Intermezzo - praying God's will

I must admit I'm having a hard time putting words around my wrestlings with how to pray for the Israel/Lebanese situation. I believe there are aspects of prayer life in the realm of "unsolvable" world events that are worth ruminating on. But in case anybody out there is waiting for something intelligible (well - good luck if you're looking for that here!) on the subject, it may take another few days. The situation involves human lives, and to deal with it in a crass way, just to hear myself speak, would be grossly insensitive.

I want to offer up a little thought about "praying God's will". There was a great classic prayer posted on Scot McKnight's site last Sunday. Surprisingly, instead of the few innocuous "thank yous" and "this was very beautiful" responses typical for a prayer posting, it also received a harsh criticism: who are we to ask God to change [His will] just because we ask? And isn't it stating the "bleeding obvious" anyway?

Though there was overt hostility in the question, it does beg an important point: how do we walk the fine line between begging and cajoling God for our petty needs, and praying His will? And furthermore, why bother praying His will if it'll be done anyway?

You can of course read the entire discussion, but I wish to present something I wrote on the discussion. Not that I believe I've said anything markedly profound, or that "you should listen to me", but I intend to use these thoughts again in discussing prayer for the Middle East:

This is a beautiful prayer. Indeed, it may be restating that which is patently true, but as Scot points out, our forgetful natures need the regular reminder of who God is.

There are at least two other important benefits as we pray God’s will, a practice instructed in 1 John 5:14. First, our will becomes more aligned with the will of the father. It is a fact of our nature that we become ever more like that which our eyes behold (thus, Philippians 4:8). As we pray for God’s multipled mercy, we ourselves become more merciful; when we pray for his loving forgiveness for ourselves and our brothers, we can barely help becoming more forgiving and becoming agents to spread His forgiveness. Our sin nature tends to strip us of this benefit quickly, so repeatedly focusing on God’s will is so important.

The second benefit, stressed in 1 Jn 5:14, is that He hears our prayer and answers. As we become more attuned to His will, we will find Him pressing us to pray for both general and specific things, and we are blessed to see His answer! Do we bend His will in so doing? By no means! Indeed the answer had been on its way before we had yet prayed (see Matthew 6:8 - and Ephesians 2:10) - and we are simply blessed to see it unfold. What we need, and what we are to do for Him, have been prepared in advance for us. To enjoy this relationship and to see God’s loving hand as we pray is little short of a daily miracle.

Weep for the children, part 1

Shortly after waking this morning, my daughter found me and giddily ushered me downstairs to show me her prize. She had slept downstairs last evening in a sleeping bag to keep company with a nursing foster cat we are hosting from our local humane society, and her three day-old orange kittens. With feet that barely touched the ground, whispering, she hurried me to her den and smiled a radiant smile - the cat had decided to move her brood, entrusting her three babies to a spot nestled at my girl's feet. And as we chatted, the feline kept adjusting the company, moving her progeny closer and closer to be with her human friend.

Somewhere in a Lebanon across the sea, I’m sure a daughter has hurried a parent to a more somber sight – a corner of a house that is mere rubble; a dead sibling; a missile hit in the street…

I rode to work today through wispy fog, as dew glittered deliciously on the lawns. Even flowerless roadside weeds were bedecked in these morning jewels, shimmering in the early morning sun under a cloudless sky.

And I wondered what my counterpart in a different Lebanon might see – bombed out buildings? A brutal cloudless sky of dust and heat; burning plastic and smoldering ashes, with no roads of escape?

Please understand I’m in no way sympathizing with the politics of Lebanon. There is inexcusable atrocity there; and the recent mutual escalation amongst antagonists has forced Israel into a no-win situation: fight to the end of Hezbollah, a virtual impossibility which will further inflame the Arab world and distance already fragile ally relationships; or submit to a cease fire which is likely to leave their citizens, and their very existence as a nation, at risk.

Disagree with me if you will, on the politics - trying to fit any semblance of a summary into a paragraph is impossible. My point is that I find little of encouragement from any side in this fray; and little likelihood of a satisfactory outcome for the millions embroiled in that region.

Most disconcerting is the pain and frustration which is festering into a deep hatred for their neighbors. I grieve for the children who will watch foreign friends flee, while they remain behind in a living hell; or those who’ll have the memory of a flight from home permanently seared into their memories; those who will lose parents and limbs in missile attacks, and live a life of bitter vengeance; people whose remaining earthly life will be wracked with physical and emotional pain. I pray for the fragile, tentative grass-roots efforts at peaceful coexistence and cultural exchange, which are likely to have a tougher time now.

I see this is getting long, yet I haven't even started with what I wanted to say. More tomorrow…

As you hug your child today, or reach up to turn up the air conditioner a notch while glancing out your window at the tranquil countryside, shed a tear and offer a prayer for these children.

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Hello! This is my first post, just to make sure everything's working fine (such an intro is probably a sure sign that it's not just a new blog line, but a new and uneasy blogger!)

If you've stumbled onto this, here's what you can expect in the future: stream of consciousness thinking, more to figure out what I'm thinking than to really expound! That means that sometimes I'll float an idea, think about it awhile, get negative feedback, and then won't even defend it - may even make a 180 degree turnabout! Exciting, eh? It gets worse: I love running, racing, theology, and science, so things will get peppered with analogies from those arenas.

The main focus will be Christian living in this present age - the LetUsRun author name is more a reference to Hebrews 12:1,2, than about my interest in running. How do we pray, love, and live in a world populated by others who are just as fallible as we are? What will we teach our children?

What's next: I have been grieved and haunted by the recent tragic fighting between Israel and Lebanon. Though I know less than I'd like about the region these days, I have acquaintances who live in Haifa. I want to talk a little about praying for that region, and hope to hear your thoughts - all that - tomorrow.