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 h
usbandman. 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.
