January 11

Scripture focus: This is GOD's Word on the subject: "As soon as Babylon's seventy years are up and not a day before, I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:10-11, The Message

When we understand that God has plans to take care of us, not abandon us, plans to give us the future we hope for – does that help us enter into the spiritual discipline of prayer? I have a friend who doesn’t think prayer is of much value. She doesn’t disagree with Jeremiah 29:10-11, in fact, she uses this passage to support her belief that prayer is a waste of time. She says that if God is for us, if he never leaves nor forsakes us – why bother with prayer? God knows what we need better than we do, so her theory is that we all should wake up every day, commit ourselves unto the Lord, and see what happens.

I don’t know, but her theory reminds me of a time my husband and I got into a big argument. I’m a words person. I love to give and receive words of affirmation. I’m not talking empty words of flattery or compliments. I like to tell people things that affirm evidence of their ever-increasing glory. For example, I love to tell my husband that I appreciate his rock-solid, steady, dependability. I believe that this is part of how God crafted him and is essential for his mission (and his marriage). One day, when we were newly married, he made a big mistake. Since he’s not a words person (and we hadn’t been married long enough for me to teach him the value of affirming words), he said the following foolish thing, “You know, I don’t know why you keep saying these nice things to me. It’s a waste of time. I know you liked me when you married me. No need to keep beating a dead horse. If that changes, tell me then – otherwise, is all this talking necessary?” Needless to say, he soon learned that, indeed, it was necessary, if he ever wanted another moment of marital bliss.

So it is with the knowledge of how quickly a great marriage can get into trouble when two people stop talking that informs my thinking. I can’t quite accept my friend’s assertion that prayer is a waste of time.

May we find time to talk to God today.

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2 comments:

I Might be Wrong said...

There was a time I would have said prayer is a waste, for a very different reason. I would have said why pray God doesn't have time for people like me. Like me there was no one like me, the blacksheep of my family, the bad seed, the spoiled ungrateful child, the liar, the thief, the drunk, and the drug addict. These were not just the names my family, friends and strangers had for me, it was who I believed I was created to be. I prayed to not be those things and would find myself back at it again the next day, hour or minute. I would pray "just let me die" as to not face myself another day and found myself still there....Why Pray?
I know that during that time of my life it was not my prayers being answered, it was others prayers that I live long enough not to be those things anymore. Now maybe the part I agree with your friend about"God knows what we need better than we do". He knew without real pain I would never change. He knew I was created to be so much more than I could ever imagine. He kept me here because he is not through with me yet. He allowed me to believe I was changing me till I was ready to believe in Him. He has blessed me with the chance to be a husband, father, and a friend. These are the names I was created to be. I do not think prayer is a waste of time, I have found while praying I have gotten to know me a little better along the way.
This brings me to today I find myself face to face with a gift a blessing if you will and all I have to do is say yes. I find myself praying for Him to help me again get out of my own way. I still struggle some days with why good comes my way as I do not always believe I deserve the blessing that come my way. If I could simply get up everyday and commit myself to the Lord and see what happen maybe life would be easlier. I think I prefer to pray as I would fear life if the only voice in my head was my own, just start at the top and read again.
God Bless

January 11, 2010 at 11:37 PM
Nearly Conscious said...

I have experienced first-hand the drama that can occur when I assume something about my spouse, even if it is a positive assumption. Assumptions are a poor substitute for honest communication.

So my job these days is to have honest communication not only with my spouse but with God, which requires me to talk to him and also to listen. I hope for the willingness to always hear the sound of God in my every day.

January 12, 2010 at 9:18 AM

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