What is the purpose of prayer? For some it seems to be a way of getting things. We pray for healing from illness or for the end of financial hardships, or for stability within our relationships. When we pray like this, it is as if we believe that God makes us suffer so that we will beg God to do something for us. Is this really the nature of prayer? And if it is, then why doesn't God always answer us? Is God too busy to hear all the prayers that are offered? I have heard it said that "God always answers prayers, but sometimes the answer is 'no.'" How does God choose which prayer to answer? Is it the person with the most faith? Or the one who prays the most often? Perhaps God answers the prayers of the ones who give the most money to their church. Or maybe, prayer is not about getting what we want from God.
While watching a televangelist one morning, I heard him say that if you worship correctly, God would give you what you want. Proper worship meant watching his program, and setting up a direct debit of 10% of your income to go to his church each week. And to show that this worked, he had a couple on that spoke of how they wanted a new car, so they worshiped for it. They attended the church via their satellite dish and sent their drafts off with due diligence. And it worked. The man's mother was killed in a very bad car accident. The family hired a great lawyer, and got a multi-million dollar settlement because of her death. With the settlement they were able to buy a new car and sent a tithe to the church.
If I were to worship or pray for something, I am not sure I would find it comforting that God killed a family member in order to help me get it. Does a loving God kill innocent people in order to help out other people? If that were the case, then I don't think I would want anything to do with that God at all!
In fact, there is only one real thing to ask for from God, as far as I can tell, and that is forgiveness of sins. Hear this parable of Jesus:
Luke 18:9-14 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."
Prayers of petition, I believe, should be about recognizing our need for God, especially our need for the forgiveness of sins. The tax collector went away justified because he asked God to forgive him of his sins, and God did. Prayer is not about bragging on who we are or what we have done. It is not about asking for things, for material gifts. It is about our relationship with God, and as Christians, it is about our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is about keeping us centered in our recognition of what we truly need from God, which is not the material or physical things of this world, but the spiritual gift which prepares us for the next world. Prayer is about communion with God. Communion: a common union. Through prayer we have that common union with God. And God, like the father of the prodigal son, welcomes us into that union every time we ask God to. God always answers the prayer which asks that our sins be forgiven. And the answer is always a resounding yes.
Showing posts with label spiritual. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiritual. Show all posts
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Genesis 32:22-31
32:22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 32:24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 32:25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 32:26 Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." 32:27 So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 32:28 Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." 32:29 Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. 32:30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." 32:31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
Jacob was a trickster. The youngest of 2 twins, we are told he came out grasping the heel of his brother, Essau. He was a momma's boy, favored by his mother for his good looks and his skill in domestic affairs. He also was very much like his mother's brother, Laban, another deceitful man who would trade whatever he had to make a quick buck. Jacob had stolen his brother's birthright and blessing, and was forced to move away in order to escape Essau's wrath. He went to spend time with Laban, where he became wealthy and where he also found himself crosswise with family, this time with Laban.
The passage above comes from Jacob's escape from Laban and return to his home. He and Laban had sworn an oath not to pursue each other any longer, as long as each stayed on their designated side of the desert. Now the question was how to work things out with Essau. How do you approach a brother you've never gotten along with, whom you have stolen from, and whose favor you now need for your survival? This thought must have been heavy on Jacob's mind as he moved across the wilderness toward his home. All Jacob knew was wrestling with people.
So it should come as no surprise that when Jacob stopped for the night he found himself in a wrestling match. This time he was wrestling with an apparent stranger, a man who seemed to attack for no apparent reason. Some have referred to the man as an angel of God, but Jacob believed he was wrestling with God himself. The wrestling was fierce and went on through the night to daylight. In the midst of the chaos the stranger pokes Jacob's hip, causing it to be dislocated. Yet Jacob did not stop wrestling with the man, and kept a tight hold on his opponent. The man demanded that Jacob release him, yet Jacob refused unless he first received a blessing, perhaps because he was still worried about seeing his brother, whose blessing he had stolen from their father. The man asked Jacob his name, and Jacob responded. The man then said, "You are no longer Jacob, but Israel, for you have now wrestled with God and with men and have prevailed." The man already knew Jacob's name, but he wanted to hear Jacob say it; he wanted Jacob to acknowledge that he was one who wrestled with everyone around him, as his name suggested. The man then gave his blessing to Jacob and went on his way.
What happened there on that evening? Why did Jacob have to wrestle with God? Why was his name changed? This is a coming of age story. We might say that Jacob grew up in this event. The name change was a gift from God, allowing him to return home to his brother in peace. The limp from the dislocated hip was a sign of maturity or old age; people seem to have more difficulty getting around as they age. Yet with that age there is often wisdom, which Jacob seems to have received with the blessing.
Have you ever wrestled with God? I think we all need to do this to grow in our faith. Too many times we are afraid to challenge God, to spiritually wrestle with God. We have a feeling that it is wrong and will make God upset. Yet we never really grow in a relationship until we challenge it. We need to push the boundaries and see the response. Wrestling with God is a necessary part of our faith journey. In fact, we would not even be here to talk about our faith if Jacob had let go of his opponent. We owe it to ourselves and to God to wrestle spiritually. If we don't, we will never really get to know God. But if we do, we will receive God's blessing!
So go, and wrestle with God!
Jacob was a trickster. The youngest of 2 twins, we are told he came out grasping the heel of his brother, Essau. He was a momma's boy, favored by his mother for his good looks and his skill in domestic affairs. He also was very much like his mother's brother, Laban, another deceitful man who would trade whatever he had to make a quick buck. Jacob had stolen his brother's birthright and blessing, and was forced to move away in order to escape Essau's wrath. He went to spend time with Laban, where he became wealthy and where he also found himself crosswise with family, this time with Laban.
The passage above comes from Jacob's escape from Laban and return to his home. He and Laban had sworn an oath not to pursue each other any longer, as long as each stayed on their designated side of the desert. Now the question was how to work things out with Essau. How do you approach a brother you've never gotten along with, whom you have stolen from, and whose favor you now need for your survival? This thought must have been heavy on Jacob's mind as he moved across the wilderness toward his home. All Jacob knew was wrestling with people.
So it should come as no surprise that when Jacob stopped for the night he found himself in a wrestling match. This time he was wrestling with an apparent stranger, a man who seemed to attack for no apparent reason. Some have referred to the man as an angel of God, but Jacob believed he was wrestling with God himself. The wrestling was fierce and went on through the night to daylight. In the midst of the chaos the stranger pokes Jacob's hip, causing it to be dislocated. Yet Jacob did not stop wrestling with the man, and kept a tight hold on his opponent. The man demanded that Jacob release him, yet Jacob refused unless he first received a blessing, perhaps because he was still worried about seeing his brother, whose blessing he had stolen from their father. The man asked Jacob his name, and Jacob responded. The man then said, "You are no longer Jacob, but Israel, for you have now wrestled with God and with men and have prevailed." The man already knew Jacob's name, but he wanted to hear Jacob say it; he wanted Jacob to acknowledge that he was one who wrestled with everyone around him, as his name suggested. The man then gave his blessing to Jacob and went on his way.
What happened there on that evening? Why did Jacob have to wrestle with God? Why was his name changed? This is a coming of age story. We might say that Jacob grew up in this event. The name change was a gift from God, allowing him to return home to his brother in peace. The limp from the dislocated hip was a sign of maturity or old age; people seem to have more difficulty getting around as they age. Yet with that age there is often wisdom, which Jacob seems to have received with the blessing.
Have you ever wrestled with God? I think we all need to do this to grow in our faith. Too many times we are afraid to challenge God, to spiritually wrestle with God. We have a feeling that it is wrong and will make God upset. Yet we never really grow in a relationship until we challenge it. We need to push the boundaries and see the response. Wrestling with God is a necessary part of our faith journey. In fact, we would not even be here to talk about our faith if Jacob had let go of his opponent. We owe it to ourselves and to God to wrestle spiritually. If we don't, we will never really get to know God. But if we do, we will receive God's blessing!
So go, and wrestle with God!
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