I marvel at what I am seeing on all social media right now, how many requests for God to do this or that, for us. God has shown me a different approach in my time with Him. One in which my desires are not at the forefront. One in which we pause to be still, and seek, the heart of God, the design of a Creator whose ways are not our ways, and whose plan is better.
In my own life, I can reflect on many times in which God’s mercy toward me was exhibited in his refusal to do things my way. In infinite wisdom and grace, I found myself often in the middle of circumstances that were precisely what I prayed not to be in the middle of. Things that came crashing down around me, in what seemed to be devastating blows of Gods’ judgment, were in fact, His infinite mercy, redirecting me to places and things that were better beyond my imagination.
Our soulish prayers of our own agenda, our lists of requests for things we think we need or must have, are often the seeds of our own profound disappointment. In our arrogant assumption that we know what is called for in a circumstance we actually ratify our own foolishness.
For example now, many people are clamoring for mercy and justice for the “dreamers”, while others proclaim that we must be a nation of Laws. Does a merciful God uproot people from the only home they have ever known and transfer them to a country they have no knowledge of? Well, He did, actually do just that, a number of times. Does a holy God ratify lawlessness? Well, He seemingly has done just that while we live in a culture that murders more than 3,000 unborn humans in their mothers wombs every day and a half million of our own countrymen live on streets and under bridges, in tents and in cars, without proper homes. Where is God in that?
When we pray our own agenda, we portend to know the answers to these things. I have sat across the table from ‘dreamers’ whose options under the then legal structure were completely untenable. I have sat across the table from a father of a baby who was killed by the mother without his knowledge or consent. I have provided a meal to a mother and her two sons who live in their car. I can assure you, I have no idea how to rectify, remedy or solve these circumstances, and neither do you.
However, I serve a big God, and I can assure you, He has all the answers. We just have not asked Him. We have told Him, repeatedly, what to do and how to do it. After we have intellectualized our problems and are confident that our own reasoning has reached some solution, then pray our list of demands. That is just not how it works. We were created for fellowship with our Creator. We were also created to rule and reign on the earth. Our temper tantrum style prayers are disrupting this alignment, and then we blame God when our prayers are not “answered”, or responded to in the way we see fit.
God, be in this situation. Impart wisdom to those at the forefront of it, display your imminent mercy to those who are in the midst of it and impacted, but more than anything, show us, your heart and your vision in it for us. Show us your holiness, be that shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to go after the lost one, and let us see that aspect of your heart in this seemingly impossible situation.
That is my prayer. And this. Always, this.
Lord, teach us how to pray.
Elijah was perhaps the greatest prophet, but became despondent when things were seemingly not going his way. He needed and wanted some confirmation that God was still with him, so, God called him to go up on the mountain.
(1 Kings 19)
11 And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
When the Lord is near, there is going to be fire and wind and shaking. If we keep speaking to the wind and the fire though, we just might miss Him in the still small voice.
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalms 46:10
the127 activist 