Reflections on a Current Trend

 

When I first had heart issues and my cardiologist outlined a plan for fighting heart disease, I was a bit surprised at some of the things he told me. First of all, he told me to avoid certain foods, potatoes being first on the list. Then, in the course of conversation, he mentioned that it was good I did not drink alcohol, and told me it would be best not to start.

I had heard, through various media outlets and many individuals the heart-friendly message concerning moderate alcohol consumption, and my cardiologist seemed to be downplaying such findings.

Today, both in the church and outside of the church, I think we have an alcohol problem. It seems that Christians are constantly trying to figure out how to be more like the world while wanting to avoid the strings attached to such behavior. For the fear of legalism, we have lowered our standards on entertainment, have made the usage of alcohol popular, and have some how figured out a way to make greed a good thing.

Often the Christian community turns to Scripture to justify something they self-centeredly want to do, and therefore abdicate any personal responsibility.  Some have made drinking a way to “relate” to a lost world. Some have made it a teaching of Jesus, approved, admired, and even encouraged. Some could care less about justification, and just like to drink.

I have heard some talk of alcohol in a way that Paul referred to meat offered to idols. I personally would disagree with this comparison. Paul, when referring to meat offered to idols often said that the meat was “nothing.” If you take even the most conservative effects of alcohol on our culture, you must conclude that alcohol is not “nothing.”

Perhaps like meat, alcohol has nothing to do with our salvation, but unlike the meat, alcohol has the ability to take over the mind, or blind the mind of the consumer. The dangers are clearly understood in the writings of the Scriptures as the phrase “sober-minded” is used often.

Since “sober” is not clear to most, the idea of sobriety is not clear. Therefore, each person decides what that means and does what is right in his/her own eyes.

This may satisfy most as an honorable conclusion, yet I find this conclusion troubling at best in that the “fruit” of alcohol usage is obviously very dangerous. If you were to ask emergency medical personnel how many runs they make a year due to alcohol abuse, or ask law enforcement how many alcohol-related arrests are made each year, or medical personnel how much money is spent in our health care system each year due to alcohol abuse, you would clearly see a “fruit” that is not worth harvesting.

If we are to judge things by their fruit, then alcohol would not pass the test.

Paul, when writing to his protégé Timothy, said this: “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5 ESV)  Timothy is told to “always” be sober-minded. Whoever wants to argue the meaning of always and sober-minded can have at it, for that is what Christians love to do….make complicated the simple. In fact, the more complicated it becomes, the easier it is to have loopholes, exceptions, and personal applications that allow all sorts of delusional behavior.

In a rather simple understanding of the passage, I might suggest that Paul is telling young Timothy to always be sober-minded. This would, in general, mean always be “serious”-minded, or always be one who is not under the influence of alcohol, or always have your mind sharp and focused on the battle at hand.

In any case, it is talking about always here, not sometimes, not once in a while, not whenever you find it convenient. One who loves God and His Word would need to at least struggle with what the “always” actually refers to since we know, for sure, the meaning of that word.

Throughout the years in ministry, the number of people I have counseled whose lives have been destroyed by alcohol is staggering.

You would think that those who claim that relationships are what is most treasured would abhor anything that would potentially destroy relationships. From my life experiences, I would say that alcohol has that ability, and has delivered on destruction time and time again.

In fact, I would venture to say, that I personally believe that one could not be committed to healthy relationships and the consumption of alcohol in that the obvious affects are anti-rational.

This is not an opinion that will win me friends and allow me to influence people, and in that you might ask how such a thought is able to make good relationships while condemning such a widespread cultural practice.

If you look at our culture you will see all sorts of bad behavior that people like to participate in that has been labeled acceptable or even good, yet seem to have a negative effect on relationships.

A simple illustration of this comes from the idea of getting to know someone by going on a date to a movie. When you go to a movie, you do not get to know someone. You get to watch someone else’s pretend life, and experience the emotions, feelings, and fears of those who have been watching. It kind of feels like real life, even though it’s pretend life that you have adopted as real. As one watches the love plot or scene on the large screen, the emotions of that moment spill over to one loving the one with whom they are watching the movie.

Entertainment becomes the basis on which the relationship has been built. Hours and hours will be spent watching other people’s lives unfold while they have no life of their own. Having no real life of our own makes the fantasy world our realty, and, of course, alcohol helps us live out fantasies.

I was once rebuked for my “stance” on alcohol by a husband who told me that a glass of wine was a very important part of his wife’s life. He stated that every evening she would have a glass of wine in order to be able to unwind and deal with the stress of life. In fact, the wine had made a huge difference in her ability to deal with life’s issues.

This would be my point exactly. Alcohol has the ability to replace God and His Spirit, at least on the surface. Alcohol has the ability to fool, numb, and make us forget, just like Satan tries to do. For one to spend time with God and expect His Spirit to comfort us seems old-fashioned and impractical.

I realize that when I express my opinion on alcohol, it is just that, an opinion. My stance on this subject costs me much, and it would be easier to go with the flow. However, once again, if I think that people are important and that relationships are important, and truly believe that alcohol has the potential to destroy both, how can I remain silent?

Many might say that since they drink in a way that does not affect their behavior, it is justifiable. The debate can rage as to how many drinks it takes to affect one’s thinking, but from what I have read, it begins affecting the mind immediately to various degrees.

We often struggle with words. At the writing of this article, most Christians still believe that being “drunk” is something prohibited in the Scriptures. What “drunk” means is up for debate, and the legalists will need to draw a line as to how many drinks that actually means. It seems that the phrase “sober-minded” in the Bible means to abstain from alcohol, whereas the word “drunk” means “intoxicated.”

We are told to always be “sober-minded” and never to be “drunk.” Play with that any way you like, but if you are like most, you will interpret the words in a way that allows you to indulge in whatever point you want to make. The trouble with that thinking is that the words actually mean something, and few may want to actually see and apply what they mean. So often, justification is the first rule of interpretation, sad as that may be.

It has been my experience to watch and be a student of watching a generation grow up. I have seen that children often imitate their parents, to excess. What I mean by that is simple. If you watch a bit of television, your children will watch a bit more, and your grandchildren will watch a lot more. If you are a little controlled by money, your children are a bit more controlled by money, and your grandchildren even more so. If you drink wine with your meals, your children will drink margaritas, and your grandchildren may be into whiskey, or just an increased amount of whatever amount in which you partook.

There is wisdom in one generation restraining themselves for the sake of the next. There is wisdom in making certain that if our children are going to follow us, to excess, that they follow things that will only draw them closer to God and to other people.

I realize that those who already abstain from alcohol will enjoy what I have written, and those who need to justify their usage of it and their defense of it will continue to use the same arguments that have been passed on from generation to generation.

It is not my intention to argue. I will not be persuaded that alcohol has any benefit to making this life or the next better, and those who live for the momentary pleasure in any area of life are great dangers to those who are living for the eternal.

In fact, just recently a doctor sent me an article outlining a medical study that had this title: “Alcohol Ups Mortality and Cancer Risk; No Net Benefit.” This study will probably not make the headlines in that it talks of things that our nation has chosen to ignore.

The article^[1] does not dispute the idea that a low consumption of wine may help in the reduction of the risk of heart attacks. However, it also showed that current alcohol consumers (72% of those studied would be considered low consumptions drinkers) had a 51% increased risk for alcohol-related cancers (mouth, esophagus, stomach, colorectal, liver, breast, ovary, and head and neck) a 29% increased risk for injury, and it showed no reductions in the risk for death or stroke among current drinkers.

In fact, it showed the risk for cancer was 38% higher in wine drinkers than in never drinkers, 69% higher in spirit drinkers and 20% higher in beer drinkers.

I find it interesting that there are those who are carefully avoiding eating processed or genetically-modified foods, yet who promote the so-called heart benefits of alcohol. It seems that alcohol is at least equally destructive, and even more destructive in that it can ruin relationships, as well as the physical well-being of individuals.

Alcohol seems to be the right of those who are wealthy, and a need for the poor. It robs us of the moment, delivers excessive calories, is a conduit for adverse health issues, and is expensive. Its ability to destroy is far greater than its ability to deliver any positive results, yet, for some reason, it is associated with “good times,” “special moments,” and success.  And now…Christians, too, have begun to openly embrace the fantasy.

To me, this sounds like a grand deception.

I think I agree with an old preacher I once heard who said the following: “Alcohol has its place, but its place is in the bottom of Hell.”

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^[1] Medscape Medical News-Oncology, Veronica Hackethal, MD, Sept. 24, 2015

Two weeks after the fire, a note to the Silver Birch Ranch staff family.

It is now two weeks since we experienced the destructive fire that destroyed our maintenance facility. Since that time we have been able to clear away the clutter and are beginning to see signs of a new beginning. 

We did not seek to be in this position, yet this position continues to be ideal for showing those who do not think there is a God who He is and what His people are like. It also gives us a tremendous platform, for a time. to proclaim God’s goodness to his people and give them an opportunity to share in God’s work here on earth. 

I have now been serving here at Silver Birch Ranch for over 48 years. Since 1981 I have been in a leadership position. In the early years I went to many conferences and seminars that were designed to help us understand how to raise money, make plans and insure the future of the ministry. 

I was given books by prominent leaders, both Christian and secular, sent to time management classes, fund and friend raising seminars and told to read and understand the book “How To Win Friends and Influence People.”

In retrospect, It seems all the seminars, classes and exhortations focused on what I could do rather than on what God could do. It seemed like we focused on the methods more than the principles, the symptoms more than the cause and the urgent more than the important. 

This morning I was reading in the book of Joshua and sat and thought about things. For what it is worth, here are my thoughts. 

And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “ Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.

(Joshua 2:1-2 ESVST)

What’s with the spies? Why not just have God give instructions and get to it?

God’s desires us to know Him.The spies were able to position the Children of Israel so they could clearly see God. They were able to include more people from the inside of the city that would have, otherwise, totally missed God’s plans and purposes. 

I think we should plan in order to see how impossible it is so that when God acts, it is obvious to all. Perhaps many Christian organizations plan incorrectly in that they plan what is feasible instead of what is possible. I wonder how many of us have missed out on what God is up to because we trying to figure it out rather than trying to position ourselves to clearly help others figure Him out.

God never asks us to do something we cannot do, He only asks that we do what we should and can do. I should know Him and knowing Him will change everything about how I do this thing we call life. I should plan, not so that I can be in the realm of feasibility, but so that I can be in the realm of possibility. 

We as a staff at Silver Birch Ranch need to continue to rejoice in the position we have and continually be looking for ways to use this position to learn more of who God is and to help others see Him clearly. 

Two weeks after the fire the fire site is almost cleaned up, a temporary facility has the skeleton up and waiting for its skin and God has been clearly demonstrated. All of this while the normal function of Silver Birch Ranch continues in a way that our guests would never recognize we even have such a challenge. 

God is older than us, smarter than us and loves us. We can trust Him. 

I thank God for each of you and the role you have and are playing in turning this tragedy into triumph by rejoicing in the Lord and looking for Him to show Himself. 

It is a privilege to be your leader, your friend and brother. In a strange kind of way, It may not get any better than this on this earth. 

The Shop Fire....A Week Later

Silver Birch Ranch continues to be positioned well in this inconvenience (I refuse to use the word tragedy here in that it is obviously more of an opportunity than a tragedy.) to show who God is and how He works. I remain convinced that Silver Birch Ranch will be better off in the years to come as we are forced to rethink and rebuild. 

Already we are seeing a temporary facility being erected that will eventually allow us to deal with the storage issues we have struggled with for several years. We have seen, to date, $121,000.00 donated to help us with our immediate costs and our staff, volunteers and campers have not missed a beat. 

In fact, while the fire burnt several men, who were at camp on a retreat from a Church in Chicago, came to Christ. As the flames burnt, God was using this facility to expand His family. 

In a very practical sense we have seen God work. For example. 

We lost a well used and needed tractor in the fire that night. This was a 4 wheel drive Case tractor with a modified front end loader on it that was often used at the barn. It had just had its clutch replaced and was sitting overnight in the building that burnt. 

The day after the fire I was speaking at a church and a local farmer asked me some questions about the lost tractor. He began looking for a replacement for us. The next day, he told me he found a tractor, the same tractor we lost only two sizes bigger, with a cab (which we did not have on the old one) and less than 700 hours on it. (That is practically new!) The only problem was that this tractor sat for 8 years in a shed and he had no idea what mechanical shape it was in. 

The owner, a widow, was willing to give us the tractor for an unbelievable price.

When we went down to get it, with a few adjustments, we were able to start it right up, load it on the trailer and bing it home. In less than a week, a tractor we depended on for daily chores is back in commission. In fact, this might have been even faster than waiting for our mechanics to finish the repairs on the old one….

I am convinced that God knew that we would be needing this tractor at this time and had that farmer buy the exact model we needed. I am convinced that God then had his widow leave it parked to preserve it for His work.

There is much more work and provision needed and we are positioned well to see and report. I pray we do not miss such a golden opportunity to demonstrate faith and to report God’s faithfulness. 

In the end, we will all realize that the successes in this setback will not happen because of our faith but because of God’s faithfulness. It will be our job to point out the obvious. 

Let’s enjoy the process of being used by God.

Ministry is often a beautiful mix of pleasure and pain.

On October 30, 2015 our auto/wood shop unexpectedly and unexplainably burnt down to the ground. It was a total loss. The following are the thoughts I sent our staff and board the morning after.

We indeed have had a setback. This is not a tragedy in that God’s gracious hand spared us the grief of losing a life in this incident.  After I had learned that all were accounted for I watched the fire in amazement at it consumed all of the valuable tools and equipment in its path. I also had flashbacks of this same building burning in 1981, right before we were to say goodbye to the summer staff and begin the year ‘round work. 

I am thankful that we are positioned better today to handle this setback. 

One of the great challenges of life is having our lives and our work glorify our God. Whether it be in the “good” in life or the unplanned tragedies, we have the same responsibility. 

As I watched the consuming fire I thought of this verse and said it over and over again in my mind. “And he said, “ Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”(Job 1:21 ESVST) I am sure I was not quoting it right, but I got the main idea and I was once again reminded of the frailty of life and how one day all the “stuff” of this life is headed in the same direction of all the “stuff” in the old pole building. 

I encourage you to take some time today to praise God for what He has done, what He is doing and what He will do for we battle not against flesh and blood and our praise to our Father is a mighty weapon against all the powers of evil. 

God is faithful and will demonstrate His faithfulness to us as we allow Him to do so. 

We will soon find out how inconvenienced we will be without the pole building. As it was burning, Brooke mentioned the fact that we just lost all of our toilet paper supply. As simple as this is, it means a quick trip to town to replenish something we probably has a years supply of. The Pole Building was, in a way, our local Fleet Farm. Dan and the crew were able to go there and find just about anything we needed to repair something. This morning we have nothing surplus to work with. 

As far as I know we also lost our four wheel drive tractor and our smaller equipment, like the snowmobiles we use to groom the trials, etc. in the side garage, which also was destroyed. 

Just as in the past, the burning of the pole building was the beginning of something great, I pray that this time, almost 35 years later,  will be no different. Let’s look for ways to make this a monument to God rather than a memorial to the losses. 

With that said, Johnny will be taking care of the business side of things as there is much to be done in paperwork, meeting with insurance companies reps, fire inspectors, and/or whatever. Dan will be working with his crew in the physical aspects of cleaning it all up, planning and getting a new building in place. 

With winter upon us and no place to work on vehicles or store equipment and supplies it is prudent that we slide this effort to the top of our list. This could mean that other projects get delayed or even abandon for a while. 

We need to coordinate our efforts, as we always do. Dan will be the final say on how this building will be rebuilt and will work with John on what we can do and when according to the finances and other resources we may find. Therefore, if you want more information or desire to help you should seek either John or Dan.  There are many who have said they want to physically help. We appreciate that but as of now, we need a bit of time to plan so we can make good use of any boots on the ground.  

I would encourage all to think of places they know that might want to help. We lost our auto and wood shop as well as our plumbing, electrical and housekeeping supplies. Our mechanics lost all of their tools, and in Dave’s case, a lifelong collection of very expensive tools. 

Should you know of people who own auto repair places, car dealerships, plumbing supply companies, electrical contractors,  etc. and they would like to help us furnish our new shop please put our case before them. 

As always, let us make sure we put our case before our Lord and trust that He will work out all things to His glory. I encourage you to take good notes and see, and record the fact that God is good. 

There is a volunteer rake crew here today. I saw the rakes were outside the pole building, by the Lodge. Good move Dan, the raking can go on. That is more than we had back in 1981….we are already ahead of the game. 

Thanks…let’s see what God will do. 

Dave

The Good Life

I have heard of the good life, but have never seen it. This life, for anyone who is observant, is not good, and the lack of good correlates with the lack of fearing God or having an absolute “goodness” by which to judge all things.

In our world today we have Machiavellian leaders, who, on the surface, make it look like they care about the people. There are religions whose members are brutally dismembering young men who disagree with them and desire freedom, and brutally raping, selling, and using women as they would cattle. Our nation, who has often cared for the helpless of the world, seems to be silent, indifferent or even incapable of helping now.

We seem confused and this confusion causes tremendous instability. Boys and girls no longer know if they are boys or girls, advertisements are trying to create perceptions and turn them into reality, and men and women who got caught on the Ashley Madison site are committing suicide, because they got caught.

If we were a good nation, full of good people, we would not be able to know such things were happening and do nothing about it.

Recently, in regions of our country, they were voting on legalizing pot which, if passed, would  add to an already dysfunctional system of government money, alcohol, and unemployment.

We pay superstar athletes millions while paying the elementary school teachers and coaches who gave them their foundations barely a livable wage.

Alcoholic beverages have become normal in Christian celebrations, yet they are the main cause of domestic destruction. 

Donald Trump is a viable candidate for President because he is brash and says what he is thinking, and that seems to be tipping the other candidates who have perfected the art of saying things in a way that is acceptable to all and yet, in essence, say nothing.

Some have said that we enjoy wealth, so it is the good life. Yet, the pursuit of wealth, pleasure, comfort, and fame will leave us minimizing relationships, using others to satisfy our desires, lazy, and consumed with perceptions.

When people are consumed with themselves, which we are, there is no good life to be had.

I think that we would be having the good life if we were enjoying God, and poor people seem to do that better than the rich.

It is time for true repentance. It is our only hope, our only way out, and the way God has created for a nation to fix what is wrong.

It starts with the simple fact of acknowledging that God is God and I am not, and we go from there, discovering who He is, why He made us, and how we fit into the grand plan.

Reframing Leadership

The most important quality for leadership is the ability, desire, and dedication to being a good follower.

We were made to be like sheep, and sheep follow. Those who choose to follow the right person will be successful. Those who choose to follow the wrong person or things will be disappointed, at best.

Throughout the years, we have been told that leaders are those who have people following them. We have placed the emphasis on being followed rather than being a follower. Therefore, we have opened the door for all kinds of manipulation, psychoanalysts, and politics, in order to prove and sustain our leadership.

People have desired to be effective leaders because they want to be at the top of the pile rather than support the pile. They want to be effective leaders so that their organizations thrive, they become financially independent, and they have the admiration and respect of those in “control.”

The apostle Paul talks about leadership differently. He states this: This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. (1 Corinthians 4:1-2 ESVST)

In the context of discussing leadership, Paul says that true leaders are faithful servants and stewards. A good servant is one who is consumed with serving the needs and purposes of the master. They are following what is best for the master. They are subjecting themselves to making sure that what is important to the master is important to them.

Satan, at one point, wanted to change all of this and make himself the master. He did not want to follow, but wanted to be followed.

It is true that we need to live our lives in a manner that others would follow us, but this is in the context of the fact that if they follow us, they would be following Christ, for that is what we as leaders really do.

There have been great leaders throughout Biblical history who would not, in modern terms, be considered leaders, because they had no one following them.

Ezekiel, Noah, Stephen, and others would have been considered “non-leaders,” yet they are some of the most powerful leadership examples that we have. Moses, arguably, one of the best leaders of all time, seems to always lose the people’s attention, and they were moaners and groaners, and many times wanted to abandon Moses. The only time Moses really got in trouble was when he abandoned following God’s instructions.

Leaders need to reframe leadership.

If leaders continue to be consumed with how to manipulate, cajole, and direct the masses, instead of being consumed with loving God and delighting in His Word, we will actually be leaderless. The blind can lead the blind, but the end result is not good.

Here is a list of what would characterize good leaders:

1.     Understand that there is a God, and understand that they are not Him.

2.     Understand there is a plan, and understand that it is not their plan.

3.     Understand that the real problem in life is sin, that I am the sinner, and that all I deal with are sinners and have the same problem and same solution.

4.     Have responded to God’s invitation and have accepted His gift of life offered through His Son, Jesus.

5.     Understand that “time and chance” have more to do with success than skill, rhetoric, and manipulation, and that God is the one who controls the time and chance.

6.     Abide with God, and delight in His Word.

7.     Desire to put flesh onto the plans and desires of God.

8.     Desire to be put in a position to make others successful.

Leadership is really not an arrangement; it is a relationship. It is about following God and what is right, and doing so in public. It is about making those around us successful.

Moses, Paul, Peter, and others felt inadequate in their leadership ability, as they should have, because when we focus on ourselves, we are inadequate.

God is not in need of someone to lead. He wants His children to join Him, follow Him, and let Him lead. He is capable; we are not. He is able to provide; we are not. He is able to see the future. We are limited to guessing about the future. He is able to secure the victory. We are only able to hope we win.

Sheep follow. It’s what we do. Leaders are the best followers, and in doing so, become the best leaders.

Prayer

Throughout time, we often lose perspective. The idea of evolving is different than the idea of intentionality. To speak of our faith as something that is “evolving” takes away from the idea of us making intentional choices, and places the emphasis on chance rather than choice.

Discussions on Christian college campuses about man’s choice versus the sovereignty of God have placed the onus on our understanding, rather than on what might be revealed.  There are those who believe that since God is sovereign, man has no real choice, and there are those who believe that since man has choice, God is actually limited in His sovereignty.

The Scriptures clearly teach that God is sovereign and that man has real choice. In fact, if man did not have real choice, the idea of love would be a complete farce. The issues are really not sovereignty versus choice, but rather how God responds as one who knows what choices man will make.

We know that in the end, God will not lose. So we know that no matter what I do, say, or attempt to control today, in the end, if it does not line up with God’s plans, it loses. It may be difficult for me to comprehend how God allows the complete flow of idea, choices, and still controls things, but that is because I am only capable of understanding things I can understand.

When we go to the Scriptures, we see that God is a relational being and He created us to be relational as well. When Christ was asked about what was important, He said that we should love the Lord our God and then love each other.

This idea of love is relational and demands choice, real choice. Real choice also demands real consequences, or the idea of choice is a farce.

Sin is costly. People who choose to sin make life miserable for themselves and for all those who are affected by their decisions. If I choose to run an airplane into a building, many will die due to my choice. If God would intervene and stop me from doing so, and He can, that would be considered a miracle. Most of the time, it seems to me, that God allows the system He created to work, yet in those unusual incidents, for which only He knows why, He works outside the system and performs what we call a miracle.

To ask the question, “Where is God with all the tragic events in the world?” is to ask the wrong question. The real question should be this: “Why has man chosen to ignore God and live with such dire consequences?”

Since God is relational, relational “rules” would apply to how we approach or interact with Him. One of the basics in relationships is communication. God has told us that He has already communicated with us through the creation, through His Word, and through His Son.

Communication, in order to be effective, needs to be bi-directional. If it is only God speaking to me, then we have a “lecture” type of relationship which tends to be cold, static, and corporate. If, on the other hand, I get to respond to what He has said, we have a dynamic that sets the stage for healthy and good relationship.

For those who have no relationship with God, prayer is wish list to a genie or sugar daddy in the sky who needs to perform for them. If He does not answer their demands, then they conclude that He must not love, must not be powerful, or must not care. Often, people are driven to pray when they are convinced that they cannot control the adverse circumstances in which they find themselves.

In essence, they have no real desire for an ongoing relationship with God, and they want to use Him and His power for themselves when they have no other alternative.

I remember once talking with my mom when she was aged and living in a nursing home. She had had a particularly rough go of things, and was struggling with health and emotional issues. I told her I would pray for her. When I said those words, she looked at me with a look of terror and said, “Oh no, it’s come to that?”  In her own funny way she rebuked me. I got the message.

Prayer, in our modern world, seems to have become more about our power and less about our relationship with God. We want to hear the woes of those around us so that we can pray. When the woes are cleared up, we are first in line to talk about how critical we were in the process. I feel power and empowered and now want to continue to pray for people so that I feel significant and useful in the Kingdom work.

This seems different than what we are told about going into a closet and praying.

In fact, if it is our desire to show the world who God is, then making ourselves prominent in the process seems counter-productive. Then again, we live in an age of mega preachers, worship teams that put on extravagant shows, and churches that seem to be about men more than God, so the idea of making us the power force through prayer is consistent.

What if prayer is not informing God of what He needs to be about?

First and foremost, it is the logical relational thing to do. We love God, and naturally would talk with Him about all of our concerns. As we talk with Him, He knows what is best, we acknowledge that, and enjoy the fact that we can unload our burden to the One who can carry it, and we actually let it go.

This means that my prayers are not demands, but heartfelt discussions about life, death, and the struggles we face. This is not unlike a conversation between husbands and wives, or children and parents.

Prayer is also a wonderful time of acknowledgement. We need to keep reminding ourselves of things that we too easily forget. As we pray, we acknowledge that God is God, and we are not. We acknowledge our place as submissive “brides,” and our dependence upon Him for all good things. In the end, we are acknowledging our responsibility to represent Him as we are made to do, and as we should.

When Jesus prayed in the garden, He was acknowledging the obvious, that there was pain and toughness ahead, and that even though He would rather not travel down that path, He was willing to, if that was what God wanted.

He did not pray for God to deliver Him. He seemed to be acknowledging the plan, His part in the plan, and His commitment to the plan, because of His love and understanding of God, who made the plan.

His prayers did nothing to change the plans, but did everything to remind Him of the purposes of the plans. He showed His relationship with His father. He acknowledged His place, purpose, the fact that God could change it, and trusted that if He did not changes the circumstances, it would all work out.

I need to do the same.

We are also told that one night Jesus spent the night alone in prayer. The next day He delivered what might be considered the most power discourse in His earthly ministry. I do not know what the conversation the night before was about, but I can imagine those who heard the Sermon on the Mount got the gist of what was prayed about.

When I pray, it not only acknowledges things that need acknowledging, but it also demonstrates my dependence, uniqueness (holiness), faith, and submission, and allows me to live my life looking forward to what God is going to do.

The word that sometimes is used to describe God in the King James Version is the word husbandman. That is an interesting word. ^[1] The husbandman is the farmer. He is the one who planted and works at setting the right environment so that growth can take place. My prayers allow me to watch the husbandman at work, and to anticipate what is yet to come from the arrangement of His circumstances or environment.

We were made to “abide” with God. This abiding time yields fruit. This fruit is not the fruit of our goodness, our ability, or our genetic make-up. It is the fruit of choosing to abide, to commune, to make certain that nothing hinders our connection to the only one who can produce the fruit.

And fruit production is incredibly important as that is why we are a plant in the first place, and those who do not produce fruit are wasted plants in the farmer’s field.

As one reads John chapter 15, it is easy to see that it is intentional intimacy, and that limiting things that diminish that intimacy that matters. Therefore, prayer matters immensely in that it is the thing that allows us to complete the cycle of intimacy and that eventually produces fruit.

I cannot help but wonder about what Satan has done to infiltrate this important aspect of intimacy with God and replace it with a “look alike” to make us think we are more important in the process than we really are.

Somehow prayer has become associated with prayer chains that inform many about the needs of few, in order to unleash the power of God on the needy. With what I know about God is that He cares greatly for the needy, and with or without our prayers, He will act. The danger in this type of format is that we begin to place the emphasis on our method, our prayers, and our diligence instead of God’s love, power, mercy, grace, and plans.

The prayer chain may be a good way for churches to communicate, or it may be a good way for churches to commensurate responsibility among the masses.  It could be a great tool to drive our people to their knees, or it could be destructive in that it places the onus on us, instead of God.

Since prayer is relational, and we are told to pray continually, then the prayer chain could be a way to inform us as to what is happening so that as we are informed pray-ers.

No matter what the format, if the prayers of God’s people are put in place to use God rather than love Him and proclaim Him, they are more of a tool of Satan than of God. If our prayers are for ourselves, our comfort, or our enjoyment of this life, we have missed the purpose of prayer.

Often times we are asked to pray for things that seem to need no prayer. If someone is beating their head on a rock and is praying for God to stop the immense pain associated with such things, I would think that is a waste of our prayer time. To pray that one is not pregnant after illicit affairs, or that one could be healthy after they have neglected their health all their lives seem like a “use” of God, rather than a relationship with God.

Prayer is something that overflows from the loving and grateful heart, and I am sure that prayer chains can be useful to those who love and live in that manner.

Public prayer is another interesting issue. Jesus warned us against putting on a show with our prayers, or using our prayers to impress others with our relationship. ^[2] He also warned us against the idea of using empty phrases to try to impress God and others with our sincerity. ^[3]

Prayer is not something we use to impose our will on God and others, but is rather a special opportunity to spend time with our Heavenly Father. As an older dad, I no longer need to provide for my daughters, yet I love when they take the time to sit and talk with me about life. I like it when they send me “lists” of things they are doing, what they are thinking and talking about, and share about the activities in which they are involved.

When my loved ones have a need, I would like to know about it in order to be with them. Recently I had an operation. I wanted my wife by my side. When I had operations as a boy, I wanted my mom by my side. When I go through tough times in the future, I want those I love by my side.

It’s a relational thing, not a cure thing. In the end, we will see that all things should have been all about God. My prayers allow me to make it that way now. My prayers are not about changing history, but allowing me a front seat in watching history change. I get to talk with the One who will prevail. I get to communicate with the One who can make a difference, and accept that when He does not change the circumstances, it is still part of the overall victory plan.

Some see praying as a burdensome activity that must be done or disaster could strike all that we love and enjoy. This makes prayer something that is a responsibility, instead of a privilege.

My prayers change me, give me hope, and bring me peace.

In some weird way, my prayers change nothing but me, and that is a good thing, for which I am grateful. I enjoy talking with my “husbandman” and waiting for the fruit that will inevitably come.

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^[1] And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

(Genesis 9:20 KJV)

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

(John 15:1 KJV)

^[2] But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

(Matthew 6:6 ESVST)

^[3] “ And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

(Matthew 6:7 ESVST)