In any case, this dear friend said, during the conversation, "Jesus was not a quitter."

And my response was, "No, He was not. He also did not do many things others wanted Him to, because he was very clear about what His purpose was."

Later, I was tempted to go through a shoulda coulda woulda with myself, about my response. I did not wait more than a few seconds before speaking it. Whether it was Spirit led is debatable (but let's not, for now, okay?). It almost seemed to come out of nowhere. I don't recall having considered this much, in these terms, before, although I am sure I have read, heard, or thought about His choices of what to do and what not to do. Certainly in this instance, I had not thought about it this way.

During this brief reflection on what I had said, I found that the words pointed back at me. This was not in a negative or accusative (is that a word?) way, just in the form of a teaching.

Jesus does not do everything I want Him to, everything I think He ought to do. He does what He purposes to do. He does what the Father has purposed for Him.

Prayer, petition, and intercession are good and right. Holding the Lord to my standard is upside down at best.

Bless His holy name.