You Can't Bother God.

 

I am one of the least qualified people in the world to write about prayer. I’m not a Bible scholar or a great prayer warrior. I’m just me, an ordinary person. But because of the discussions between myself and my sister and because I keep coming across podcasts on prayer, I felt compelled to share a few thoughts.

When I was first a Christian, at age 19, I used to beg God for things. I felt fearful and out of control of certain people and things in my life, so I begged, which did not lead to peace of mind.

I realized later that Jesus didn’t pray that way. When he was distressed and frightened about dying on a cross and having the world’s sins on his heart, he asked God that if it was possible to please take it away. But he ended his prayers with, “Nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done.”

So, I quit begging and ended my prayers in the same way Jesus did. I had also learned, through trial and error, that God’s way was always the best way.  Because of the disastrous consequences of trying to answer my own prayers by my own ideas and efforts, I gave everything to him to decide. I thought I was done with begging.

Then last week, my sister had a chance to perhaps live in a motel instead of her van. She told me how much better she felt physically because she slept well. I told her I would pray for her to be able to move into the motel.

As soon as I started praying, I could feel my emotions rise with desperation for her. I wanted so much for her to get out of homelessness. Her life wasn’t horrible, she was staying in campgrounds, which were free because she is a war veteran, but still, I knew how cramped she was in that van.

I stopped myself from begging, but the thought came into my mind, “How can I twist God’s arm to let her be able to live in that motel?” Hmm, I was pretty horrified to hear my mind thinking that. I told my sister later and we had a good laugh. She wasn’t able to stay there. They couldn’t let people stay more than three weeks. My sister is fine with that. She trusts God.

The next day, I listened to Tim Keller speak about prayer. He believed since Jesus gave parables about people who “bothered” others, then we should not feel bad about bothering God about what we need or want. The first parable was about a man who needed bread for visitors who had come to his house unexpectedly. He didn’t have enough food, so he went to his friend’s house at midnight knocking on the door. He woke the friend up who responded, “Don’t bother me. We are all in bed!” But the man wouldn’t give up and kept knocking until his friend got up and gave him food.

The second parable was about a widow who had been cheated out of her money. She kept going back to the same judge over and over to get justice. The judge didn’t care about the widow but he finally said to himself, “This woman is going to wear me out. I might as well give her what she wants.”

Jesus said the parables meant not to give up when you are praying. You can bring your concerns to him over and over again. You can’t bother God.

I do have some prayers I pray every single day. Those are the prayers for my family and other people. I know these prayers make a difference. I know God looks after these people because I ask.

There is a way to pray I’ve learned lately that I really like. I listen to audio Bible and as she reads the verses, I pray along. If the Bible says, “Praise the Lord,” I pray it. If it says, “Obey God,” I say, “Help me to obey you.” If it says, “The Lord is a shield around me, he is my glory and the lifter of my head.” I repeat the verse. It’s an easy and lovely way to pray, using God’s own words.

The last thing I will share is I often pray the Lord’s Prayer. Because it starts with, “Our Father… I pray it for me and my family.

 

 

 

The Last will be First.

I’m reading a book called, “The Parables of Jesus,” by George A. Buttrick. It was published in 1928. It’s a wonderful book that gives deep insights into the parables of Jesus. One that impressed me this morning was on the parable of, The Vineyard Owner and the Laborers found in Matthew chapter 19.

The story is of a man who needs laborers and goes early to the marketplace to hire some. He finds men standing around waiting for work and hires them. They agree on a wage of a denarius for a day’s work.  The man goes back many times during the day because he needs more help. Finally, he goes at 5pm and asks the men there, “Why are you idle?”  They answer him, “Because no one has hired us.” He says, “You go too into my vineyard.”

At the end of the day, the owner pays them all the same wage – a denarius. The ones who worked the longest were angry. They questioned why those who didn’t work as hard or as long got the same amount they did. The owner said, “Friend, I am not wronging you. Can I not do what I please with what is mine? Have you a grudge because I am generous?”

Jesus finished the story by saying this, “So the last will be first, and the first last.”

He told this story after Peter had reminded Jesus that he and the other disciples had left everything and followed him. “What shall we get for this?” was his question.

The author writes, “Life, lived abundantly, does not ask, “What shall we get?” God is not the Keeper of a ledger entering a credit or debit account, according as a man observes or fails to observe certain holy regulations…”God has subtler tests than the piece-measure and the time-clock. Everlastingly, the motive of a man’s life proclaims his worth.”

The author proposes the early workers are those who greet each day with strength and resolution. They perhaps have great talent, a keen mind and a healthy body.  “But others drag crippling chains of inheritance, or beat against confining walls of circumstances. Who will hire them? They would like to serve God, but cannot serve him as they would like to. “No man has hired us.” But their intention is accepted as their deed!”

 “Though they cannot claim saintliness, though in unrealized hopes they must be content to offer hospitality to the prophet and saint, they are not forgotten in the appraisals of the kingdom: “He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.”

After reading this chapter, I thought of what I said to my husband once after we had been members at a church for a long time. “We aren’t like most of these people. We are damaged goods. We could never be an evangelist or preacher.”

We had both been horribly abused when we were children. Because of that, we both had a lot of emotional problems. Sometimes I felt like I was hanging on to God by my fingertips. What help could I be to someone else? And my hubby had anger issues because of all the beatings he endured. Neither of us were the picture-postcard of a Christian.

Reading this parable explained, I understand now that it is okay to be the last in the vineyard! Hallelujah! I’m happy with that position. I’m glad God is pleased with whatever I can do for him, even if it is very small.

Small Beginnings in the Mighty Hands of God.

Photo by, Boby Dimitrov

Once, Jesus was a small, little, wee baby. Yet he was God. Mary and Joseph were small people in a big world of famous Romans, Greeks and Jews. Kings would have looked on them as insignificant. Beneath their notice. But they held the Saviour of the world in their hands.

Jesus' ministry started out small. Two followers of John the Baptist turned to Jesus and asked him where he lived. "Come and see," said Jesus. This was the beginning of a church that would go around the whole world even until this day.

When Ezekiel was in a vision he saw something that was a parable of the growth of Christianity:

The man (God) brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side.

As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross."

After this, the man (God) showed Ezekiel the result of this living water. Some of these same words are used to describe the city of God in heaven.

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”

Ezekiel 47:1-11

Jesus said our growth as Christians would be small at first, like a shoot coming out of the ground.

He said, "First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens.  Mark4:28

Water flowing, leaves growing, yeast rising, such are the small steady ways of God. Until a trickle becomes a mighty river and a leaf becomes a tall tree and a lump of dough becomes a loaf of bread.

In this way, we are to become like Jesus. We cannot see ourselves growing; (the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. Mark 4:27) but if we give our lives to him every day, we are growing.

"Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ."   Ephesians 4:15