Does prayer “work”?
Posted by Randy in Bible, Church, Family, Leadership on May 10, 2012
I pray a lot. I pray as my day begins. I pray as my day ends. I pray with people. I pray for people. I pray before, during and after conversations and meetings. I pray through the day as I encounter different experiences and the Holy Spirit taps me on the shoulder and says “Hey, I’m still here you know!” I pray for wisdom and understanding, guidance and faithfulness. And of course, a lot more.
Somewhere in the past three decades a change happened in my prayer. I can’t tell you when it happened, though I believe I understand why. It is really the result of several insights the Lord has allowed me to have over the years.
The first is that we don’t always get what we want. So many times I hear someone ask, “Why should I pray if God isn’t going to give me what I
ask?” I used to wonder that as well. Some said the problem was my faith wasn’t strong enough and I should pray “harder”. But then, they don’t get whatever they ask for either, so something is wrong with that approach. What’s the answer? Prayer isn’t about me asking and God saying “Yes, no, maybe or not yet (or some other variations).” In fact, prayer isn’t about what we ask at all!
The next insight came when I was studying again the account of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prayed honestly and “hard”—as hard as anyone in history has ever prayed. He told the Father what he wanted in no uncertain terms, but that wasn’t the request. Because right after he told the Father what he wanted, he immediately asked the Father NOT to do what Jesus wanted, but what the Father wanted. He prayed that His will would be done.
The third insight came some years ago as I took up a challenge from another preacher—read Jesus’ prayers, and Paul’s prayers, and compare them with your prayers. If Paul is a model of who we should be—if Jesus is the one we seek to be like!—certainly then our prayer should be like theirs, right? Well, mine weren’t. Mine are about me, or others I care about, asking for physical healing or safety, for safety of travel, for jobs and financial provision. Read the prayers of Jesus and Paul. They pray for the will of the Father and spiritual strength and growth. They almost never pray for healing, or wealth, or safety.
So What?
I am writing this in a hospital room. Specifically a pediatric intensive care unit. Two people just wheeled a big scary machine next to my 19 month old granddaughter’s bed. She is already connected to more machines than I can count (literally, though there are more than 10). She can’t breathe on her own, and now they are going to connect her to a dialysis machine because her kidneys aren’t working. It hurts me to see her this way, and everything in me calls out to the Lord to heal her! Protect her! Save her!
I do pray that. But since Jesus prayed as He did in Gethsemane, I have to ask for something else. I have to ask that, no matter whether I understand or not, the Father do His will in her life.
And that scares me.
So I also pray for spiritual strength, for growth, for faithfulness—for me, for my wife, for my son and his wife, for the rest of our family and friends—and for all those who are being impacted by this little girl’s illness. I pray for this because these are the things Jesus and Paul prayed for.
Don’t get me wrong. I beg God to be merciful and restore Livy to health—just as I pray for her cousin as she struggles with asthma. But what if she isn’t healed? My prayer is just as effective if Livy isn’t healed as if she is! In fact, I have learned that my request isn’t even what prayer is about.
Instead, it is about the fact that I am coming to the Lord at all. That the circumstances in my life have caused me, a wandering child of God, to focus again on my relationship with my perfect Father. That through this prayer I am made more like what He wants me to be. That no matter what happens with Livy (and I am still praying for healing!) the important thing is the eternal relationship she and I have with our Lord, which will last untold millennia after we are both grown old and dead, and raised again.
I have learned this: Prayer isn’t about the request. It’s about the relationship.
in Christ,
Randy Christian
The problem with worship, part 4
Posted by Randy in Church, Culture, Everything Else on March 19, 2012
I received a phone call from a man who had moved to another state. When he lived here, I had the privilege of leading him to the Lord, baptizing him, and watching him grow spiritually. I hadn’t heard from him in over a year so I was a little surprised when I learned he was on the phone. More so when he opened with “Randy, I’m in trouble”.
He recounted the story: meeting a young woman at work, getting to know her over a few months, meeting her for coffee, then lunch, exchanging admissions of attraction, and finally a “discreet” meeting one afternoon at a hotel in a nearby town. He closed his story with “It’s been going on for months now, and I don’t know what to do. Her husband found out, and it’s only a matter of time until someone tells my wife.”
In the discussion that followed I asked what resources he had where he lived. I knew he had begun attending another church when he first moved there, so I asked whether he had contacted the minister of that church. He responded, “I stopped going to church there when I started the affair. It just didn’t feel right”. I bet it didn’t.
In previous posts I’ve shared some of the “problems” I see people encounter as they try to worship God in a meaningful way. One of the most ironic—and common—problems we deal with is the feeling that it just doesn’t feel right because of sin in our life.
If someone comes before the Lord with the body of Christ to worship him, but is nurturing sin in his life, it shouldn’t feel right. We are deceiving ourselves and trying to deceive God. The discomfort of this makes us want to hide from him as Adam hid from God after the first sin. But this is exactly the opposite of what we need to do. When we run from God we also run from the only one who can forgive us and cleanse us from the dirt we wallow in as we sin.
Our sin is not news to God. In fact, that feeling that it “just doesn’t feel right” is usually the conviction of the Holy Spirit that it isn’t right. When we feel this, it is a signal that we need to repent, to confess our sin before the Lord and to seek his forgiveness—even his help in avoiding that sin in the future. The problem with worship is that it can function as a mirror reflecting our sin. But it is also one of its greatest blessings.
The Problem With Worship, part 3
Posted by Randy in Church, Culture, Everything Else on March 12, 2012
In previous posts I noted two major problems many of us have with worship:
1. We make the mistake of believing worship gatherings are for us (see “The Problem With Worship, part 1”)
2. We don’t worship God during the days and hours we are not in a “worship service” (see “The Problem With Worship, part 2”)
There is another—and more mundane problem many have with worship—particularly corporate worship services: we simply aren’t prepared.
Why do we need to prepare to worship? And how exactly do we do that?
The answer to the first question could be “why shouldn’t we”? We prepare to do pretty much everything important in our lives, why wouldn’t we prepare for worship? So many people spend the week not thinking about the Lord (see “The Problem With Worship, part 1”) and then hit then weekend to do anything they couldn’t accomplish during the week. For some this means errands, household tasks, hobbies. For others it means playing and partying, staying up and out as late as possible to make sure we milk every ounce of fun out of the weekend.
Then we drag ourselves out of bed on Sunday morning and come into the worship gathering.
And fight distraction and sleep.
How different would our worship gatherings be if each of us focused on the Lord throughout the week?
How different would our worship gatherings be if each of us thought about our worship gatherings on Friday and Saturday?
How different would our worship gatherings be if we took care to avoid the things that create barriers between us and God?
How different would our worship gatherings be if we insured we were well rested, well fed, and ready to focus when we walk into the worship gathering?
This isn’t particularly innovative, and it isn’t really very controversial. (Ok, getting some sleep on Saturday night might be out there for some people) But what is important isn’t always innovative or controversial or obscure or…anything but mundane.
Sometimes the problem with worshiping as a church is we simply don’t prepare ourselves to for it.
The problem with worship, part 2
Posted by Randy in Bible, Church, Culture, Leadership on March 5, 2012
Many who regularly attend worship gatherings struggle to actually worship. I wrote previously about the fact that many struggle for the simple reason that they aren’t worshiping—they come for entertainment or to be “uplifted” rather than to offer worship to the Lord. The discussion of that problem provides a segue to the next problem—we often have problems worshiping as a body because we don’t worship apart from those gatherings.
There are two kinds of worship—congregational or corporate (what we usually think of as “worship services”) and individual worship.
Individual worship is what Paul talks about when he says we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1-2). It is being aware of our Lord’s presence with us 24/7, and being able to say to him, “Lord, I do this as an act of worship for you” about everything we do. “Lord, I say this as worship for you” about everything we say. (Colossians 3:17). It is what Paul refers to when he tells slaves to serve their masters wholeheartedly, “as if you were serving the Lord, not mere men.” (NIV)
There is a direct relationship between individual and corporate worship. Corporate worship sets a spiritual tone for the individual worship we carry out during the week. And individual worship prepares us to come together and worship God as a body.
When we fail to worship God in our daily lives, it should be no surprise that we have difficulty when we come together to worship God as a church. In fact, when this happened in the nation of Israel, God’s response was to tell them to stop offering corporate worship until they changed their lives and worshiped him in their daily lives (Isaiah 1:10-17)
One of the problems we have in worship is we aren’t spiritually prepared. We can’t live life as our own Lords, then expect to worship The Lord effectively. We have to follow God’s own directions and repent, living our life for Him. When we do, our worship gatherings change because we are truly worshiping Him.
The problem with worship, part 1.
One of the reasons I hear for people not coming to Sunday worship gatherings is that the services don’t seem relevant to them or aren’t uplifting. They don’t like the music, they aren’t “being fed”. I understand these comments coming from those who aren’t Christians. But when I hear them from someone who claims to follow Christ, I am disturbed.
Our worship gatherings should encourage us, lift us up, ready us for the week to come. But that isn’t why we are there, it’s only a by-product.
When we gather to worship—and yes, when we worship with each thing we say and do throughout the week—we do it for God. When we sing, we sing to God. When we celebrate communion we remember what He did for us. Everything we do is a celebration of our relationship with Him, and our focus is on Him. We worship God because we need to, but it isn’t about what we get out of it—it’s about what we give! As one person said, “Worship is a concert, and the entire congregation is performing it for God!”
If we approach our worship gatherings with the expectation—even the demand—for what we are going to get out of it, we miss the point, and that’s the biggest reason so many of us are troubled by distractions and feel our worship experiences aren’t “relevant” or “uplifting”. They can’t be when we’re not really worshiping! And if what we are doing is about us, then we aren’t really worshiping.
That’s why it is so important that we come together no matter what is happening in our life, how we feel, or what’s on our mind. We need to worship God, and to do it together.
A parable for Christians at election time.
Posted by Randy in Church, Culture, Leadership on January 27, 2012
A king once sent many of his subjects to live in a faraway country. He told them that, during their stay in this country, they should do whatever they could to help the citizens of that country understand the glories of their kingdom and the King’s way of life. But this country was so different—and in such difficulty—that they found it difficult to influence it.
While they were there, they came to like many things about this country. Their interest in the country’s problems were no longer just to fulfill their King’s commission, but because they saw the country as their own. And the more they did, the more opinionated they became about what was wrong with it—and how to change it.
As time went on, the subjects of the kingdom grew more forceful in giving their opinions of how the new country should be run. Often they disagreed with one another, and they were so intent on their opinions being heard they became very intense, even sarcastic and abusive. Instead of uniting with one another to help the people of this country understand the wonders of their kingdom—wonders the people of this country could have if they chose to—they joined with those in this country against one another. They considered those who disagreed with them to be foolish—idiots who just didn’t understand.
What will their King say?
Moments
Posted by Randy in Everything Else, Family on January 12, 2012
Sometimes I think the years go by quickly. But the years aren’t what I remember. Moments are. I found myself thinking tonight of the pizza I ate for dinner exactly 31 years ago. It was Domino’s take-out, pepperoni and cheese. Why would I remember that moment?
After all, a lot has happened in the last 31 years. A LOT of moments (and yes, many of them just as memorable to me for similar reasons). But today my mind went past all that to a moment, standing in a cold room, when my first daughter came into the world. I can tell you where I was standing, how I felt, my fear for Donna as the doctors worked quickly to staunch the more than expected loss of blood. I remember the little body, very vocal, and somewhat yellow once she was cleaned up. I remember my hands holding scissors (very expensive ones no doubt) as I cut the umbilical cord.
Obviously significant, but why? Because that moment is about a person, a person very important to me.
The years since have seen that person grow up and become a young woman, a college graduate, a wife, a mother. She has experienced years—and moments.
I have come to believe that life is about such moments—and others not near as singular, but very important to us. All of them are about the people who are so important in our lives.
I don’t know how many years, or moments, I have left. Maybe many, maybe few. I do know I have a tendency to watch the years and miss moments until I am looking back at them over the years, and I don’t to do that any more.
To any of my readers who are near my age, you know what I mean. And to those who are younger, you willJ. May you live in the moments God gives you. The years will take care of themselves.
in Christ,
Randy
Strangely enough, I am really thankful…
Posted by Randy in Church, Family, Leadership on November 24, 2011
Like most people, I am thankful for the obvious things–my family, friends, good food, Cornhusker football:-). But as I reflect on Thanksgiving I find I am profoundly grateful for something else.
A quick look at the last few weeks of my life (and they have been typical) includes involvement with: cancer, death, injury, illness, homelessness, hunger, arrest and jail, crime victimization, murder, betrayal, serious mental illness, unemployment, gossip and backbiting, adultery, drunkenness and drug addiction, immersion in sin–pain.
To be clear, I am not thankful for these things. For nearly 4 decades I have spent my life immersed in these and other horrible things people endure. But I am grateful that God has allowed me the opportunity to be part of their lives as they go through these things. These are times that are crossroads in people’s lives. They will always remember them, and will always be affected by them. And they allow me to be a part of those experiences–to stand by them and share the intimacy of such profound moments in their lives.
Since I came to the Lord I have never been bored! The reason is simple. God lets me be part of people’s lives. For this I am profoundly grateful. I have seen my kids and their spouses develop similar lifestyles, and for this I am grateful. And I know that every person reading this post can share in others’ lives if they choose to be there for them. For that, I am grateful. May each of you have that kind of year, and may each of you experience the gratitude I feel!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Justice and Joe Paterno
Posted by Randy in Bible, Culture, Leadership on November 10, 2011
Most of you know I am a TOTAL Nebraska Cornhusker fan. Part of that loyalty (only partJ) comes from my deep personal respect for Tom Osborne, legendary former football coach and current Athletic Director for Nebraska. Osborne, along with a few other coaches, has established an amazing reputation for integrity and living out his Christian faith.
One of those other coaches is Joe Paterno.
Anyone who has listened to or read the news the last few days knows the irony of that statement.
Joe Paterno has been known as a kind, decent, Christian man of integrity for almost 5 decades of coaching.
This morning, Joe Paterno was unceremoniously fired. And many are saying he got off easy. As much as I respect this man—and I still do—I agree.
If you haven’t read the news, the short story is that years ago Joe Paterno discovered one of his key assistant coaches was a child molester. He reported it to his boss, the Athletic Director, who kept it quiet—and from then on, so did Paterno. As a result, the man was allowed to continue abusing children.
The problem is, Paterno himself admits he didn’t do enough. He says he has a lot of remorse over that fact, and that’s good. But it doesn’t change what happened. When we repent, it is important to our own growth—and our ultimate forgiveness—but it doesn’t change the fact that our sins—of omission or commission—still hurt people.
But many say, he’s a good man! He doesn’t deserve this.
Not true. Not of Joe Paterno, not of me, not of you. We are not good (Jesus himself said so in Mark 10:18!), we are sinners, and that sin bears a penalty. We tend to think if someone is better than someone else (in our opinion), or if we like them, they don’t “deserve” punishment (defined as consequences for their sin). But they do. And so do we.
Don’t misunderstand. I still respect Joe Paterno. And if I knew him personally, I don’t believe I would turn my back on him at this time—even though I have spent most of my adult life trying to raise awareness (and action) of Christians regarding child abuse and domestic violence. I recognize that we are all sinners, and no one’s sin is no worse than mine, because mine caused Jesus to die on the cross.
But I can like someone and still recognize their sin, and the justice of God in allowing punishment for that sin.
Perhaps there is more than one lesson here for all of us? The biggest being, it is a good thing God’s ultimate justice is fulfilled by the death of Christ. The judge died for us so that we wouldn’t have to eternally pay the penalty. In the meantime, our actions (our sin) have consequences, and that is as it should be.
Sheep and Goats
Just a brief thought for us to ponder:
Have you ever wondered why some people seem so focused on the Lord and others who claim to be Christian aren’t?
Have you wondered why some Christians seem to work tirelessly to serve others while others seem focused on getting others to serve them?
Have you noticed that some in the church seem to act more like consumers, hopping from church to church, while others seem totally committed to the local congregation they are part of?
Jesus said what we know as the church is made up of sheep and goats. The sheep are those who really are followers of Jesus. The goats, well they say they are, but Jesus says he doesn’t know them.
The difference? The sheep live faithfully and the goats don’t.
This isn’t “works righteousness” or “being good enough”. It is simply evidence that when one encounters Jesus his/her life is changed. If the life isn’t changed, the encounter hasn’t really happened.
So, are we sheep, or goats? I believe Jesus told the story both to let us know that there is a difference, and to let us know we can choose which to be. If we aren’t sheep, we can choose to be. But it requires that we stop “acting” like sheep, and come to Jesus so he can actually make us sheep.
Just a thought.
in Christ,
Randy
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