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Cultural Imperatives

Sunday, November 15th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

Today I received an email (forwarded) that contained some pictorial representations of the Passion story.  At the end was this message:

All you have to do is:

1.   Simply pray for the person who sent this message to you:

Lord, you know the life of _________. I ask You to bless

him/her in all things and make him/her prosperous.

Take care of his/her family, his/her health, his/her work and

all his/her future plans.  Lead him/her not into temptation,

but deliver him/her from evil.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

2. Then, send this message to 10 people.

3. Ten people will pray for you and you will make that many people pray to

God for other people.

4. Take a moment to appreciate the power of God in your life, for doing

what pleases Him.

If you are not ashamed to do this, please, follow Jesus’ instructions. He said

(Matthew 10:32 & 33): “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before

others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whosoever

denies me before others,  I also will deny before my Father in heaven”.

So, what do you think?  The intention is good, but the request is saturated with cultural, not biblical, understanding.  Normally I wouldn’t bother to point these out.  After all, who am I to judge the heart motives of another?  I am a duplicitous sinner, attached to my own predilection of self-agendas.  I don’t always display honorable or holy motives.  I make a lot of mistakes.  But I think it might be useful to unearth some of the influences of our culture here.  Maybe we will get a clearer picture of the biblical imperative.  So, let’s set aside the obvious laudable intention of the one who sent the message.  Let’s look at the implications of the content.

First, is this all you have to do?  Well, if I want nothing more than to pray for the person who sent the message, then maybe all I have to do is follow this little formula.  But the biblical imperative doesn’t stop at sending pleas and good thoughts up to heaven.  Love is a verb.  It is action that matters.  If I really want to pray for God’s blessing in the life of another, but I don’t actually do anything to help bring that about, then I have misunderstood the Bible.  Where I am able, I am called to action.  How can another person be blessed if I am not willing to lift my finger to help?  Yes, my prayers are good, and necessary, but prayer without action is like faith without works.  Dead!  So, saying a prayer isn’t all I have to do, is it?  If I’m going to pray for someone, I commit myself to them.  Prayer is the cement that glues me to the life of another.  I take responsibility when I pray.  I don’t just throw a few words toward the ceiling.  I accept accountability for making a difference where and when I can make a difference.  As soon as the words, “Lord, you know the life of _______” leave my lips, I become a partner in the blessing I ask from God.  Words are never enough, not in the Hebrew worldview.

Second, did you notice that this prayer asks for all the culturally acceptable good things in life?  “Lord, give them prosperity, health, care, work and (oh, yes) save them from temptation.”  In other words, spare them from actually living.  Treat them like silver-spoon children.  Forget about the call to suffer like Jesus.  Don’t pay attention to the opportunity to demonstrate trust in the middle of temptation.  Ignore the reminders that we are salt and light in a corrupt and darkened world.  And please, Lord, no crosses.  Just give us sunny days, fulfilling work, plenty of everything, good health and protection.  Then we will have a compelling testimony of Your character.  After all, You are the real Santa Claus.  Don’t ask us to follow in the footsteps of Your Son.  Help us forget that the believer is called to suffering on behalf of another (peacemakers and all that).  Most of all Lord, let our spiritual journey be about us!  Actually, now that I think about it, let it be about me! I don’t really want to grow up.  I don’t really want to carry someone else’s burdens.  I don’t really want to love my enemies and do them good.  No, what I really want is my best life now!  And just to make sure that all of this will happen, I’m adding the spiritual magic formula, “In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

But, of course, “Jesus” isn’t his name.  The phrase isn’t magic.  And the Hebrew word amen attached to this request is an oxymoron.  How can I vouch for the truth of what I have just proclaimed (that’s what amen means) when what I have asked flies in the face of everything biblical?  When will we discover that praying is the process of molding our hearts so that we are ready and willing to embrace what God provides.  It is not the request to give us what we want.

Third, will this noble effort really “make” ten people pray for you?  Yes, it might spur ten people to repeat the errors in this request, but does that make it prayer?  What would it be like if I asked ten people to pray that God would mold me into a man of contentment?  What if ten people prayed that God would fulfill His purposes in my life no matter what the cost – and that I would accept the cost without question?  What if ten people prayed for my unrestrained obedience rather than my desire to avoid all hardships?

Finally, take a moment to appreciate what God is doing in your life.  Yes, do!  But notice that what God is doing requires that He take you on this path.  He doesn’t make mistakes.  Where you are right now is exactly where you need to be in order for Him to do what He wants to do with you.  Can you thank Him for your present circumstances with the same enthusiasm that would lead you to ask for His blessings?  Oh, and by the way, if you really want to do what pleases Him, then why are you worried about your prosperity, health, family, work and temptations?  Do you trust Him?  Doesn’t He know what you really need?  Isn’t His purpose to conform you to the image of His Son?  And who decides how that is supposed to be done?  You?

The final word here is obedience.  Do you want to be a delight to the Father?  Then do what He says.  You don’t even have to pray for Him to tell you what that is.  He has already told you.  Go read the Torah.  After your life is in conformity with His instructions, then see if you still need to pray, “Lord, bless me with prosperity, health, family, work and no temptations.”

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Principle #6

Saturday, September 12th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

For it is written in the Law of Moses, “YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING.” God is not concerned about oxen, is He? 1 Corinthians 9:9

Is He? – Does God care about oxen? Of course He does! Doesn’t the general principle (remember #5) apply here? God loves His creation, therefore He cares about oxen. So, why does Sha’ul ask the question? Because Sha’ul is about to apply the sixth principle of rabbinic interpretation; keyotza bo bamakom acher (“as comes from it in another place”), that is, a teaching based on what is similar in another passage. This is exegetical analogy. It isn’t oxen Sha’ul wants us to notice. What he wants us to notice is that just as God cares about oxen, so He also cares about those who labor on behalf of others. Oxen are fed in their labor. So should the servants of the Lord be fed and cared for by those whom they serve. Sha’ul draws an analogy based on the similarity of circumstance, that is, reward for laboring.

Frankly, a verse about feeding oxen has nothing to do with paying ministers. The context isn’t the same. The historical period isn’t the same. The language isn’t the same (unless your pastor is like a bull). One verse doesn’t seem to be connected to another verse, except by this process of rabbinic analogy. Then it makes sense. But if you were asked to find biblical support for rewarding pastors, I’ll bet you would never have thought of a verse about oxen – unless you were a brilliant rabbi like Sha’ul.

Sometimes this principle is used in even more mysterious ways. Rabbinic thought connected many apparently unrelated verses because they shared the same letters or words. The actual context or meaning of the individual verses had little to do with the rabbinic insight. Consider this example:

Lamentations 3:41 says, “Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.” Deuteronomy 11:13 tells us “to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart.” From these two verses, the rabbis connect the word “heart” and conclude that serving God with all your heart means praying. Do you see the principle at work here? Taken independently, you might never conclude that serving the Lord was the work of prayer, but when principle #6 is employed, the two verses share something in common (the word lev) and that means they must somehow be related.

As Greek thinkers, we resist this principle. We want a logical connection. Otherwise, we complain the verse is taken “out of context.” But of course it’s taken out of context. Context doesn’t matter here. It is the analogy or the similarity that matters. Maybe we need to put our nice, neat, logical criteria on the shelf for awhile and listen to the sages. Maybe we would learn something important.

Topical Index: principle #6, keyotza bo bamakom acher, I Corinthians 9:9, oxen, Lamentations 3:41, Deuteronomy 11:13, heart, prayer

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Quiet Time

Friday, September 04th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

and being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground Luke 22:44

Very Fervently – “Prayer is not ‘quiet time’ but a time of wrestling and passion.” So says Peter Leithart. He goes on to say that the contemporary worship experience of prayer, laced with soft romantic music and comfortable surroundings, will never prepare us for the wrestling match with God or the battle with evil. We are not taught to pray. We are taught to feel good.

When Yeshua stepped into the Garden on the night of His betrayal, He came face-to-face with the real enemy of all Mankind. It was not a praise and worship experience. The Son of Man struggled so much that His sweat was like blood. He agonized in prayer. The Greek is ektenesteron, a word that comes from the idea of stretching out or extending. It is about being pulled to the limit. Think of the rack. Do you pray so intently that you are stretched to breaking? Does your worship service end up on the floor, agonizing over the lost, weeping for sins, crying out to the Lord? In our culture, we would consider such behavior inappropriate. But, of course, without the practice of fervent prayer, we are simply not equipped to face the real enemy. Without community training in wrestling with God, we will fold when the pressure really comes.

Greek has a very limited vocabulary for prayer. English is even worse. But Hebrew has an enormously rich vocabulary around the concept of praying. That vocabulary includes everything from growls to shouts, from songs to crying, from meditation to sackcloth and ashes. The human experience before the King of glory is not limited to a few, stripped-down syllables. It must be as wide and deep as the object of its desire. Prayer must reflect God’s view of the world, and that view is not limited to “folding your hands and bowing your heads.” In the Hebrew worldview, prayer is life! Becoming human is the process of being in communication with the Creator. Therefore, I live only insofar as I am advancing in my communication with Him. Perhaps that is why the Psalms contain such depth in vocabulary and such emotional range for prayer. Human beings are the creatures that pray and prayer becomes the avenue of their existence.

So, where does this leave us? I don’t know about you, but I struggle with prayer. It is rarely restful for me. Often I don’t even know what to say. I feel inadequate to the task. I waver over asking a sovereign God who knows me better than I know myself to do anything for me. Since I want only to pray according to His will, I often find that I am lost about what requests to voice to Him. But, of course, He knows all this. There have been times when I could only cry, times when I shouted (and not in joy), times when I pleaded, but most of the time, I feel confused, so humbled that I don’t want to speak and desperate to hear His voice. Perhaps that’s why I pray the psalms. I know that my life with Him depends a great deal on my ability to communicate with Him – no, that’s not right. It depends on my willingness to speak with Him. Ability has little to do with it. The Spirit knows those things too deep to be uttered. I think in the end I am just one of those men who were never taught to pray. I believe it takes teaching and since I did not grow up in a culture of open, audible prayer, my growth was stunted. Now I need to catch up. How about you?

Topical Index: prayer, ektenesteron, Luke 22:44

Peter Leithart, Against Christianity, p. 67

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The Details

Sunday, August 16th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God. Psalm 146:5

Is In – It’s certainly commonplace for us to say we hope in the Lord, but we might be surprised to find the Jewish prayer book doesn’t render the thought this way. The same Hebrew construction (al – there is no verb here) is translated “to” rather than “in.” This is the usual translation of al. The common Hebrew expression for “in” is b’ (as in b’ re’shiyt – “in the beginning”). So, what’s the difference between “hope in the Lord” and “hope to the Lord? Or is there really any difference at all?

It doesn’t take much reflection to unpack the idea of hope in the Lord. When we speak this way, we usually have His character in mind. We think of His unfailing benevolence, His sovereignty, His trustworthiness and His constancy. All these attributes are crucial if we are going to find hope in God. We want to know our trust in Him and His plans and purposes will not be in vain. The Bible is filled with expressions of God’s reliability and they all contribute to our ability to expect that He will bring justice in the end.

But what does it mean to hope to God? The change in preposition shifts the focus from God’s attributes to our need. Essentially, the idea moves from what I expect of God to what I give over to Him. The focus of my thought is not God’s unchanging nature but rather my movement from my need to His rescue. In is a static concept. To is a concept of motion. When I hope to God, I move in His direction and He moves in mine. My hope becomes the road I travel to reach toward His care – the same road He uses to run to meet me. Do you remember the parable of the Two Sons (the Prodigal)? When the lost child walked in the direction of the father, the father ran in the direction of the son. Maybe “his hope to the Lord his God” is really an expression of action toward God rather than expectation about God. At least the prayer book seems to think it is. The sages suggest this kind of hope implies the following: if you pray and you do not receive an answer, pray again.

Why is this little change necessary? Perhaps it combats a version of Christian fatalism. You know how that goes. “God knows my needs better than I do. I prayed about them. Now it’s up to Him to do something. He’ll act if He wishes to.” This is Christian fatalism. It is without movement. God rests in His heaven. I stand my ground on earth. No point in pleading my case. He already knows what He will do. This is hope in God – hope that because He is who He is, He will do something about my circumstances.

But hope to God is unrelenting movement in His direction. I never stop asking until the answer arrives. Maybe this is what Paul had in mind (pray without ceasing). God never tires of our desire to come to Him. More often than not we stop moving toward Him. We stop wrestling all night long because we think the outcome is pre-determined. We become believers in the divine rather than pilgrims to the divine.

Topical Index: prayer, al, to, hope, Psalm 146:5

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Divine Karaoke

Saturday, August 01st, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to YHWH Exodus 15:1

Sang – shiyr is the Hebrew verb, “to sing.” Most of the time the word is used in connection with worship. The pictograph tells us that the word is about deeds or work that consumes the person. In other words, singing “eats” you up. It takes away what you were feeling and moves you to another experience. It is the divine transporter. This is why the Hebrew world considers singing to be praying.

“There are three ways in which a man expresses deep sorrow: the man on the lowest level cries; the man on the second level is silent; the man on the highest level knows how to turn his sorrow into song.”[1]

Heschel says, “True prayer is a song.”[2]

There are many, many days when I do not know what to pray. There are many, many times when all I can do is cry before the Lord. And then there are days when I have nothing left by silence. I wish I could cry. I wish I could express the deep sorrows and longing of my heart. But I can’t. I can’t find the word tails to grab on to that will lead me to His grace. That’s when I need the Blues. It might not be your song, but it’s mine. When I hear those riffs and feel that rhythm, I know that I am connected to the universal language of pain. That’s when I can find the notes that arrive from heaven and carry me back to Him. That’s when I need to sing in order to feel close to Him once again.

Maybe there really is a reason for praise and worship music. Maybe it isn’t all orchestrated and contrived to get me in the mood for experiencing the “anointing” of the message. Maybe. But if I pay close attention to the Siah Safre Kodesh, I notice that the third level is not about religious ecstasy. It’s about inexpressible sorrow. The song comes from pain, not from manipulated techniques to elicit my attention. The reason prayer is transformed into song is because words fail me. My hurt runs too deep. My trauma is too strong. I can’t say what I can’t do, and what I can’t do is find a way out. So, I learn to sing praises to my King and my song “eats” up what would destroy or consume me and gives me peace. No wonder I like Eric and Stevie Ray. I know what it means to hurt right down to my soul. It means to feel the twelve-bar blues.

Moses and the sons of Israel just crossed the sea through a miracle of their God. The threat of extermination was over. So, Moses prayed in the first song ever recorded in the Bible. Out of all that pain, two hundred years under the task-masters, life was restored. The people were rescued. Let us sing a new song to the Lord for He is able. Just don’t forget where the song came from – sorrow unspeakable eaten up by grace.

Topical Index: prayer, song, shiyr, Heschel, Exodus 15:1, blues

[1] Siah Safre Kodesh, Vol. II, page 92, paragraph 318

[2] Abraham Heschel, Between God and Man, p. 209

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Abraham Lincoln on Humility

Sunday, June 21st, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

One of our community submitted this article to me.  I thought we all needed to read it.

A Message from Abraham Lincoln 
Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen 

In an article on religious trends in America during the 1980’s, Newsweek wrote: 

“A group affirmation of self is at the top of the agenda, which is why some of the least demanding churches are now in greatest demand…In their efforts to accommodate, many clergy have simply airbrushed sin out of their language. Like politicians, they can only recognize mistakes that congregations are urged to ‘put behind them.’ Having substituted therapy for spiritual discernment, they appeal to a nurturing God who helps His (or Her) people cope. Heaven, by this creed, is never having to say no to yourself, and God is never having to say you’re sorry.” (Religion: Shopping for a Church, Newsweek, December 17th, 1990) 

Around the mid-nineteenth century, there was a different spirit among religions in America – one which stressed individual and communal responsibility. An example of this spirit can be found in President Abraham Lincoln’s “Proclamation of a Day of Prayer and Fasting” which was issued at the beginning of the Civil War: 

Abraham Lincoln Aug. 12, 1861 (This is written in an older style of English.) 

Whereas a joint Committee of both Houses of Congress has waited on the President of the United States, and requested him to “recommend a day of public humiliation, prayer and fasting, to be observed by the people of the United States with religious solemnities, and the offering of fervent supplications to Almighty God for the safety and welfare of these States, His blessings on their arms, and a speedy restoration of peace:” – 

And whereas it is fit and becoming in all people, at all times, to acknowledge and revere the Supreme Government of God; to bow in humble submission to his chastisements; to confess and deplore their sins and transgressions in the full conviction that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and to pray, with all fervency and contrition, for the pardon of their past offences, and for a blessing upon their present and prospective action: 

And whereas, when our own beloved Country, once, by the blessing of God, united, prosperous and happy, is now afflicted with faction and civil war, it is peculiarly fit for us to recognize the hand of God in this terrible visitation, and in sorrowful remembrance of our own faults and crimes as a nation and as individuals, to humble ourselves before Him, and to pray for His mercy, — to pray that we may be spared further punishment, though most justly deserved; that our arms may be blessed and made effectual for the re-establishment of law, order and peace, throughout the wide extent of our country; and that the inestimable boon of civil and religious liberty, earned under His guidance and blessing, by the labors and sufferings of our fathers, may be restored in all its original excellence: – 

Therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do appoint the last Thursday in September next, as a day of humiliation, prayer and fasting for all the people of the nation. And I do earnestly recommend to all the People, and especially to all ministers and teachers of religion of all denominations, and to all heads of families, to observe and keep that day according to their several creeds and modes of worship, in all humility and with all religious solemnity, to the end that the united prayer of the nation may ascend to the Throne of Grace and bring down plentiful blessings upon our Country. 

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed, this 12th, day of August A.D. 1861, and of the Independence of the United States of America the 86th. 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 
By the President: 
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. 

This was reprinted from NewsMax.com 

President Abraham Lincoln, in the above proclamation, expresses certain spiritual ideas which are rooted in Jewish tradition, such as the need for universal recognition of the “Supreme Government of God,” the need to recognize the “hand of God” in national calamities, and the need for confession, repentance, and prayer for “our own faults and crimes as a nation and as individuals.” 

There is a phrase within the ancient Aleinu prayer – a prayer which is chanted at the conclusion of the morning, afternoon, and evening services – that expresses the need for universal recognition of The Divine sovereignty: “To perfect the world through the Almighty’s Sovereignty.” And we add: “Then all humanity will call upon Your Name, to turn all the earth’s wicked toward You.” The prayer concludes with the following verse from our Scriptures: “Hashem will be Sovereign over all the earth; on that day Hashem will be One and His Name One” (Zechariah 14:9). 

Abraham Lincoln’s recognition of the “hand of God” in national calamities is expressed in the following proclamation of the Prophet Amos: 

“Is the shofar ever sounded in a city, and the people not tremble? Can there be misfortune in a city, if Hashem had not brought it?” (Amos 3:6) 

From the perspective of Jewish tradition, the arrival of misfortune in the land is a “wake-up call.” Our tradition therefore teaches that during a period of crisis and danger, we are to engage in a process of “teshuvah” – returning to the path of Hashem – the Compassionate One. For example, there is a mitzva to blow trumpets during a period of war or any other calamity (Numbers 10:9), and Maimonides offers the following explanation of this mitzva: 

“Such conduct is of the essence of teshuva, for when calamity befalls the people, and they offer up supplications concerning it – sounding also the trumpets – all are bound to realize that it is owing to their bad ways that misfortune has befallen them…If, however, they neither offer up such supplications nor sound the trumpets, declaring that what has befallen them is but a natural event, or that this misfortune is the result of chance and accident, then their course is one of wickedness, and causes them to persist in their bad ways; thus, their misfortune is bound to be followed by many others.” (The Laws of the Fast Days 1: 1-3) 

The following Divine call goes out to all peoples and all individuals: “Do I desire at all the death of the wicked person?… Is it not rather his return from his ways, that he might live? ” (Ezekiel 18:23) 

There is a comforting prophecy that in the messianic age, humanity will finally heed this call: “All the ends of the earth will remember and return to Hashem; all the families of nations will bow before You.” (Psalm 22:28 – This Psalm is also said on Purim.) 

In his commentary on the above verse, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch writes: “Defection from Hashem was never an inborn trait with individuals or with humankind as a whole. The unspoiled hearts of children are close to Hashem, and the same was true of humankind in its pristine state. Alienation from Him came much later. Therefore, through the stimulus emanating from Israel, they will all ‘remember’. Their ‘original’ consciousness of Hashem will come alive again, and they will ‘return’ to Him.” 

In this spirit, we, the Jewish people, pray: “Bring us back to You, Hashem, and we shall return, renew our days as of old.” (Lamentations 5:21)

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A Hebrew Perspective on Prayer

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

 

With all the pressures and frustrations of life facing us every morning, it might be useful to consider for a moment the Hebrew perspective on prayer.  The shift in focus helps us to see that the answer to our usual questions are not as far away as we might think.

 

Fundamental to all Hebrew thought about God is this:  God is the absolute King and Ruler and Creator of the universe.  In theological terms, God is sovereign.  The immediate implication is that God is in control of everything.  So, the Hebrew view of history, personal and corporate, is saturated with God’s purposes.  Job tells us that no plan of God’s can be thwarted.  Proverbs tells us that the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord and is directed like an irrigation channel.  The prophets remind us that God uses both good and evil to bring about His plans.  In the Hebrew worldview, God is in charge, period.

 

It is also quite clear that God never makes a move that is not motivated by His purposes.  There are no accidental or incidental decisions in heaven.  God always does exactly what is the correct thing to do in order to bring about the divine objective.

 

So, when it comes to the shape and direction of our lives, God is no less diligent in His control, guidance and objective.  He wants to accomplish His purposes in us – and He will do that for there is no one and nothing that can prevent Him. 

 

One additional ingredient must be added to the mix before we can truly understand the purpose and process of prayer.  God is good.  God is absolutely holy, has no second agendas and will always do what is necessary and essential to bring about the best result.  Of course, we might not think that what happens in life is the best result, but we are not God.  Since God is good, we must rest our evaluation of circumstances and events on His character, not the appearance of actions.  This is incredibly important for it will often seem as though what happens to us and to others does not make sense.  If we were to judge the appropriateness of actions on the basis of our evaluation, we would slip quietly into the Greek model of divinity where Man and Man’s reason is the final arbiter of what is good and right.  No Hebrew could ever make such a mistake.  God’s ways are not our ways.  No man is able to see the biggest picture.  The finite mind is structurally insufficient to discern the ways of eternity and the infinite.  In the end, we either trust in God’s character or we fight for our version of justice.

 

So, what does this mean when I get on my knees?  The Hebrew perspective is different than the usual, Greek-oriented, contemporary Christian approach.  The Hebrew prays that his heart will be transformed in such as way that he will be fully prepared to accept what God has to offer.  This is very different than the usual prayer asking God to provide what I think I need.  Hebrew prayer opens the door to the holy, sovereign God to choose what is best and give what is necessary.  Hebrew prayer is always in perfect alignment with the will of the Father because it assumes that the issue at hand is not with the giver but with the receiver.  God will always do what is right, holy, blessed and perfect.  I don’t have to convince Him of that.  It is in His nature to do these things.  What is needed is that I become the kind of person who is able to receive what God has to offer.  In other words, my heart must be prepared to be in perfect alignment with what God already knows to be the right, holy, blessed and perfect action.  When I pray for anything else, I run the risk of being out of alignment with the will of the Father, finding my prayers (really requests) unanswered and ending up frustrated (and blaming). 

 

I can always count on God to do what is best for me, and for His entire creation.  My job in prayer is to prepare my heart to accept what He is doing.  Once my heart is in alignment, I discover peace.  I discover joy.  I discover purpose and power.  Why?  Because I know that the heavenly Father knows what He is doing, and all I have to do is completely trust Him.

 

Too often our prayers carry the subtle suggestion that we have to convince God to act with holy intent.  We go to prayer as if it were a negotiating session, as if God had to be convinced to act righteously on our behalf.  That way is Greek.  That way assumes that my view is large enough to see how the pieces should fit together and all I must do is get God to cooperate.  That view is blasphemous and idolatrous for it sets me on par with God.

 

The Hebrew knows that God does exactly what is needed to bring about righteousness.  Therefore, the Hebrew realizes that the impediment is not with God but with me.  My heart must be shaped to receive God’s grace as He desires to provide it.  Paul is entirely Hebrew when he remarks that he has learned to be content in all things.  Reaching this stage in prayer is not easy.  Even Paul asked three times for God to cooperative with Paul’s plans.  But the answer sets us all straight.  “My grace is sufficient.”  Now you know why Jesus could say, “Why are you concerned about tomorrow?  Doesn’t God take care of the birds and the flowers?  Won’t He also take care of you?”

 

May your prayers reflect the holiness, sovereignty and righteousness of who God is.

 

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Prayer

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

Our Father, Our King, You are our only hope.  In times for great distress, You lift us up.  In times of joy, You are our celebration.  We rejoice in You, O Lord, for You never fail.  You have lead us in paths of righteousness.  Your protection hovers over us.  You give us peace.  We praise You for Your mighty works, but more, O Lord, for Your mighty love.  We know You to be compassionate, merciful, long-suffering and full of grace.  Who is like You, O Lord, our King?  

This day You have given us is our day to discover once more how wonderfully adequate You are.  We ask that You prod us, push us and reveal to us Your character in the intersections of our lives.  We are conscious of Your hand behind the scenes, secretly directing Your purposes.  Today we would ask to be included in those kairos moments, that we might rejoice in the One True God, the Holy One of Israel and His sovereignty.  You have given us this day to honor You, to follow You and to glorify You – and that is what we desire.  Let our thoughts, deeds and words be a delight to You today.  May we find that the great passion of our lives is easily placed within Your control.  May we discover the desire to be like You in creative energy is also a desire to be submitted to You in humble contrition.

We have needs this day, O Father.  You know them.  You know every concern and every petition – and every provision that You have in mind for our frail condition as Your creatures.  All these are in Your hand.  So, we pray that our hearts may be like the potter’s clay and that You may shape them today to be willing receptacles of Your grace, filled with Your goodness, in whatever form and shape You determine is best for this day.  We do not ask that You meet our needs as we see fit, O Lord.  We ask that You shape us to conform to the purposes You have in mind regarding our needs.  Let us find contentment in You for that will be enough for us today.

We ask this because we are Your adopted sons and daughters, bought with a price paid by Your Son, Yeshua.  For this we are eternally grateful.  For this we are but Your servants.  

Grant us Your peace.

Amen.

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A Prayer for Us Today

Monday, May 25th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

Our Father, our King, for You are King of the universe and we are your grateful subjects, we give you our praise. You have redeemed us. You have brought us out and called us forth. You are unfailing in mercy, unimpeachable in justice, unrivaled in compassion, unfaltering in love, unending in goodness and unequal in forgiveness. You are our only God. We rejoice in You. We honor You. We come willingly to obey You, our King. By Your hand we receive life again today. According to Your will, we are placed in the circumstances of our communities. We know that Your purposes will prevail and we rest confidently in Your care. We wish only to be fruitful citizens of the Kingdom of Your grace, demonstrating our obedience in order that You may demonstrate Your glory though us. May Your will be done in us today.

Our Father, You direct us to cast every burden on You for You proclaims through your servant Peter that You care of us. According to Your direction, today we lift our fellow travelers to You. For Robert, Anthony and James, we ask provision. May the trials of current unemployment become opportunities to draw closer to You, discover Your gracious bounty and find renewed direction as You engineer life. For Kathleen, Truthful Loving Kindness and Bessy, we ask for contentment experienced in Your power and confidence displayed in Your protection. You, O Lord, are sovereign over body and soul. With healing in Your wings, we plead that You may demonstrate Your sovereignty now over the course of life in these sisters so that we may all rejoice once more in Your resurrecting power. For Alissa, we ask that You show Yourself as El-Shaddai, the Lord most capable, able to sustain those who have dedicated themselves to Your redemption of this world. For Edy, we ask You show Yourself the sovereign Lord of life over all relationships and especially over those within our families. For those unnamed but whose names You know so dearly and so intimately, we ask that Your purposes, which are never unfulfilled, may be revealed in order that each of us may walk confidently according to Your will.

And Father, if You so choose to bring about for Your good and Your intentions, what we cannot fathom and cannot reconcile, then give us the strength to rely entirely on who You are, on Your character as the One True God, the Most High, the King of all kings. Remind us, O Lord and King, that we do not worship You for Your benevolence toward us, as much as we need and long for Your grace, but we worship You because You are the Lord of life. May Your peace fall upon us today. May it be enough for us to say, we are Yours to do with as You will in order that Your glory may be served. May our hearts be formed around Your desires and may be delight You in all that we do.

Amen.

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Prayer Requests

Sunday, April 19th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

Please read the following prayer request.  And if you have any requests, please post them as a comment on here.  (Patrick put a link from the homepage to this page so you can easily get back to it.)  Also, if you haven’t listened to The Hebrew View of Prayer you should. -Skip

Skip, will you ask your supporters to pray with us? We are asking believers everywhere to pray for the release of our 32 year-old daughter from the occult. She recently re-established contact with our family after refusing to have any connection with us for almost 3 years.  She knows Christ but is caught up in much psychic-babble and is all but denying Christ.  We know that we are not warring against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers in this dark world.  Please pray with us for Tracy’s release from the darkness of the tomb where Satan has led her and into the light of the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life. We are praying that she will one day simply cry out the name of Jesus.  When she does we know that He will meet her where she is and bring her back to Him.  All for His glory and for our good, in the mighty name of Jesus.  Thank you so very much for praying with us.

Gary and Lou Lewis

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