I want you to take just a moment and answer this question. Perhaps you might even make a list of the things you do that you consider meaningful. Now, having made that list let me pose another question, "Which of these things that you consider meaningful REQUIRES Gods presence to be accomplished?" In other words, what do you consider meaningful that really doesn't necessitate any major step of faith or any amazing act of God to accomplish? Perhaps what I am really asking is this, "Is it time for us to completely reevaluate what we consider meaningful and align that idea with what God considers meaningful?" If there is one thing that is consistently praised throughout Scripture it is faith (Matt. 8:10; 9:2; Luke 7:50; Rom. 5:1; Eph. 1:15-16; Heb. 11). Respectively, if there is one thing that is condemned throughout Scripture it is a lack of faith (Matt. 17:19-20; Mark 6:5-6; 1 Tim. 4:1).
Now this is where things get a little tricky. Is it possible that there are things on your list that you consider meaningful, and that necessitate God, which you really never expect God to be present to help you accomplish? Here are some examples. We all pray, and we know that prayer necessitates God, but how many times do we pray expecting God to be present, attentive, and working at the very moment we pray? We are called to share the Gospel, and we know that the Holy Spirit must speak through our witness, but how many times do we share the Gospel not really thinking that God needs to be involved in this work? We all read the Bible, and we know that the Holy Spirit illumines us to understand the text, but how often do we read without asking God to speak to us, teach us, convict us, and conform us to His Son by revealing Himself to us in our reading? The point that I want to make is this: We all do "spiritual" things that we, and God, consider meaningful never really expecting God to be present. We pray, share the Gospel, read the Bible, and perform a host of other "spiritual" tasks without faith in God actually working while we are doing the very thing that we consider meaningful.
Life is too short to waste doing things that have no purpose, and the danger for followers of Christ is getting trapped in the mindset that they are doing something meaningful, when in reality they are not doing anything meaningful because they aren't completely dependent on God. Prayer, evangelism, and Bible study are meaningless without a dependence upon Christ. It is time that believers break away from the tradition of doing what has always been done and the routine of doing what they have always done to pursue an intimate, thriving, faith-filled life in Christ.
4 comments:
This was definitely though provoking. I particularly perked up when you talked about praying and need to expect God to be active at that very moment in my prayer. That's really hard for me when I pray for healing. I sometimes actually say "God, I seriously pray..." as if He didn't know my heart. I guess it's because I'm trying to remind myself to be serious and to really believe that he not only CAN, but WILL answer my prayer. I've never lacked the faith to believe God CAN answer my prayers. The idea that He WILL answer them, on the other hand, is much harder to believe. Anyhow, thanks for the post, it was good to read.
Brent, great comment. Most people get hung up on praying for things because they aren't certain if what they are asking for is in the "will of God". As a result they ask for very little because they are afraid that they will be praying for something that is contrary to God's plan. Instead of praying for a certain job to be available they pray that it will if it is "God's will." However, I don't think that this practice is spiritually helpful or biblical. The disciples never stopped to ask if something was in God's will, they simply asked God and let Him either answer with a yes or a no. Besides, what is so bad about God saying no in answer to a prayer? He has the right, and it certainly doesn't harm us when He says no. Children ask for things all the time and parents say no, but for some reason many people consider it a bad thing when God says no (as if we did something wrong). As a result, what I do when I pray is ask for something as if it is the very will of God (not only can He do it, but He will do it), and I allow God to answer with a yes or a no. If He says yes, great; if He says no, no harm no foul.
Kent, in your response to Brent you talk about praying "if it is your will" and mention that praying this way is not Biblical. Please consider these thoughts, though. Jesus gave us an example for prayer and in it he states "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus himself prayed in Gethsemane just before His crucifixion that this cup would pass from him, but not his will be done but God's. Even if the words "your will be done" are not spoken out loud, they are implied as every person who prays knows that it is God who will decide yes or no, if it is His will. We are, after all, praying to an all-knowing, all-powerful God. Praying "your will be done" is a way to humble ourselves as He commands us to do. It would be arrogant for me to assume that I know what is better for me than my Heavenly Father. You mention kids and how they approach parents. I have kids so I know that many times they come to me and say "Mom, if it's alright with you, can I do this or have that.." This is the same as saying "if it is your will." Even if they don't say it that way, it is always implied or else why would they ask? What's most important is that we are praying and as we pray we know that God sees into our hearts and beyond our words which are sometimes so inadequate. I think a simple prayer to pray when you don't know what to do in a tough situation is "God, your will be done." You can't go wrong with that prayer. We all should be diligently seeking "God's will."
Joan, I appreciate your comments, but let me point out that you have a few misunderstandings of God's will. First, Jesus is not trying to determine God's will before He prays. You will never find Jesus saying, "God I pray that you would do this if it is your will." In relation to this it is also important for me to point out that you have a misunderstanding of what is happening at Gethsamane. When Jesus prays that God's will be done He is NOT saying that His will is different from the Father's will. If this were the case then you would be arguing that there is a division in God. God cannot have two will's. To do so would be contradictory. Jesus is also NOT asking that He would not go to the cross, for indeed He Himself says that for that reason He came. This text is meant to show the reality of His struggle in the garden, as well as the weakness of his flesh. Second, if praying "your will be done" is assumed then why do you need to speak it out loud? In your own words you should see the contradiction. More often than not this type of praying leads to confusion, cowardice, and compromise. People pray, "Well, God can you do this, but only if it is in your will." All throughout Scripture we see people asking the Father without inhibitions. They pray in faith believing that the very thing they ask for is the very thing God will provide. Jesus says in John 15:7, "If you abide in Me, and My words in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." Now, I am not saying that we should "name it and claim it" as many charismatics argue, but I am saying that what we should ask for is based upon what God has revealed to us. He still has the right to say yes or no. If anything, most believers become afraid of God's will because they fear that they may be asking something against it and so James 4:2 becomes true of them, "You do not have because you do not ask." Third, I don't see it as arrogant at all to ask God for something without saying "if it be your will." Rather, I find it cowardly to pray "if it be your will" because you are leaving an out-clause. Where is the faith in that prayer? If God says no, then all you have to say is, "Well, it wasn't His will." I am sure that your children ask you for things all the time without saying, "Mom, I would like this if it is your will." They probably are more inclined to say , "Mom, can I have this?" To which you would respond, "Yes" or "No." If you are honest, you would get a thousand of those kind of requests for every one where your child asks, "Mom, can I have this if it is alright with you." Finally, let me ask a question. Why do we need to seek God's will? Can you give any example in Scripture where someone asks God what His will is? Can you provide any passage of Scripture where someone is seeking the will of God? I would argue that you cannot, and the reason that I would make that argument is because of the fact that all throughout Scripture the Bible says "This is the will of the Lord." The reason that most people cannot figure out where to go or what to do is because they are not being obedient to the already revealed will of God. Why would God reveal Himself to someone who is unfaithful? Time after time Jesus tells parable that point to the principle that more revelation is given to stewards that prove faithful with what they have been given (Luke 19:26). Hopefully, you will consider some of these comments in regards to God's will and prayer.
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