Hebrews 2:5-9
God didn’t put angels in charge of this business of salvation that we’re dealing with here. It says in Scripture,
What is man and woman that you bother with them;
why take a second look their way?
You made them not quite as high as angels,
bright with Eden’s dawn light;
Then you put them in charge
of your entire handcrafted world.
When God put them in charge of everything, nothing was excluded. But we don’t see it yet, don’t see everything under human jurisdiction. What we do see is Jesus, made “not quite as high as angels,” and then, through the experience of death, crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory “bright with Eden’s dawn light.” In that death, by God’s grace, he fully experienced death in every person’s place.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I recently shared in another devotional about the sudden death of a young friend… the son of a childhood classmate. Today, I visited the family and expressed my sadness over this tragic accident. I shared with my friend how I have prayed for his son for many years, and that this was not the answer I was anticipating. But I quickly added that I am learning that very often I don’t get my way in these matters. God answers… just not as I suggested!
I’ve been reading back through prayer journals in recent days, and I’ve seen several examples of answered prayers that had outcomes far different from what I expected. Still, God answered. And I must respect His sovereignty…and His decisions. In some of these instances, I could see where the answer God gave was not only different… but better. Others puzzle me to this day. And in others, I noticed that even a decade or more later, I am still praying over the same people and/or situation. And I had to wonder… do I need to shift the focus of my prayers? Am I truly praying for God’s will and respecting His plans… or am I still asking for my way in these matters – and essentially blocking any forward progress whatsoever.
Lest you think I overestimate the power of my own prayers, let me quickly add that I have the utmost respect for God’s ability to operate independently – or in spite of – my intercessions. Still, I wonder how often we fail to recognize that an unexpected death might have been God’s way of sparing someone further difficulties. How often does God say to us, “I know what you want me to do… but that will not accomplish what needs to happen in the grander scheme of things.”? Have we missed the point that God is trying to make? When it seems that God will never answer, are we disrespecting His timing with our impatience?
Scripture tells us that there were many who questioned God’s decision to send Jesus to earth as a human being. After all, we read in Psalm 8:4-8, where David says to God…“Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way? Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden’s dawn light. You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge, made us lords of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild, birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps.” He speaks of how unworthy humans are to make wise decisions and be in charge of much of anything… yet God did exactly this when He created Adam and Eve… and then He sent Jesus as a human being with the ability to heal the sick, turn water into wine, feed thousands with a basketful of food, and much more.
Not until Jesus died for our sins on the cross did we see the full spectrum of God’s plan. Only in the resurrection of Jesus after His crucifixion did we learn that He was so much more than a mere mortal. Only then did God fully reveal the total perfection of His plans. Only in this sacrifice do we see how much God loves us… and deserves our utmost respect.
I wish I could say I will never ask God “Why?”… or plead with Him to hurry up and fix something or someone. Like those in David’s Psalm… I am human. But I will do my best to be more cognizant of the intent of my prayers. I will strive to show complete respect for God’s will and His authority… to trust His outcomes more deeply, and to rest in His decisions. Someday, I may see how this all comes together perfectly. But by then, I will be in heaven with Jesus…and I seriously doubt I will care about the “hows and whys”! Meanwhile, I will keep praying… I will keep believing… and I will trust God to answer perfectly. What about you?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label how to pray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to pray. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for October 23, 2012
Matthew 6:5-8
When you pray, don’t be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the meeting places and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward.
When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you.
When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I have said before that I am not necessarily in favor of public prayers at mealtime. There are times when we come together as a family – Thanksgiving, Christmas, or perhaps a family potluck – and I feel that a short group prayer of thankfulness is appropriate. But how many times have you been enjoying a meal in your favorite restaurant… talking and laughing with friends… when you notice that the people next to you are praying over their food? Don’t you feel a little uncomfortable? Doesn’t this give you a sense that you should stop your own meal and bow your head, also? Have you ever started to “bless” your food as a server approached? How uncomfortable do you suppose this makes him/her… not to mention how it slows them down as they do their job?
Now that you have decided I must be a terrible, horrible person, let me explain. Just as there is no reason you cannot bow your head and pray silently in any school, court house, or at any public event or restaurant – there is no reason you have to make an exhibition that all can see and hear. Do you think that God can’t hear your silent prayers? “Oh, but this is a demonstration to others of our Christian faith!” you may say. Is it really? Or are you saying to others, “I’m such a strong Christian that before each meal (or at every event, before school starts – you fill in the blank) I offer an auditory prayer to God. I’m publicly expressing my faith!”
Now, if you do this, and you feel strongly about it, do not feel that I am condemning you…I am not. How you communicate with God is deeply personal and none of my business. But I have to wonder sometimes how intimate and heartfelt our public prayers are.
I have already bought Timothy a little book of prayers, and we read them together. But I did not do this to teach him how to pray, because I believe this would do him a disservice. I thought this would be a good way to begin to introduce a toddler to God… to help Timmy learn about offering gratitude… and to show him how to ask God for guidance and protection. Hopefully, as he grows, he will learn more about God and how amazing it is to be able to share your thoughts and feelings with Him – anytime, anywhere.
If you continue reading Matthew 6, Jesus gives us a model for how to pray… and the Apostle Paul tells us to talk to God throughout the day and make this our prayer. But Jesus did not intend for “The Lord’s Prayer” itself to become our mainstay as a means to communicate with our Heavenly Father. I hope that everyone will truly get this!
Prayer is a deeply personal – and critical – component of our Christian walk. I have to admit that my prayer life was pretty shallow for a good many years… filled with rote recitations and generally based in desperation – as in, “LORD… I need you… NOW!” Much of the rest of the time, I didn’t have a whole lot to say to God. I didn’t understand the importance of talking to Him and expressing my gratitude on the days when things were going pretty well. When we come to the point in our discipleship where prayer is as familiar to us as breathing, we have turned a corner.
Praying aloud over someone who has asked for your intercession can be a blessing for the recipient – and a privilege for you. Reciting The Lord’s Prayer as a group in a worship setting can be a profoundly intimate experience… all of God’s children coming together to speak to Him as one body. But we need to develop a strong, private, running conversation with God… communication that is honest, at times raw, and deeply personal between the two of you.
There is a fine line between talking to God in public as a show of unity… and merely putting on a show. Be sure that you know – and exercise - the difference!
©2012 Debbie Robus
When you pray, don’t be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the meeting places and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward.
When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you.
When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I have said before that I am not necessarily in favor of public prayers at mealtime. There are times when we come together as a family – Thanksgiving, Christmas, or perhaps a family potluck – and I feel that a short group prayer of thankfulness is appropriate. But how many times have you been enjoying a meal in your favorite restaurant… talking and laughing with friends… when you notice that the people next to you are praying over their food? Don’t you feel a little uncomfortable? Doesn’t this give you a sense that you should stop your own meal and bow your head, also? Have you ever started to “bless” your food as a server approached? How uncomfortable do you suppose this makes him/her… not to mention how it slows them down as they do their job?
Now that you have decided I must be a terrible, horrible person, let me explain. Just as there is no reason you cannot bow your head and pray silently in any school, court house, or at any public event or restaurant – there is no reason you have to make an exhibition that all can see and hear. Do you think that God can’t hear your silent prayers? “Oh, but this is a demonstration to others of our Christian faith!” you may say. Is it really? Or are you saying to others, “I’m such a strong Christian that before each meal (or at every event, before school starts – you fill in the blank) I offer an auditory prayer to God. I’m publicly expressing my faith!”
Now, if you do this, and you feel strongly about it, do not feel that I am condemning you…I am not. How you communicate with God is deeply personal and none of my business. But I have to wonder sometimes how intimate and heartfelt our public prayers are.
I have already bought Timothy a little book of prayers, and we read them together. But I did not do this to teach him how to pray, because I believe this would do him a disservice. I thought this would be a good way to begin to introduce a toddler to God… to help Timmy learn about offering gratitude… and to show him how to ask God for guidance and protection. Hopefully, as he grows, he will learn more about God and how amazing it is to be able to share your thoughts and feelings with Him – anytime, anywhere.
If you continue reading Matthew 6, Jesus gives us a model for how to pray… and the Apostle Paul tells us to talk to God throughout the day and make this our prayer. But Jesus did not intend for “The Lord’s Prayer” itself to become our mainstay as a means to communicate with our Heavenly Father. I hope that everyone will truly get this!
Prayer is a deeply personal – and critical – component of our Christian walk. I have to admit that my prayer life was pretty shallow for a good many years… filled with rote recitations and generally based in desperation – as in, “LORD… I need you… NOW!” Much of the rest of the time, I didn’t have a whole lot to say to God. I didn’t understand the importance of talking to Him and expressing my gratitude on the days when things were going pretty well. When we come to the point in our discipleship where prayer is as familiar to us as breathing, we have turned a corner.
Praying aloud over someone who has asked for your intercession can be a blessing for the recipient – and a privilege for you. Reciting The Lord’s Prayer as a group in a worship setting can be a profoundly intimate experience… all of God’s children coming together to speak to Him as one body. But we need to develop a strong, private, running conversation with God… communication that is honest, at times raw, and deeply personal between the two of you.
There is a fine line between talking to God in public as a show of unity… and merely putting on a show. Be sure that you know – and exercise - the difference!
©2012 Debbie Robus
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