Hard. Mysterious. Confusing. Inadequate.
Uplifting. Powerful. Connection. Assurance.
What do all those words have in common?
They all describe the ways that Christians experience prayer.
What is prayer?
Well…libraries full of books have been written in response to that little question.
Prayer is to speak.
Prayer is to listen.
….to God…the Creator of all that exists…I AM…the one before and beyond time…
No problem, right?
Christians feel inadequate when their secret prayer struggles are revealed. After all, somehow we’ve come to believe that it should be an easy process, and that all folks who follow Jesus have an easy time getting their prayers “beyond the ceiling.”
The simple part is true. The easy part is not.
Sometimes, in my frustration with prayer and as I talk to other Christians, I want to give the theological version of the “Bull Durham” speech.
You remember the Bull Durham speech, right? OK, probably not.
In that great baseball movie, the manager of the struggling, minor league Durham Bulls baseball team hurls a bag full of wooden bats up against the locker room wall to get his players’ attention.
“Baseball is a simple game…” he says. “You throw the ball…you catch the ball…you hit the ball.”
Simple, but not easy.
Jesus’ teaching on prayer was pretty straightforward:
7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:7-11
Though not easy, I really do think prayer is that simple.
Ask. Seek. Knock.
Then wait…and look…and listen.
In a wonderful new book on prayer, Christian author Phillip Yancey says that the very act of praying does wonderful things for our souls because it keeps us humble.
Prayer, Yancey says, reminds us that we need to ask. It shows us that we are not independent. We played no role in determining where we would be born, at what point in history, into what family and with what genetics. We have absolutely no power to stop the earth from spinning, to cause the sun to rise or impact its setting. We are marvelously, and completely dependent upon God.
Real prayer starts in humility…and then some marvelous things can unfold.
God goes to work within us.
“God helps those who help themselves,” says the Book of ME. That often quoted scripture exists only in our minds, not within the Bible.
Jesus says (my paraphrase), “God helps those who ask.”
This week saw SOTH pass a major milestone of prayer, faith and action. Tuesday morning I sent an e-mail asking for your prayer as the county heard our request for property re-zoning. Whether the results of that meeting had been “favorable” or not, prayer acknowledged our dependence on God and faith in his provision.
Tuesday night, the door was opened. Our application has been approved, and SOTH is now on a clear track toward completing the sale of its property, purchase of new land and the construction of a brand new and improved facility.
Humbly, we will continue to ask…and seek…and knock.
The path is unfolding before us, and the God of all things will never fail us.
I’ll see you this Sunday ---
Adam
LIFE AT SOTH:
Land Update: Cornerstone Development Partners was successful in their application for the re-zoning of our property for commercial development. This is a major milestone as we move forward. Please continue to support SOTH with your prayers as we hope to close this sale and the purchase of our new property (24 acres located ½ mile west on Dorsett Shoals Road) by the end of this year.
More stuff on prayer: Many thanks to St. Theresa’s Catholic Church here in Douglasville! Did you know that St. Teresa’s is our “covenant partner” in ministry --- and they pray for us at each and every mass! To the people of
Great prayer website ---- looking for a new way to pray? Check out www.pray-as-you-go.org . This site is run by the British Jesuits, and is one of the best uses of the internet for spiritual growth that we’ve ever seen. You can download a podcast of a week’s worth of devotional music, scripture and guided prayer. Great stuff!
3-5 Grade VBS starts Monday at SOTH! Have 3rd through 5th graders at home this summer? Bring them to SOTH for VBS, beginning Monday morning. More details on our website, and this Sunday in worship! K-2 VBS will be held the week of June 25-29.
Annual Conference 2007: The United Methodist North Georgia Annual Conference will meet, beginning this Monday in
Summer Lunch Update: Our summer lunch ministry has taken flight! In its first week, over 120 lunches were delivered. This week, the number is climbing over 150 toward 200 lunches! Thanks to all of you who have supported this ministry financially, and for those of you who are working each day to make and deliver the lunches to community kids who are home alone this summer and in need. Your efforts make a difference in the life of a child! Want to help? Take a moment to sign up on the summer lunch bulletin board, located in our entry hallway at SOTH. Lots of slots are still available.
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