It’s About Trust

The standard Christian reply one receives when one admits to stress, conflict, doubt and defeat is something along the lines of, ‘you need to pray more,’ ‘you need to believe more,’ more of this or not enough of that. While these are good, traditional responses, they leave us wanting. What am I saying?? These are horrible responses!! Instead of picking us up, they leave us heaped on the floor often making us feel worse than we did before. Gee, I only felt like crap before, and now I have guilt and feelings of inadequacy to go with the crap. Thanks a bunch.. (insert polite smile emoji here).

Who doesn’t succumb to stress, conflict, doubt & defeat, among other things (hereafter referred to as ‘stressors’), now and then? If you say you don’t, either you’re not human, or you’re trying to prove something to others, or worse, to yourself; worse because sometimes, we are our own worst enemy (you know who you are). This is not healthy my friend. Experiencing stress, conflict, doubt and defeat is normal, and in measured doses, actually beneficial. The presence of these things is a very good indicator of the probability that we are growing, that we have outgrown what once fit our context and now need more, or that we are being challenged to see what lies beyond our comfort zones. Without these in one form or another, progress is unlikely at best.

How do we deal with them? What is the proper response to these stressors in our lives? What’s the remedy? These are relevant questions. And when you find the answers, please let me know as well… Haha! I kid, I kid.

If experiencing stressors is a normal part of life, then (assuming you agree with that) doesn’t it make sense that our response should also be ‘normal’ or natural? How do children respond to these stressors? Well, they simply run home to mama (assuming their caregiver is not the source of stressors). Children know instinctively to run into the comforting arms of their caregivers when faced with stressors. It’s natural, it’s normal, it’s what works. The comforting touch of a caregiver soothes the symptoms of stress and reassures the child that all will be well. And before you know it, they’re off and running again.

Our relationship with God is like that. God is a constant presence, the reason and cause of our peace. It’s our belief, i.e., trust that God is with us, as the scriptures tell us over and over again, that gives us peace. For children, it’s their belief that their caregiver will be present in their lives, which gives them confidence and security to face the world. It’s the trust that the caregiver will come to their aid that fosters security and comfort. Without the certainty and security of presence, there is no peace.

The Bible tells us in soooo many ways not to be afraid because God is with us. ‘Fear not, for I am with you, I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ How do we know this to be true? We don’t. We hope it is true. We trust that it is, just as children trust in the caregiver’s promises of presence.

So… what about praying and believing and all that, you ask. Read the 3-part post entitled ‘Prayer, What is it good for?’ below. As for believing, I’ll discuss that in the next devotional and pick up where we left off today.

A Cup of Humility

There are some words in our language that seldom get used. One of these words is ‘humility.’ We rarely use it if ever. And if by some chance it is used, it’s probably used in reference to others, not our selves as in, ‘he needs to be more humble,’ or ‘she lacks humility.’ It’s not very difficult to discern why this is so.

In a culture besieged by competition, humility is often the last word on our lips. We start early, and see it everywhere, from the arts to politics. Driven by the need to succeed, it’s survival of the fittest, no time for weakness.

But that’s one of the things sets disciples apart from the world. Jesus said, ‘blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.’ Ironic, isn’t it that the meek are the ones in the end who will be left standing. But it makes sense. In conflict and struggle, only one will be left standing in the end. But she too will fall it’s only a matter of time. When the strong have outdone and done each other in, the only ones who are left will be the meek. But I don’t think that’s what Jesus meant when he talked about meekness.

James, Jesus’ brother (for the Catholics, oops… Jesus had siblings, it’s true) borrowed from the writer of Proverbs (3:34) to write, ‘God gives grace to the humble, but opposes the proud.’ I think what Jesus meant when he said ‘the meek shall inherit the earth,’ is that the earth is there for God to give, not for any of us to take. God will stand with those who are humble. Why you ask? Because God is a ‘God of the humble, the friend of the weak’ who washes ‘the feet of the weary’ and ‘embrace the one in need.’

Meekness is not, I repeat, not weakness. It’s a quiet strength that grows from within. It’s having the power to exert one’s authority but choosing grace and patience instead. It’s having the power to kill but choosing life and liberty. It’s mercy over judgment, forgiveness over retribution. I know some people who are very, very stout in stature, character and spirit, but don’t ever draw attention to themselves, who are always the first to bow down and serve others. That’s meekness; having the strength to force obeisance but choosing servitude instead. Let’s face it, if you have to shout out loud how strong you are, how talented you are, how great you are, you’re not really as strong, as talented or as great as you think you are.

Jesus said it in so many ways, ‘If someone strikes you on the cheek, turn the other cheek’, ‘if someone wants your coat, give him your shirt as well’, ‘if someone forces you to walk a mile, walk two miles’, ‘love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’ He did not say, ‘crush your enemies and destroy those who persecute you.’ History has taught us how those things usually turn out. Not well.

We need humility. It’s the only way. Correction, it’s the only sustainable way, in all areas of personal and corporate concerns. If we are to survive, to ever see a future worth something, we need humility. We need it in our global society, now more than ever; forgiveness, acceptance, understanding, generosity, kindness, gentleness, self-control. We don’t need walls for protection from ‘riff raff.’

We need it in our personal relationships. All those relationships marred by pain and grief… humility is the remedy. Even in our relationship with God, especially in our relationship with God, we need humility.

Lent 2016

(We’re back!  I apologize for being… lazy.  haha!  Well, now that we’re back check in Mondays and Thursdays during Lent for devotionals.  Hope you find them helpful.  As always I welcome your comments.  God bless.)

Let’s get something out of the way right quick. Every year, when Lent comes around, people talk about giving up things like chocolate or cigarettes. Don’t bother. You don’t have to give them up. Giving them up for 40 days, what’s that going to do anyway? While there are many good and compelling reasons to give up cigarettes and maybe even chocolate, God isn’t one of them. Case in point, I went years without giving up a single thing for Lent until I found out about the tradition as an adult. And even then I didn’t give anything up and not once did I feel the wrath of God on myself (except that one time when I thought I lost my golf swing only to find out that my pants were too tight). So if you feel like giving something up but don’t know why you should, don’t bother. Just don’t bother.

Where’d all that come from anyway? How’d it start and what does it mean? As you may or may not know, Lent is the period of 40 days leading up to Easter starting with Ash Wednesday (February 10) and ending on Holy Thursday (March 24), before Good Friday. Why 40 days? 40 is an oft repeated number in the bible. It rained for 40 days on Noah and the ark, the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years.

It shows up all over the place and in all, 40 appears over 140 times in the bible. Betcha didn’t know that. (Side note: the early Christians also believed that Jesus was in the tomb for 40 hours before the resurrection. Now, that’s silly) But the 40 days that Lent commemorates is the 40 days Jesus fasted in the desert. Lent ties Jesus’ preparation for and beginning of his ministry to its end and encourages devotees to prepare themselves through penitence and self-denial as we prepare for Good Friday and Easter.

Penitence and self-denial. Did I stutter? Penitence and self-denial. Chocolate doesn’t make much sense does it? Penitence is about humility. Self-denial is about awareness. Let me explain.

God doesn’t need us to say we’re sorry before he forgives us. God is not petty. God has already forgiven us. Repentance reflects our gratitude. It shows that we understand our need for God. Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven’ which means, God blesses those who realize their need for forgiveness, for peace, for God, because it’s not within them. That’s humility.

Self-denial goes hand in hand with a growing awareness of the other’s need. It is a direct relationship, as one increases the other also increases. People practice self-denial in a different context for selfish gain or benefit, like denying our self that pie a-la-mode to lose weight and look good. In the context of Lent, self-denial is different. It is practiced for others’ sake. It is a sacrifice made for the greater good, a self-less act born out of love and awareness for others.

Giving up chocolate and the like is not about others but about us. It’s selfish and that’s why there’s no place for it in Lent, and that’s why you don’t have to give them up, at least not for Lent. The whole point is: we’re supposed to give up something that means something, worth something, costs something. Anything short of that is not a sacrifice

A sacrifice made in that spirit is worthy, worth-ship, worship. In that spirit, perhaps you should give something up for Lent after all. In the spirit of him whom we imitate beginning with Lent this year and for the rest of your life, give up… yourself. The gift that He really wants is the gift of our hearts and our lives. Sacrifice yourself to the Lord and allow God to do what he wills in you, and through you.

A New Identity & Purpose

Prometheus is a Titan in Greek mythology who helped Zeus gain victory over his father Cronus and other Titans to become king of Mt. Olympus.  His claim to fame however is that he is the one who brought fire, among other things, to humanity.  By doing this, he royally ticked Zeus off (pun intended), and was sentenced to eternal punishment by being chained to a rock and eagles were to sent to torment him daily by eating his liver which regenerated during the night… very pleasant.  He was later rescued by Hercules.

The name Prometheus literally means ‘forethought’ and Prometheus has over time, become the personification of enlightenment.  The name of this blog has changed from “Morning Devotions” to “A Promethean Dialogue: Conversations about Life & Spirituality” which represents a broader purpose than the previous name did.  You are encouraged and welcomed to share your comments and thoughts after each post.

Here’s to enlightenment and conversations about life and spirituality!

When Life Takes a Wrong Turn

Last week, a friend contacted me to ask for words of encouragement for a man she knew, whose wife was battling cancer. His wife was scheduled for surgery the following day and he was understandably very anxious.  She asked for uplifting words to keep him positive through this episode.  I hope you will find these words to be uplifting for you in your time of trials.

“At times like this, people often say that everything happens for a reason or that what happens is God’s will, or God doesn’t give us any more than we can handle.  I don’t subscribe to any of these philosophies.  People say these things to each other in times of hurt, because they have an irresistible urge to comfort and soothe, but overwhelmed with a deep sense of helplessness.  And in a moment that screams for some sort of an explanation, this is how we soothe those we love.  But all those sentiments don’t make these statements any truer than telling our children that Santa will come in the middle of the night, on one night of the year, to reward them for their good behavior.  

It is not God’s will that we suffer in any way.  In fact, God wants us to have life and Peace.  So much so that he even offers us eternal life. There is no reason or rhyme for suffering.  If in fact all things happen for a reason, the only reason for suffering and pain is to rob us of God’s will for us to experience a life filled with meaning and purpose.  And God does give us more than we can handle to help us grow.  I heard someone say recently that our muscles will only grow as big as the resistance will allow them to grow.  If you lift a 30 lb. weight all the time, your muscles will only grow enough to lift that 30 lb. weight efficiently.  In order to grow that muscle, you have to lift heavier and heavier weights.  If God is involved in our lives, as we hope, I think he would give us more than we can handle and push us to our limits so that we can grow deeper.  But I think there are so many other ways to help us grow than making us watch our loved ones suffer or suffer ourselves to that degree.

Like you, I am in the position of watching a loved one, who was once vibrant and full of life, energy and charisma being slowly reduced by a horrible disease or condition to a mere shell of their formal selves.  My father had triple by-pass surgery in April or May of 2010.  During the surgery, my dad suffered an embolism which led to a stroke.  He hasn’t been the same since.  And today, he is bed ridden and catatonic.  It is hard to watch someone who inspired you for so long, someone whom you’ve loved all your life, be reduced to mere flesh and bones.  

So how do we respond to these situations?  Sometimes, things just happen to people, through no fault of their own.  Your wife and so many others are forced to do battle cancer, my dad suffering an embolism and stroke during heart surgery.  There is no purpose for these events.  We live in a very complex society where we live with 7 billion other people all of whom are dealing with problems related to their health, family, and self.  We make choices that not only affect us and others, even those who live on the other side of the planet.  Governments, corporations, institutions, individuals, all make decisions that affect everyone else, well intended or not.  Part of the price we pay of living in this complex society is sometimes manifested in pain and suffering; wars, man-made diseases, hunger, poverty, injustices, etc. Despite all of God’s will and effort, we bring so much pain and suffering on each other and ourselves.     

But the good news is that God is present and is at work around us.  After 9/11 people were asking where God was during these events.  A lot of people lost their faith that day and in the weeks that followed.  They lost their faith because they wanted to see God on their own terms; stopping planes in mid-air, catching people as they fell from the buildings, and punishing terrorists.  God was there alright.  He was with those who were suffering, with those who were heartbroken and grieving over loved ones lost.  In fact, God is always present with us, and we often see him in the darkest hours of our lives.  

King David of the Old Testament wrote “Yea, tho I walk thru the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear for Thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”  It is thought that David wrote this psalm when he was on the run from his own son Absalom who wanted to kill David to capture the throne.  This psalm shows not only the pain and anguish of having to defend himself from his own son but the resolve David had.  Although he did not understand why this was happening, he knew that he was not alone.  And in the end, that was enough to sustain him.  Here is the whole psalm:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; 

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil; For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

 

I hope these words will comfort you, not so much by giving you reasons or even understanding.  Just like it did for David, I wish that his word will bring you comfort in knowing that you are not alone, and more importantly, your wife is not alone, your son is not alone.  We are not alone.  Not only is God with you, God’s people are with you as well.  There are so many praying for you and your family.  You are not alone.”  

Happy Belated Veterans Day?

We are a nation that loves our brave men and women who serve this country, defending our freedom and preserving the American way of life.  A complete 180 from the post Vietnam era when returning soldiers were not welcomed, being spat on, cursed out, and ostracized because they were ‘baby killers.’  Today, our love of veterans have soared high, approaching Babel proportions, bordering on religious fervor.  There are even campaigns telling me to buy a veteran a cup of coffee at the local coffee shop if I happen to run into one.  National restaurant chains have even joined in on the action giving away free meals to veterans and families on Veterans Day.  What they won’t do however is give them jobs. 

Recent surveys reveal that unemployment rates among veterans between 26-29 years of age, at 12-15%, are higher than the national average of the same age bracket, which hovers around 9% (varies slightly according to diff. sources).  Now, which do you think veterans would want, a cup of coffee or a job to support themselves and their families?  A free meal at a restaurant or a job?  Our gratitude or a job?  I think… unemployed veterans would LOVE a job!!  But that’s just me…

In a recent interview during the government shutdown, Senator John McCain said something to the effect that the way America treats veterans is not acceptable (He said it more eloquently that I just did).  Others have resounded this sentiments saying that most Americans are content with the parades and periodic demonstrations of support and thanks, but when the parade is over so does the attention given to veterans.  Beginning with our administration down to the infrastructures designed to help veterans, there is a large disconnect.  The VA is backed up with an inexhaustible list of veterans waiting ridiculously long periods to receive the basic services and benefits they need, while thousands go without ever receiving them.   

There is also a large disconnect in our culture if you haven’t noticed.  In the face of facts about how veterans are really treated in our nation, we see another unflattering fact about Americans.  We are a nation infatuated with saying the ‘right’ things with the appearance that we’re doing the ‘right’ things and being in public denial of the fact that in private, we’re not really interested.  What interests us is that people think we’re interested.  Just a casual surf on the tides of Google search will expose you to the infinite string of images and words extending out into cyberspace, expressing our gratitude to our veterans.  If you’re really that grateful, give them jobs.  Put your money where your mouth is.

Just about everyday, I see it on Facebook and other social media outputs, posted words and images supposedly to inspire people.  Some of them are so… um…  bland, I can’t read them without cracking up (in fact, I don’t really read them).  We are overly obsessed with feeling good (and makings others feel good) and looking good, that we have lost the sense of what it means to be good.  

What if people stopped with the lip service and followed up with what they say are important and valuable?  What if people stopped looking for ‘sweet’ nothings and hungered for something challenging?  What if people really put their money where there mouth is?  What a different world this would be huh?  Not just for veterans, but for all of us in the global community.

So now with the typhoon in the Philippines, people are saying the right things, believing the right things.  But are we doing the right things?  Or should we just have a parade to remember or honor them like we do everyone else?

Prayer, What is it Good For?: Part 3 of 3

 

In closing out this short series, I want to encourage your thoughts and feed back in the comments below.  Also, I would like to put your thoughts on this blog.  If you have any thoughts on a topic write it down and we can dialogue over the blog.  I hope you enjoyed reading this short series, contributed by a reader. 

 

Jesus’ Prayer

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.  Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

This is a prayer of suffering, inner conflict, and yet also of willing submission.  This is neither just about him, nor just about his relationship with God.  What Jesus is struggling with here, I think, is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” and to “love your neighbors as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). Practicing both commandments cost him dearly:  his life.

In this prayer, we do not see the Jesus who stops the storm, raises the dead, chases demons out, and feeds thousands with a couple loaves of bread.  This is the Jesus who had wept when Lazarus died.  This is the Jesus who would later say, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”  These very last words of Jesus on the cross according to two of the Gospels are not something we’d think the Son of God, who was, is, and will be, would say.  No, it sounds like utter despair, helplessness, and doubt:  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  He felt forsaken and didn’t know why.  Less than 24 hours after his brave prayer, “not as I will, but as you will,” he still questioned the reason for his suffering.

I have prayed to God in similar ways.  “Please help me, God, but if this be your will, I submit myself to you,” so I’d pray, only to add later, “But why did this happen to me? Why do you ignore me?”

I often wondered about this teaching of Jesus about prayer:  “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24).  Seemingly, it even worked with self-centered prayers of Jabez and Hezekiah, and perhaps with Agur as well.  But God did not remove the cup from Jesus.

So why pray?  What is it good for?  Does it make any difference?  Many people say that prayer is conversation between God and us.  I highly doubt it.  To me, conversation is two-way communication:  input, output; sending, receiving.  I can talk to a tree all day and perhaps “feel” its response to me, but I won’t call that a conversation.  I definitely don’t pray for God’s sake:  He already knows what I have to say.  I also don’t pray for other people’s sake, or being seen/heard by others (even though many people do seem to pray for that reason).  By way of Sherlock Holmsian deduction, I suspect that one prays for one’s sake.  This doesn’t necessarily mean being selfish.  I can pray for my sake for selfish reasons.  I can also pray for my sake for unselfish reasons.  Also, being selfish or not doesn’t seem to affect God’s response, as we see in Jabez’ and Hezekiah’s prayers and in Jesus’ prayer.

I think we pray because it leads us to hope and courage.  “That’s it?” you might say.  “That’s about it,” I say.  And it’s a big deal.  A huge deal.  A hope that the Mighty One of grace and compassion, of love and patience, is hearing us.  A hope that the Creator is understanding the sufferings of the created.

Such hope is the flickering light in utter darkness.  When the light stops flickering, the alternative is death, either physical or spiritual, or both.  I dare say that Jesus sought hope as well in the Garden of Gethsemane when he prayed to the point that “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44).  When he said to the sleeping disciples, “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Matt 25:41), I don’t think the statement was directed only to their sleeping.  His body was weak, and his spirit suffered, too.  Curiously, Luke records, “An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him” (Luke 22:43) while Jesus was praying.  How did an angel “strengthen” Jesus?  Again, I dare say it was hope through which Jesus was strengthened.

I’m almost certain that every one of those who survived holocaust had prayed on each new day.  Not everyone who prayed survived, but those who survived prayed.  Speaking of the holocaust, I think the young girl Anne Frank beautifully summed up what hope does:

            “As long as this exists,” I thought, “and I may live to see it, this sunshine, the cloudless     skies, while this lasts, I cannot be unhappy.” The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be.

And this was her prayer.  If, as the writer of Hebrews says, faith is “being sure of what we hope for,” Anne was a person of faith.  Prayer can help us see, smell, hear, and touch hope, when it seems elusive, fragile, and flickering, because hope, along with grace, love, and compassion, is another name for God, whom we were born to seek.

So, prayer, what is it good for?  To me, it is not a means to an end, nor is it a means to “converse” with God.  Rather, it is a process through which we find hope, which strengthens us.  And in that strength, we will find God.  In that strength, we can become courageous to fight evil, whatever form it may take.  That process, I believe, leads us to communion with God.

Going back to what Jesus said about prayer, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours,” it seems to me that he was talking about the assurance of hope.  God may or may not remove the cup from me.  I may never even find out why and feel forsaken.  But as long as I have the light in sight, albeit dim and flickering at times, I know I’ll be alright and maybe even be able to point that light to someone else to see….

Prayer, What is it Good For?: Part 2 of 3

Jabez’ Prayer

“Bless me and enlarge my territory!  Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”

To me, this is the most selfish, self-centered kind of all prayers.  It’s the “me, me, me” prayer.  Bruce Wilkinson wrote a short book out of this prayer (and quite a bit of mileage, too), but I have no respect for this prayer.  How is this prayer different from that of a Shaman?  That of praying to a genie?  Yet, the Bible simply states:  “And God granted his request” (I Chronicle 4:10).  Only if life was that simple!  Bring a dollar bill, insert it in the slot, press the button, and grab what you desired: A vending machine prayer.

One of my least favorite biblical characters is neither Judas Iscariot nor Queen Jezebel, but King Hezekiah.  His prayer is in II Kings 20:3, asking for an extension of his life:  “Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.”  Hezekiah is playing how-I-have-been-good-all-the-time with God.  He is seeking payback; the insurance proceeds after all the premium payments were made.  To him, God is a tool, a stepping stone through which he gets what he wants.  Again, I have no respect for him.  Yet, God’s response was: “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you” (2 Kings 20:5).

Many of us pray just like that.  We ask for blessings of good health, healing, safety, material abundance, and so on.  When we see what we wanted realized, we praise God for answering our prayers.  Otherwise, we give our own interpretations for the “unanswered prayers”:  God has bigger plans for us, God’s time is different from ours, we did not pray hard enough.  We may go further than that and say, “Maybe God doesn’t care.  Maybe my praying doesn’t matter.  Maybe God can’t do anything about it, either.  Maybe God doesn’t exist.”

I’ve heard of people whose prayers have been answered so timely, so precisely, so miraculously.  And I said to myself, “Why them?  Why not me?”

For a few years, I prayed to God for one thing:  Peace.  I don’t mean the world peace, but peace in my heart.  Battling depression and anxiety, I prayed and prayed.  I went to church frequently and prayed.  I prayed at night, prayed while reading the Bible, prayed in between.  I believed with my whole heart that God will answer my prayer.  As much as I disliked Hezekiah, I wanted to hear what he heard:  “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.”

I did not hear that.  I gave up.  Instead of praying, I got myself on anti-depression medication and found that it worked.  Later, I complained to my husband, “Why didn’t God answer my prayer?  I didn’t want to be on medication.”  He said, “I don’t know about you, but he heard mine.  I just prayed that you’d feel better.  And you do now with medication.”

So did God answer our prayers? Is He still answering?  Is prayer a means to an end, the “answer”?

Agur’s Prayer

“Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die:  Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.  Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’  Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”

I’ve always been fond of this prayer.  If Jabez’ prayer is one dimensional, this prayer definitely is two dimensional.  What Agur asks for seems deceptively simple:  Honesty and daily bread.  But he asks for them for the sake of his relationship with God.  He does not trust his own ability to keep integrity, faith, and ethics when circumstances change.  He admits his potential weaknesses and humbly asks God for an optimal environment in which he can continue to have communion with God.  It is a passive prayer, still self-centered, but with God in sight.  The Bible says nothing else about this character, nor do we find out whether God “answered” his prayer.  But I doubt God’s answer or no-answer would have made much of a difference in Agur’s life anyway, as Agur’s prayer, I think, is more about his attitude, or philosophy, of life than about supplication.

Not as many as Jabezs, but there are enough of Agurs around us.  They are good citizens, hard working, God-fearing, and content.  I used to want to be one, until I found this attitude to be a bit too smug for my liking.  Love and compassion were missing….

Prayer, What is it Good For?: Part 1

A subscriber of this blog sent me this essay on prayer, and with permission I in turn share it with you.  This is a three part post that I hope will challenge your thinking about prayer.  I welcome any questions and comments of course, and your contribution to this dialogue.

PRAYER, WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?

In a Jerry Seinfeld show episode, there is one where Seinfeld tells Elaine, “Did you know that Tolstoy’s War and Peace was originally ‘War, What Is It Good For?’”  Gullible as she is, she goes around telling people, making a fool out of herself, “War and Peace was originally called ‘War, What Is It Good For.’”

I ask myself, “Prayer, what is it good for?”

Several years ago, the journalist-spiritual writer Philip Yancey wrote a book titled, “Prayer:  Does It Make Any Difference?”  I went to the library and asked the reference person to find the call number for Yancey’s “Prayer” for me.  “The title has too many entries,” she said.   Of course.  So I said, “Try ‘Prayer, colon, Does It Make Any Difference?”  I meant the subtitle that follows the generic title.  And I heard her saying, “I don’t know.  I’ll tell you in a bit.”  Confused, I looked at her and realized that she misunderstood my addendum as to mean, “Try colon after ‘Prayer.’  Did that work?”

Does prayer really work?  Does it make any difference?

There are many prayers in the Bible.  There are many kinds of prayers in the Bible.  The most famous of all probably is The Lord’s Prayer, taught by Jesus himself (Matthew 6:9-13).  And he taught us this prayer because he did not want us to “babble.”  There’s also the prayer of Mary praising God after Gabriel delivers the message of the virgin birth and Elizabeth blesses her (Luke 1:46-55).  Again, there’s the triumphant prayer of the barren Hannah (I Samuel 2), after she gets what she wanted:  a son.  Psalms consist of various types of prayers:  praise and thanksgiving, hope and despair, vengeance and humility.

I like categorizing things, and I categorize prayers, too.  Job’s prayer right after he lost everything he possessed was that of submission and acceptance:  “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21).  Compare that with Jonah’s prayer:  “Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live”! (Johah 4:3).  It is like a teenager’s rebellion against her parents, one with an attitude.  Again compare that with David’s prayer of repentance after his adultery with Bathsheba is found out:  “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight….  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:4, 17).

I’ve long been intrigued by three prayers in the Bible:  the prayer of Jabez (I Chronicles 4:10), the prayer of Agur (Proverbs 30:7-9), and the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39, 42).  Each one is distinct in its nature and reveals the character of the one who says it.  They also illustrate what we do when we pray.