 : 20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing. 22 Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the Lord's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire — he is God." Then all the people said, "What you say is good."
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire." 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel." 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood."
34 "Do it again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. 36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The Lord-he is God! The Lord-he is God!"
Sorry for the length, but I had to show that God was in on it the whole way. God approved of the "God-off" because He participated in it. I still laugh out loud when I think of Elijah watching those morons dancing all around, trying to get Baal "motivated", or whatever. The inspiration for the whole scene came directly from God. :) Of course a sobering truth came out at the end, praise the Lord, and God did use humor along the way.