Quick Draw McGraw is a fictional anthropomorphic horse and the protagonist and title character of The Quick Draw McGraw Show. He’s a white horse, wearing a red cowboy hat, a red holster belt, and a light blue bandana. He was voiced by Daws Butler. All 45 of his cartoons that originally aired between 1959 and 1961 were written by Michael Maltese, known best for his work at the Warner Bros. cartoon studio. The cartoon was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1960.
Wikipedia
There’s no “Bank of Jesus”
Growing up, Quick Draw McGraw was a favorite of mine. He was a good guy horse. His “skill” was how fast he could draw his gun against the bad guys. How a horse’s hoof handled a firearm is one of the mysteries of the cartoon world.
Ol’ Quick Draw came to mind today as I was praying. Yep, some of my prayers take strange turns. Anyway, Quick Draw came to mind because I prayed in the name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit pulled me up short.
Was I praying the will of Jesus my Lord, or was I pulling His name out like Apple Pay on my iPhone; a quick swipe and the transaction is done. Ol’ Quick Draw would have been proud of me, but perhaps God was not.
The gift of Jesus’ Name
Jesus gave us the gift of His name. He said:
In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.
John 16:23
Notice that we are to ask the Father in the name of Jesus; Jesus has access to the Father, and if we are in Jesus, we can ask the Father directly. A human analogy would be like me buying a grande latte and paying with a bank card instead of calling my banker and asking her to contact the coffee shop to vouch for my payment. This gift from Jesus is astonishing.
When you or I whip out a bank card or smartphone to pay for something, do we stop and consider our banker? Our bank? No. But when we do a “Quick Draw” with the name of Jesus, we need to stop, take a breath, and consider what we’re asking and what Christ’s reaction will be when we close our prayer with an “in Jesus name. Amen.”
Practicing reverence
Being a quick draw with God’s Word is commendable; being a quick draw with the name of Jesus, not so much. Let’s practice reverence in all things that touch God, and all things touch God.
Photo by Dusty Barnes on Unsplash
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