What does it mean to pray? What is the communication between God and Man? People have tried to modify and control their environment for all of recorded history. Many of these efforts have been beneficial. There is a point, however, when such efforts become counterproductive and damaging. A couple of examples make the point.
People are susceptible to cold and wet. We do not have fur, and we do not have a large layer of fat or body mass to conserve heat. Shelter is essential for human survival. The earliest example is cave dwelling. The foundations of huts are still visible from later periods. Brining fire indoors brought greater warmth and the ability to cook indoors. Still later we learned to seal windows, as opposed to using shutters. In the last 150 years, we have added indoor plumbing as a routine convenience (as opposed to the palaces of the wealthy), air conditioning and central heat, and insulated windows. The return of safety in return for expense and environmental imposition, however, steadily diminishes across this list. Going into a cave is a much greater improvement in safety at a small environmental cost compared with manufacturing insulated windows, which only reduce energy bills and reduce window cleaning.
Plastic surgery is a great blessing for some. Tumors which grossly disfigured, injuries which left people having to wear masks and veils, can now be treated to the emotional and physical benefit of the patient. Women disfigured by mastectomy can get a breast reconstruction. People with cleft lips can talk, eat, kiss and live normally. Much more money is found, however, in the market for what is euphemistically called 'cosmetic surgery'. Women get breast implants. Both sexes get buttock implants, face lifts, botox injections and eyebrow lifts. Once again, the benefit is not related to the cost.
People spend so little time listening to God, seeking for His voice and messages. I believe those signs are all around us, if we will only be quiet, humble ourselves, and listen. Often, in my experience, the voice of God says things I don't understand or that I don't want to hear. But every time, they have been true.
More often than listening and obeying, people pray to get try and get God to do something for them. This is not, in my view, prayer, but related to primitive ideas of sacrifice for the propitiation of the gods. If we pray hard enough, God will 'be on our side'. The most elementary examination shows this is false and also bad theology. If we could pray and have God do what we want, then all of us would be healthy millionaires. Rather than praying to God to help us win wars, we would do better to listen and hear what God wants of us.
The difference between these two ways of communicating with God seem to me the theological reflection of the varying benefits of human intervention in living. There is intervention for benefit, and then there is self-serving, unnecessary intervention. The difference is found in whether our manipulation of the environment serves our needs or our wants. No one 'needs' double hung windows or bigger breasts, or eyes without wrinkles. Everyone needs shelter, cooked food and the blessing of being relieved of disfigurement.
God provides for our needs. We have to listen. But God does not provide for our wants. When we measure God by the fulfillment of the desires of Man, we elevate ourselves and reduce God to a servant of our vanity. This is not only true in an abstract sense, and in the manner of prayer, but is reflected in our behavior and choices in living. Chasing our vanity by attempting to create a flunky god for ourselves is a path to self-destruction and disappointment. Listening and humbling ourselves to hear the instructions of God leads to our truer satisfaction and greater life.
Ted
People are susceptible to cold and wet. We do not have fur, and we do not have a large layer of fat or body mass to conserve heat. Shelter is essential for human survival. The earliest example is cave dwelling. The foundations of huts are still visible from later periods. Brining fire indoors brought greater warmth and the ability to cook indoors. Still later we learned to seal windows, as opposed to using shutters. In the last 150 years, we have added indoor plumbing as a routine convenience (as opposed to the palaces of the wealthy), air conditioning and central heat, and insulated windows. The return of safety in return for expense and environmental imposition, however, steadily diminishes across this list. Going into a cave is a much greater improvement in safety at a small environmental cost compared with manufacturing insulated windows, which only reduce energy bills and reduce window cleaning.
Plastic surgery is a great blessing for some. Tumors which grossly disfigured, injuries which left people having to wear masks and veils, can now be treated to the emotional and physical benefit of the patient. Women disfigured by mastectomy can get a breast reconstruction. People with cleft lips can talk, eat, kiss and live normally. Much more money is found, however, in the market for what is euphemistically called 'cosmetic surgery'. Women get breast implants. Both sexes get buttock implants, face lifts, botox injections and eyebrow lifts. Once again, the benefit is not related to the cost.
People spend so little time listening to God, seeking for His voice and messages. I believe those signs are all around us, if we will only be quiet, humble ourselves, and listen. Often, in my experience, the voice of God says things I don't understand or that I don't want to hear. But every time, they have been true.
More often than listening and obeying, people pray to get try and get God to do something for them. This is not, in my view, prayer, but related to primitive ideas of sacrifice for the propitiation of the gods. If we pray hard enough, God will 'be on our side'. The most elementary examination shows this is false and also bad theology. If we could pray and have God do what we want, then all of us would be healthy millionaires. Rather than praying to God to help us win wars, we would do better to listen and hear what God wants of us.
The difference between these two ways of communicating with God seem to me the theological reflection of the varying benefits of human intervention in living. There is intervention for benefit, and then there is self-serving, unnecessary intervention. The difference is found in whether our manipulation of the environment serves our needs or our wants. No one 'needs' double hung windows or bigger breasts, or eyes without wrinkles. Everyone needs shelter, cooked food and the blessing of being relieved of disfigurement.
God provides for our needs. We have to listen. But God does not provide for our wants. When we measure God by the fulfillment of the desires of Man, we elevate ourselves and reduce God to a servant of our vanity. This is not only true in an abstract sense, and in the manner of prayer, but is reflected in our behavior and choices in living. Chasing our vanity by attempting to create a flunky god for ourselves is a path to self-destruction and disappointment. Listening and humbling ourselves to hear the instructions of God leads to our truer satisfaction and greater life.
Ted
Love this post!! I have never been a believer in prayer for material requests. When my husband and I were buying our first house I never prayed for it to happen just for strength and peace if it didn't. Also when facing surgery...peace. I've known people when I did go to church that would ask for prayer that their house would sell or that they would be able to buy the car they wanted. In my eyes that is wrong and not what prayer should be about. I also believe God answers prayer His way. There was a time when my daughter Meredith was traveling to Indiana to visit a friend of hers. The weather was going to be awful,strong and severe thunderstorms. I prayed for her. I asked God to get her to Indiana safely and if it was going to be bad weather to just give her the ability to drive through it or hold off on the bad weather until she got there. She called me after she got there and told me how all the way there the storm seemed to be right behind her and as soon as she got to her friends she no sooner walked through the front door when the storm hit. And it was a bad one!! So that one prayer of mine confirmed to me that God does indeed hear our prayers and answers them accordingly. Elizabeth
ReplyDeleteExcellent post !! But, there are some of us, like myself, that need to be hit over the head on order to truly listen to His directions. The most difficult thing to do is to simply say "Lord, it's in Your hands" and let Him work us as He sees fit. There have been many times where I have tried to make something work that, in retrospect, I should have left behind. When I FINALLY pulled it together, invariably, it was NOT what I needed to do or where I needed to be. Had I only listened and paid attention to the obstacles that were put in my way, I might have realized that I was being directed to another path...
ReplyDeleteIf I could say anything, I'd advise shutting up and listening to His words - you'll hear them - in the wind, in a bird's song, in the coo of a baby - but you'll hear them, and then you'll know what's important.