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Texts: James 5:13-16; Philippians 4:6-7 Review: ~ Of all the activities in which we participate as Christ-followers, this issue of prayer will raise more questions and leave us with less certainty than anything else. ~ I also suggested that amidst all of the mystery surrounding the subject, Jesus prayed and encouraged us to pray as if we could be assured that… Father was listening, that Father loves us, that Father believes in us and that Father could be trusted. ~ James helps answer the question frequently posed by people investigating the idea of prayer… “What am I allowed to pray for?” “Any of you suffering… happy… sick… committed sins?” And Paul helps make it even clearer in Philippians 4 when he says “don’t be anxious about anything, but pray about everything!” (anxious- ‘trouble, worry, care’: whatever we really ‘care’ about!) So, I’ve suggested then that prayer is the “rhythm of life”. ~ Finally, there is a certain persistence which is required in prayer (“… they should always pray and not give up” Luke 18:1). The persistence is not to be viewed as a lack of faith in God; in fact, it’s the deepest expression of faith in God. ● So, the question we’re asking today is not, “Has God spoken?”, but “Is He still speaking?” “Does God speak to us today? Is it possible? If so, does he want to talk with me? If so, what does he sound like?” ● Today’s considerations once again highlight God’s distinct disadvantage in attempting to communicate with us. God seems to be the one who always has to make the adjustments. And, my purpose is not to eliminate all the mysteries of personal interaction with God, but maybe to invite you deeper into them. ● And it’s not that I question God’s ability to speak in any manner he chooses (historically, God has chosen some pretty unorthodox means of getting his point across), but I realize that most of our hesitation stems from all of the “weird” and “unattractive” things we’ve heard and seen done prefaced with the disclaimer…“God told me!” (encompasses everything from picking out their breakfast cereal to arranging suggesting a daily wardrobe). Naturally, then, I’m always tempted to say, “How do you know?” I have discovered that it’s often a means of appearing spiritual while “quarantining” ourselves from personal accountability. ● So, having been exposed to such abuses and misconceptions, we have inadvertently (or intentionally) dismissed the idea altogether. ● And, the first mention of the Holy Spirit conjures up all kinds of fanatical images. Oddly enough, the Spirit- meant to unify and empower- has proven divisive and controversial. ● During this particular season (Easter-Resurrection-Ascension-Pentecost), it’s hard to miss the intention: God dwelling with man- “tabernacling”… heaven and earth intersecting and interacting in such a way that it is not exceptional but ordinary; the way it was designed to be. As a result of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, a key component of the covenant has been fulfilled. Ezekiel 36:26-27 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” ● It’s this dynamic (God with and in us) that makes us more fully human. We have a unique mode of life available to us for the first time since original creation- “assisted living”. ● No longer is God dependent upon “persuasion” as a means of guidance; he is not content with “compliance” (he gets you to do what he wants), he desires “collaboration” (you get what he wants and find yourself compelled to do it). ● This idea of a more personal, inward manner of relating to us seems most consistent with God’s nature- love. One of the consistent themes addressed in the scriptures is God’s desire to consistently interact with us and to do so in such a way as to share life with us without violating our freedom. The Spirit is God’s comfort to us that we’ll never have to go it alone! ● When we speak of people who are intimately connected, we sometimes refer to them as having the “same heart”; “like-souled”… seem to share one heart (i.e. their hearts are united). Having received the gift of the Spirit, our heart is united with God’s heart. ● Perhaps we are bothered because the notion of spirit seems so “non-personal”; he is viewed more as a force or an influence (i.e. Father and Son are terms we can identify with). Jesus, in addressing Nicodemus in John 3, uses the terms “Spirit” and “wind” in attempting to explain this new life with God. Interestingly, they are both from the same Greek word (“pneuma”). On a few occasions in the Bible, the word is also translated as “breath” (even less personal, right?) Like breathing the very breath of God?! God’s desire is to be as close to us as our very breath? ● Some would argue… “Well, we have the Bible as the word of God, so we don’t need for God to speak to us today!” “Are to assume, then, that since we have the Bible God is done communicating with us? After 66 books, has he just run out of things to say?” ● The problem is not with the Bible, but with our approach to the Bible, which is often purely intellectual or cognitive. We study it as the documentation of God’s interaction with people throughout history with little emphasis on God’s continuing desire for us in contemporary culture. John 17:3 “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent”. This knowing is relational; experiential. ● Yes, it’s God’s story, but it’s not the whole story! We read the story, but we are also called to become part of the story; to continue “all that Jesus began to do and teach” (Acts 1:1). Is it truth? Yes. Is it useful for understanding the overarching story of God’s purposes, for correcting errant notions about God, for shaping and informing us? Yes. Does it eliminate the need for God’s empowering presence and his personal guidance today? No. ● When we speak of the Bible as the “word” of God, it’s not meant to be understood as God’s “correspondence” or to be considered “exhaustive” (John 17- when Jesus said, “I have given them your word”, he doesn’t mean that he quoted them scripture. The word was used to convey the ultimate expression). Reflections on hearing God… ►It begins with the belief in God’s awareness of us, not just our awareness of Him! Psalm 139:17 “How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can't even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!” ● In fact, Jesus said that we have nothing to be afraid of (i.e. talks about birds not sowing for their own food, and lilies not working to earn their keep, and his awareness of a sparrow falling to the ground, and numbering our hairs). ► Our very nature requires that God speaks. We were actually designed for relationship with Him. God has designed us in such a way that seems to necessitate communication with him. Relationship with God (or anyone else for that matter) is dynamic in quality; it necessitates communication. So, our humanity does not, by nature, prevent us from hearing God, but actually makes it possible! “Today, if you hear his voice…” (Ps.95:7; Heb.3:7) “… whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’”. (Isaiah 30:21) “my sheep know my voice…” (John 10:3) “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit” (Mark 13:11). We need to be cautioned against a “dualistic” approach to God which distances him from us; an approach that celebrates his “otherness”, but considers him “uninvolved”. Lily Tomlin…
“Why is it that when we
speak to God we are praying, but when God speaks to us we are schizophrenic?” |
