Good News Sense

Why do we pray? Many of us pray when there are tragedies, serious illness, sometimes pending death, and other matters beyond our direct ability to fix. Do we pray in hope or hopelessness? Is prayer our way of asking for help when we are forced to admit we cannot do anything? How often is our prayer nothing more than a glorified wish?  Or motivated by desperation when all else has failed?

Given that God is our heavenly Daddy, I cannot quarrel with such prayers; they are typical of children who frequently ask their parents for the things they want. How often, I wonder, is our praying just Christians going through the motions? How many of us have such fear of God that we expect only bad things, as if he were an abusive parent tormenting his children? Do others of us pray without much genuine expectation because we see ourselves as unworthy, bad children who will only get coal in their stockings?

I sat in a Biggby’s coffee shop and settled into a feeling of hopelessness because my laptop was quickly becoming unusable, shortly after booting up. I was sure it was dying. Although finances are slowly improving, I couldn’t afford to replace it or maybe even repair it, right now. Was it some weird virus, or was something basic beginning to fail? Can I pray for God to “heal” a computer? I didn’t. I did finally uninstall the updated antivirus program; and, not only did the problems go away, but the laptop began to run better than it had in months. Apparently, the earlier version was interfering with the operating system, too.

It struck me that I often fail to pray, even as the thought comes to mind, because I’ve already decided it “won’t work.” Is it strange to pray for a laptop? Maybe it’s better to pray for oneself in trying to guess what’s wrong with it, but certainly praying is always appropriate. The car is getting old. Will it last another winter? If not, what will happen? Do I pray for another car? Do I pray for this car to last? Does God care about my need for transportation? My laptop? Maybe it’s my problem, not his. If it’s my responsibility, then why pray?

Was life easier when people only needed to pray for obvious necessities—food, protection, shelter, healing? We have so many things that we feel we need, but we won’t die without them. Yet, we work for those things, and our work requires cars and laptops and capital investments. We should pray for one, even as we pray for the other. God may say no at any stage, for reasons he holds in his wisdom; but he never says no because he doesn’t care. He never says no because we aren’t good enough; his love and grace always motivate his response, along with his wisdom.

James says, “You have not because you don’t ask. You ask and don’t receive because you seek to satisfy your lust.” Jesus promised so plainly, “Ask and it will be given…seek and you will find.” I am so grateful that God understands my reluctance and graciously responds to my need, even when I don’t ask, often because I doubt my worthiness. I wish I could be more “childlike” and just bug my heavenly father with every innocent thing I might wish. Somehow, I suspect that kind of praying would please Him, even more than our frantic, desperate requests for intervention when things go bad.

“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

To be honest, when I pray, I tend to think in terms of faith like a mustard seed.  That verse is a great promise for when our faith is small and tentative.  However, Jesus also made this promise.  Together they offer an amazing opportunity to seek what we need from God, not as a “fairy godmother” or a genie in a bottle, fulfilling our every passing desire, but rather as a loving father hearing the needs of his children.

I have been praying for a school for immigrants because I tutor refugees who need more than most of the schools are willing or able to provide them.  I have been tutoring kids who’ve come to this country without any family, with their parents often dead or missing.  They’re placed in foster homes, and many of the foster parents are kind, loving people.  Otherwise, they have no one, although some have me.  When I started doing this, I was hooked; perhaps better to say, God put a burden on my heart for these kids, a very literal burden.

Besides my individual work, I have been helping foreign students at New Covenant Christian School, and slowly the number of my foreign students has been increasing.  Until this year, that is!  I learned a week or two ago that we’d have 7, and Saturday I got a phone call telling me we might have 6-8 more!  Suddenly, my one-on-one tutoring has grown into a program, one step away from a full-fledged school (within a school).

I’ve no doubt God has been working.  New Covenant has a heart for foreign students, too.  The senior pastor’s wife, herself a teacher, shares my desire for a school for these students, and she has been encouragin me since I first mentioned it.

For the last day, however, I have been pondering the matter of prayer.  I asked for this, but did I expect it?  Was I praying with faith, or was I merely throwing my words at God?  I’ve never doubted that He gave me this desire, this mission, and I’ve even remarked that I’m rather passed the age of new visions…or so I thought!  I can feel a little of Moses’ questioning: “Who am I to take this on?”  I don’t speak a single foreign language.  My degree are in physics and pastoral ministry.  I taught myself English as a Second Language.

Yet, I did ask.  I may have been a little cautious, but I asked.  I considered the impossibility, but I know God loves to do what appears impossible or what indeed is impossible for us mere mortals.  I was aware of how little preparation I have for this, but I asked anyway, because it’s a task that needs doing.  Huge numbers of people from many countries have come and are coming.  We can assimilate them, teach them English, show them our American heritage, and model our faith; or we can allow them to become a new lower class, doomed to do the dirty jobs “real Americans” won’t do.

So, I’m ready to pray and believe.  How much to do miss because we don’t pray in faith?  Are we so faithless that we can’t even pray with a mustard seed sized faith?  How much to we lack because we don’t pray at all?

Last time, I mentioned Stuart Robinson’s Mosques and Miracles: Revealing Islam and God’s Grace and how long I had been reading it because of the challenges described in most of the book. Well, I finally finished it, and the final quarter of the book was worth plodding through the rest. I found it hopeful and encouraging, particularly in reaffirming the importance of prayer. We face serious threats here and abroad. The world may be a very different place for future generations unless we believers face the challenge. I favor doing all we can politically, and I hope we do not surrender in the war on terror. Yet, we dare not ignore the spiritual dimension of both domestic concerns and foreign threats.

For a long time, I have thought that too much prayer is mundane—help the sick, find a job, deal with this or that problem. I wonder how many actually believe that God will hear them. I am sure God wants us to seek his help when we need it, but our privilege in prayer is so much greater. As important, I suspect some engage in spiritual practices seeking only to experience the supernatural; here again, I fear people seek something more for themselves than accepting the greater opportunity that prayer offers.

I wonder how much American Christians actually believe in prayer. Robinson tells amazing stories of Muslims coming to Christ. Sometimes, they have dreams or visions, just like in the Bible, things I’ve also heard missionaries tell. Our good life here easily robs us of a sense of the supernatural, of our own dependence on God, and of the vitality of prayer. We have our blessed lives, bank accounts, and retirement, though we’re seeing how easily our own government may take them from us. Robinson suggests, however, that miracles are happening in places where Christian missionaries may not go, and he credits God through the prayers of committed Christians seeking that very thing.

I had a student who amazed me with his simple, direct faith. He was an Afghani Muslim who had come to Christ in Russia. His Muslim father had told him, early in his life, that if he ever needed help to “pray to Jesus.” That was a remarkable thing for a Muslim father to tell his son, despite the fact that the Koran speaks favorable of “Isa” (as a prophet). My student took his father’s advice, but that was only the first of many “prayers to Isa.” He told me so many stories of dealing with life and its problems where he simply prayed to Jesus. I was to teach him English, but I gained so much more from him.

We Americans enjoy the privilege of freedom and democratic government, and I believe deeply in both. I believe more in God’s power, power we access through prayer. Political activism may turn things around in Washington, and our military may defeat the radical terrorists who cry “Death to America!” Yet God desires more from us than pleas to preserve our way of life in this world. Jesus said, “Make disciples of all nations,” including the many where Islam dominates. In Ephesians, Paul writes, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms… And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Such prayer is more than an opportunity; it is a divine obligation.

I have always had a cautious view of spiritual warfare, as some refer to it. In one sense, everything in a Christian’s life is a battle with the enemy; in another sense, it can be a way of avoiding the personal responsibilities that God has given us. To put it another way, “The devil made me do it” is an easy justification for sin; for many sinners, the devil has no need to trouble them, as they already are doing his work. Besides, the devil is not God; he is not all-knowing, all-powerful, or everywhere present. I wonder if evil spiritual influences are not more like the KGB, the former Soviet Union’s spy agency, working cleverly behind the scenes, especially in those areas more critical to the overall war.

Islam represents such an area. If you’re not familiar with this religion, I encourage you get Mosques and Miracles or Unveiling Islam: An Insider’s Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs by Ergun and Emir Caner. As the world’s newest and fastest growing major religion, it has shown itself to be both powerful and enduring, even to inciting militant aggression and terrorism through suicidal attacks. Many Muslims hate both Jews and Christians, partly from misunderstandings and partly from mistakes made by Christians. As a result, many countries prohibit missionaries and treat Christians as second class citizens, sometimes even physically harming them.

Yet prayer knows no boundaries, cannot be stopped by human borders, and will not be limited even by the devil’s power. Only our failure to use it restricts the possibilities. Robinson believes prayer is already making a huge difference, but I don’t believe the Church of Jesus Christ has yet to tap the depths of the enormous power available through prayer. I’m ashamed to admit my own failings in this area, but I urge you to make this area of prayer a priority. Pray for God’s hand to work in the big concerns in our world and in our nation. Look beyond your own comfort and future or even that of your children. Be the voice of God to change the world, to defeat the enemies of God and his people, and to win the world to His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.

* * * * *

Now, I’ve started reading The Diversity Culture: Creating Conversations of Faith with Buddhist Baristas, Agnostic Students, Aging Hipsters, Political Activists & Everyone in Between, by Matthew Raley. I was so impressed with what I read about the book that I wrote the author. Now, at a little over half-way, I see that his ideas mesh well with Robinson’s.  We must pray for the lost, and then we really need to make a thoughtful effort to reach them.  More later…

For a slogan to be trustworthy, it must be true. Political slogans are notable in their vacuousness, and this one is especially meaningless. Basic English grammar says that this sentence needs a direct object: “Yes, we can what?” Even adding another of the words from the same campaign, we know little more to say, “Yes, we can change things.” If I could, I’d change my bald head into a full head of hair, but I can’t do that. Despite ads to the contrary, so far, male pattern baldness can be covered but not undone.

The people of the United States have remarkable power to change many things politically, but it requires knowledge and a bit of effort. Trusting slick campaigns and glib politicians is not the way. Too many of us have accepted that approach, assuming we can trust our elected officials to take care of our country for us. People, who often wouldn’t trust their own mothers and fathers to manage their affairs (once they’re adults themselves), seem to imagine they can trust strangers with well-crafted celebrity-styled images. Our various representatives serve our interests and carry out our wishes only when we hold them accountable; we do that by voting them out of office for not doing what they promise. Frankly, Americans haven’t been doing that.  Blaming the “ins” for natural shifts in an economy no one controls is mere reaction, not accountability.  Blaming a President for the results of actions taken by Congress is ignorant, as many are.

The news has been especially troubling, of late. As a result, more and more people, including believers, seem to express doubt about the future. While the future is always uncertain, and given that the Lord makes no guarantees to us concerning this world, I find such hopelessness distressing. As believers, we are not powerless. We are intimately connected to the God of power, the One who created and sustains our very existence. As children of God and citizens of His kingdom, we can! We can make a difference, and I have written about that in some detail.

What can we do? I will mention a few things and invite you to add to my list. First of all, we can pray. We have great power in prayer because we pray to the God of all power. Prayer isn’t magic; it is not Aladdin’s lamp filled with wishes. Yes, we may come to God with our needs, problems, and wishes, and he may give what we seek. Often we don’t have because we don’t ask. At the same time, prayer is our line of communication, two-way street. We must listen, seek wisdom, ask for guidance, and respect Him who is, after all, our Sovereign Lord and Heavenly Father. As one song says, “It’s not about me!”

Second, we can love. Without love, we cannot. That’s a big deficiency in most politicians; they love no one but themselves. Their assertions of caring and compassion are a ruse, and not a very good one. Those who often make the loudest claims of caring are frequently those whose personal actions prove the lie. Paul states it plainly; without love, nothing, nada, zilch! A friend sent me a review of a book called Love or Die. Does that sound harsh? It is true, you know. Somehow, we manage to convince ourselves that the Great Commandment is, well, secondary, while we involve ourselves with what’s really important. We delude ourselves into thinking we’ve got it covered, even as we neglect love disgracefully (Isn’t that an interesting word? Fully not grace!) Without love, we cannot. With love we can.

All other sources of individual power—being an example, serving as a mentor, being an agents of change, evangelizing, connecting to our community, and influencing culture—all hinge on love. If we make them mere activities, we are no different from the multitudes of other activists. With love bathed in prayer, we can. Yes, we can! (I realized as I was writing that the idea of love as a key to effectiveness is worth further development. Stay tuned…)

(Originally posted August 3, 2008)

Does God know when we’re struggling, afraid, doubting, guilty, or lonesome? Of course, he does. Jesus promised never to leave or abandon us, and nothing can separate us from His love. No matter where we go or what we do, He is there. No one of us is some distant stranger or anonymous servant; we are his siblings and his friends. He is the very best kind of brother and friend to us; he is aware of our situations, he knows what we need, and he is capable of providing it.

Last night, I decided to look up some Josh Groban videos on the Internet. One of my students’ foster parents had introduced me to his music, and I find it remarkably beautiful and compelling. I bought one CD and then gave it to a friend. I think I have another, some place, but I had to move recently; I have no idea where it may be, exactly. So, I Googled “Josh Groban video” and listened to the first song that popped up (Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up”).

The Lord has spoken to me recently through Madeleine L’Engle’s Walking on Water and Lee Strobel’s The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity, which I picked up at the church library because they “caught my eye.” I have already written about that elsewhere. Now “chance” led me to play this song that was unfamiliar to me. Given the song’s history and popularity, I don’t know how I had missed it till now, but I couldn’t miss it relevance to my life now!

You see, though I have trusted Christ as my Savior for most of my life, like everyone else, sometimes I still have doubts and fears. I have been in ministry of one kind or another for over 30 years, but that doesn’t insulate me from challenges and difficulties, or from heartache and pain. Just because I have chosen to write about “good news,” that I believe is to be found abundantly in Jesus Christ, doesn’t mean I easily or automatically apply what I know, all the time. In fact, the big challenge for me is to get what I know in my head, with absolute confidence, to trickle down to that stubborn heart, just inches away. In that light, the opening words of Groban’s song fit me well:

“When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.”

For me, the stillness isn’t always patience, and the silence is often prayerlessness. My doubt has been less in God than in myself; yet doubting that God cares is doubting God. Yet, while I may be sulking or simply closed within myself, He still comes; indeed, he was always there, just as he promised. The good news, here, the great news in fact, is that we don’t qualify to be raised up by being self-sufficient—good, strong, wise, or confident—we warrant his encouragement and provision by needing it. So, cast all your cares on him because he will take care of you.

“There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.”

Tomorrow, part II will take this on into the redemptive power of love, not just God’s love, but the love of a godly parent, spouse, child, teacher, or friend to “raise up.” Hopefully, you will not only find this song a comfort, as I have, but a challenge. Stay tuned…

(lyrics of “You Raise Me Up” written by Brendan Graham)