I just heard a clip of someone asking Senator and Presidential hopeful John Edwards if he thought prayer works. He said he didn't think so. He prayed before his son died and he prayed before his wife was diagnosed with cancer to no avail either time. So prayer doesn't work. I have to commend him for his honesty and I can't imagine the pain that his answer came from.
I don't write this to condemn him in any way but rather to condemn the question. When people ask "does prayer work?", what do they mean by "work"? They mean do you get what you want. But God isn't a genie in a bottle granting wishes and the better you are or the more you pray the more wishes you get answered. Prayer isn't about getting what you want or about getting God to do what you want. Prayer is about a relationship with God. Thats like asking "does talking with your wife work?". Assuming nothing is wrong with her hearing, of course it works, she hears me and as a result of our talking our relationship grows. Just as talking with Jenny is my way of connecting with her so praying with God is my way of connecting with him. So does prayer work to connect with God and grow closer to him? Yes.
Now if I came home from work and said, "Jenny, thank you for being my wife and for all the things you do, please do the dishes, vacuum and cook dinner. I love you, bye." then I went downstairs and watched TV... in that case you might say that "talking" didn't work. If that is how I talk to my wife then not only will I not get what I asked for, but it won't bring us closer together either. So will prayers like this "work"? No.
On the other hand when we face hardship and we pray like Jesus "Lord please let this cup pass from me, but not my will be done but rather yours." Instead of only asking for healing or for the situation to be changed we open ourselves up to seeing how God is working through this pain or trial. We begin to see how Gods Kingdom is moving forward and how we can line ourselves up with Gods perfect will. We may not always find answers in this but we will find peace.
Showing posts with label Prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prayer. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Monday, August 27, 2007
Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
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On another yet similar note I heard a speaker on the radio on Saturday (sorry I can't remember the name) say how, as Christians, we all like to be called servants but few of us like to be treated as a servant. He gave the example of how when he was scheduled to speak at a national conference he noticed on the printed schedule with all of the other speakers it gave their PH D's and other credentials but for him it only had his name. He felt slighted because he too had the same education as these other guys. Then he was convicted of his pride in wanting to get the credit that he deserved and realized that servant hood is just something that we do but it is an attitude of selflessness.
It really struck me with my own life. I don't like to be treated like a servant. It is one thing to do an act of service out of the "kindness of my heart" but it really grates me to be treated like a servant. It wounds my self worth I suppose. I think when I do an act of service voluntarily I am still in control, but when I am treated poorly like a servant I feel out of control and devalued.
Jesus humbled himself to not only wash the feet of the disciples but then to allow himself to be handed over to the Jews by Judas and then to the Romans by the Jews, to be beaten, spit on, mocked and crucified. Jesus "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant..."
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
----------
On another yet similar note I heard a speaker on the radio on Saturday (sorry I can't remember the name) say how, as Christians, we all like to be called servants but few of us like to be treated as a servant. He gave the example of how when he was scheduled to speak at a national conference he noticed on the printed schedule with all of the other speakers it gave their PH D's and other credentials but for him it only had his name. He felt slighted because he too had the same education as these other guys. Then he was convicted of his pride in wanting to get the credit that he deserved and realized that servant hood is just something that we do but it is an attitude of selflessness.
It really struck me with my own life. I don't like to be treated like a servant. It is one thing to do an act of service out of the "kindness of my heart" but it really grates me to be treated like a servant. It wounds my self worth I suppose. I think when I do an act of service voluntarily I am still in control, but when I am treated poorly like a servant I feel out of control and devalued.
Jesus humbled himself to not only wash the feet of the disciples but then to allow himself to be handed over to the Jews by Judas and then to the Romans by the Jews, to be beaten, spit on, mocked and crucified. Jesus "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant..."
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