"I the Lord do not change." (Malachi 3:6)
"My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused." (Hosea 11:8)
There is the old Christian cliche that teaches us God's 3 possible responses to our heavenly petitions: Yes, No, Not now. If this is the case, then my current situation with law school applications has fallen exactly in line with how it is supposed to be.
First, Ole Miss said yes.
Second, Notre Dame said no.
Third, Catholic University, Pepperdine, William & Mary, and Georgia all said wait list.
South Carolina is off doing its own thing. Go figure.
This perspective of prayer, however, is increasingly troubling to me. From a human perspective, it easily and I suppose logically separates answers to prayer categorically - in a sense there really are only 3 possible answers. Ultimately, though, I think this makes prayer too much of a "1-900 Divine Help Hotline," where our prayers are simply requests that must be answered definitively, without much thought of the relationship between the petitioner, the petition, and the one being petitioned. After, all, aren't there other "helpful" easy-evangelical ways to think of prayer, you know, like the way your youth leader taught you to make sure all of your prayers contain petitions, but also prayers of supplication, intercession, adoration, thanksgiving, etc.?
For instance, it would seem rather akward if I were to praise and thank God for His majesty as displayed through the glorious sunsets I see so frequently in south Florida, and for God to "respond" with "Wait." Or if I were to ask God to grant grace to my sisters as they seek to glorify Him with their summer plans, and He answer "No."
Prayer, then, is much more than a game of yes or no questions to be answered. I'm beginning to think that prayer is much less about getting a straight answer from God, and much more about getting our selfish wills straight with God's perfect plan. It's less about testing God and more about trusting Him. Prayer is not a way for me to tell God everything I want/need and then hope that He gives it to me, but a way for God to tell me what I need/want and through that communion receive the Spirit's enabling towards that end. Prayer is more like sitting down for a long afternoon conversation with God and hearing him slowly reveal his will, rather than pestering Him constantly for a quick and easy answer. I'm still learning what that means. In the meantime, here's what two of my more favorite theologians have to say:
"It is true, nothing we can say can have any influence upon him, or move him to show us mercy, but it may have an influence upon ourselves, and help to put us into a frame fit to receive mercy." Matthew Henry
"God is sometimes represented as if he were moved and persuaded by the prayers of his people; yet it is not to be thought that God is properly moved or made willing by our prayers"; instead, God bestows mercy "as though he were prevailed upon by prayer." Jonathan Edwards
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3 comments:
I once read something that prayer is not getting God to do what we want, but getting our will to align with His. And I quite agree.
A well-written post, my friend.
~Abby~
And another one from your namesake:
"Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness." -- Martin Luther
We're praying for God to clearly open and shut your law school doors and for you to be peaceful inside His will.
I think our law school in SC has answered that they do not believe in prayer. I'm with you there and I do not plan to hear from them for another month.
I remember being confronted by the idea that man must "pray God's will into existence." This was mentioned to me by a well-meaning friend. That kind of reminds me of the Mormon view that Adam sinned so God would reveal his grace. These two views are similar in that they both emphasize man being able to manipulate God.
The heart of God is experienced in fervent prayer. Too often my prayers are only reaching as deep as his wallet. Prayer becomes a transaction and perhaps the culture is at fault for inventing things such as ATMs and digital cameras which cater to my desire of immediate gratification. Probably not. It’s probably more along the lines that I have this idea that peace results from conflict resolved. That’s what I want, right? Peace? Conflict resolution? No more problems? “Just do this one thing God and we’ll live happily ever after.” Peace, however, is not the absence of pain and conflict or the presence of understanding. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit teaching us to truly believe and not merely profess that God is sovereign; this resulting from Christ reconciling us to God in declaring us righteous.
Amen brother. God is sovereign, in control, and cannot be changed by me. So why do I always pray as if it is Him and his will that has the problem? I default to the idea that so repulses me that I must pray God’s will into existence.
Rarely do I feel close to God when I am asking him for things. An exception being along the lines of asking for the salvation of a loved one. I think I begin to get beyond the wallet when I have a greater interest in his kingdom than in my miniscule part and while praising Him for the few things that I know to be true about Him. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his rightesousness…”
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