What Only God Can Do

Now we pray to God that you do no wrong   2 Corinthians 13:7

Pray to God – Just how much post-modern thought is infected with the consequences of a Greek worldview can be seen in our understanding of this simple Pauline statement.  Even our prayers are tainted with unbiblical assumptions.

Paul uses the very rare phrase euchometha pros ton Theon.  There is a lot involved in this phrase.  Euchometha is a verb that means, “we ask, beseech, pray.”  It is associated with taking vows.  The Hebrew root equivalent often involves formal temple prayer.   Paul is using serious, holy language.  But notice the second word in the phrase – pros.  This preposition is primarily about direction.  It can mean “toward” or “to,” but here it has the nuance of a relationship of dependence.  This is not prayer cavalierly cast toward heaven.  This is prayer that utterly depends on God for its fulfillment.  This is prayer of holy intercession.

Now think about what Paul says.  He prays that, as a result of God’s sovereign action and in total dependence upon Him, you will do not anything evil (kakon meden).  It’s too weak to suggest that Paul prays only to be sheltered from “wrongs.”  We lump everything excusable in that category.  God is not protecting you from errors in your checkbook or failure to yield at a crosswalk.  Paul prays that God will save you from evil in every form.  And here’s the kicker.  If God doesn’t act, you are doomed.

We don’t think like this, much to our pity.  We adopt a Greek view of prayer.  We pray about those things that we think are beyond our control.  We assume that God plays no role in those things that are within our control.  So, we invoke the Deity, attempting to sway His options, when we no longer have any other influence.  We endorse Seneca’s comment:  “It is foolish to pray for a right disposition when one can attain it oneself.”  Consequently, we take to God only those things that seem too difficult for us.  Since we believe that we actually exercise control over our evil proclivities, it never crosses our minds that we would actually pray for God to keep us from evil.  That is our business.  With this twist, we neuter the hideousness of evil and deceive ourselves. 

The Hebrew Paul knows better.  Unless God deliberately intervenes in my nature, I will go astray.  Only because of His divine mercy, grace and protection can I be spared the sin that lurks at my door.  I am not capable of refraining from evil unless God intervenes.  

Pray like a Hebrew.  If God doesn’t act, we are all lost.  Nothing is really under my control except my need for Him.