My Bible study group is reading a book called “In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day” by Mark Batterson. His premise is that Christians often play it safe when we should be chasing lions. I was thinking about this regarding the way we pray. I know that we are supposed to be humble and pray God’s will, but sometimes it seems like that is a passive way of praying, like we don’t really believe that God will do what we ask, so we’re giving him an “out”. But God says to come to him boldly. I notice that it seems like when I pray boldly, as in “God. I know you’re my Father and you won’t withhold any good thing from me. This is what I need. I know you will provide”, that my prayers seem more effective. It’s weird. I don’t think I should be ordering God around or anything, but I also think that God wants us to know that he loves us and that his will is for us to be confident of that. We can know God’s character enough to know whether what we pray is in his will or not. Does what we want involve sin? If so, then that is not in God’s will and we have no business asking. But, if what we ask is in God’s nature and fits in with what he has already said he wants ( i.e. a loved one accepting Christ, us being in a position to serve, even prayers that we get married and/or have children), then it seems that we should pray with confidence and boldness. Trust God Chase Lions!
James 2:5Â (New International Version)
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
I used to get frustrated with God. When I worked with the mentally ill, I noticed that a disproportionate amount of them were Christian. I don’t mean the type of people who, because of their illness, spout religious-sounding non-sequitors, but true believers who remain faithful even when they are medicated and lucid. I wondered why people who so profoundly believed in God and who followed him so faithfully had to be subjected to such hardships. Often, their illness prevented them from working – for some, even causing them to lose well-established careers – so one of the consequences was that they were financially poor and often dependent on state assistance. Some had lost contact with family members who did not understand. Some gained criminal records because they turned to illegal street drugs when their symptoms began, not understanding that they had treatable illnesses. For others, the pressures of life caused them to turn to drugs, which left them with damaged brains and mental illness as a result. Still, they believed in God, so why did he leave them there?    Â
The other night, I ran across the above scripture in James. I remember a similar scripture from the beatitudes in which Jesus says that the poor are blessed, but I never understood it until I read it again in James. I thought that there were people who believed in God, and God in turn abandoned them to poverty and hardship. Reading James 2:5, I realize that it is the opposite. People who for some reason find themselves in hardship and poverty are given a special gift of faith – from God. Their faith is God’s loving remedy for their current situation, and it is often the very thing that helps them make the changes they need to get out of it. If two people fall into a pit, the one who consistently hopes and believes that he or she will get out is the one who will keep trying to do so, and eventually succeed. This is why God gives faith to the poor in spirit - so they won’t give up.      Â
New International Version Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
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Oh my goodness, people!
Pigs are flying!
Hell hath frozen over!
The apocalypse is upon us!
AL SHARPTON MAKES SENSE!!
