What does it say about our spiritual maturity if we pray but do little? I will embellish...

I live in the south...or perhaps more specifically I live in the bible belt. There are three churches that are within a five minute walking distance from my house. All my life I have gone to church, I've been around Christians, many of my friends are Christians, all of my immediate family are Christians, I'm a Christian, I listen to podcasts from Christians, I read books from and about Christians. Being raised in such an environment, it should not be surprising that I can't tell you how many times I've heard the words "I'll pray for you".


Before I say anything, let me tell you what I believe about prayer.

1. It works.
2. It's communication to God almighty, through Jesus Christ who intercedes for us day and night, by the power of the Holy Spirit. (John 15:26, Romans 8:34)
3. Prayer moves the heart of God. (Matthew 15:21-28)
4. From what I know of Church history, all global/national spiritual revivals have been hinged on prayer (Acts 2, Exodus 3:9-10, The Reformation)
5. Prayer connects us even when geographical distance attempts to divide us. (Revelation 1:9-10)

I would go on, but my main purpose is not to define what prayer is, but to give you an idea of how high I hold prayer in importance. I LOVE prayer. I have GREAT faith in prayer.

When one grows up around Christians, and hears the term "I'll pray for you" as often as I have, the words tend to lose meaning. It becomes part of a auto response to someones pain, hardships, or trials. It's the easy way out.

"Oh, I'll pray for you...once you're gone...and I'm alone, and don't have to get emotionally involved in your situation. I won't have to sacrifice. I won't have to personally give you anything but a few moments of thought. Maybe I'll even consider myself to be compassionate."

That is what prayer became for me. An automatic fix-all sort of easy button.

I did, on occasion take action. If there was a situation that continually confronted me, sometimes I'd slowly consider about doing something about it, but never the spontaneous stuff. Never the guy you meet at lunch who just lost his job, his wife divorced him, and he's having trouble putting food on the table for two young children. He'd walk out to his car all I muster is "I'll pray for you".

A kid's parents get divorced. "I'll pray for you"

Someone get's cancer. "I'll pray for you"

Your friend's heart gets broken by a jerk who lied. "I'll pray for you"


I just get the feeling that Jesus never meant for me to be a religious person who prayed for the poor before dinner, while the homeless starved outside my doorstep. I don't want this to be a guilt trip, but I REALLY want to consider what my heart motivation is for saying the words "I'll pray for you". Is it because that's what I think will help the most, or is it because I don't want to invest in the person? YES people need prayer. YES prayer works, but so do we. The BODY of Christ.

I know I'm not saying anything new. We've heard these principles from Pastors, Evangelism Speakers, and Casting Crowns songs. These principles are grained into our minds, but have we grasped the reality of the effects? What does it say about our spiritual maturity if we, as Christians, only pray?

Do you notice that the people in the bible who pray tend to do things? The Godly people who sincerely ask God for something tend to already be doing something about it. I don't think it's that they don't trust God, it's that they care.

I just sometimes get frustrated in modern day America where we have our neat little prayer times carved out for us at every meal, and right before we go to sleep. I think sometimes we forget of the awesome splendor and GLORY that God is described with, and we forget that we are supposed to CHANGE when we encounter God. That our heart is BROKEN for what BREAKS HIS. If we're praying but not changing, I must beg to ask the question, what number are we dialing?

Maybe it's not simple as a beggar at your door, but it may be as simple as someone who just needs to know you care about them, and you want to listen to them. When God tells Moses that he is going to deliver the Israelite from Pharaoh's hand he says that he is INTIMATELY acquainted with their suffering. Maybe before we try and fix peoples problems we should become intimately acquainted with them first.

Maybe it's not as simple as a starving child, but it is as simple as a guy who has just run out of money, and you can give him the little extra grace he needs.


-O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open. I have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, grant us mercy. Forgive me for my selfishness. Forgive me for the times I've over looked those who were in need. My disgrace is before me all day long. When people needed Your love I gave them a church service, when they needed grace, I gave apathy. I have been indifferent. Woe to me for I am complacent. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this mind of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! Who, by His death has purchased my soul and freed me from myself! He heard my cry for help, and rescued me. As I lay kicking in my own blood, He came by and said to me "LIVE! Now in abundance of grace he has freed me from sin, to be an agent of mercy in this life.

By YOUR grace, O Lord, I am able to give grace
By YOUR love, O Lord, am I able to love
By YOUR strength, O Lord, am I able to support others
By YOUR words, O Lord, will I encourage
By YOUR compassion, O Lord, I am compassionate
and by YOUR eyes, O Lord, will I see the broken hearted and downtrodden.-



James 2:14-17
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.


-James

How does she knooooowww...*musical notes*

So I REAALLY hope that this isn't inappropriate, or mean or anything....but...well here we go...

I stumbled upon this quote today:

"The best and most Beautiful things in life can't be seen nor touched but are felt in the heart."

Many of you have probably seen this quote on some myspace header, facebook bumper sticker, or some other medium popular amongst teenage drama queens. (I wonder if this quote shows up in Twilight. *snicker* >:-D ) What I found out today is that this is actually a quote from Helen Keller. Now...don't get me wrong, I think Helen Keller was a brave and wonderful woman, and very likely had more character than myself...however...one must beg to ask the question: how on earth does she know?

I don't necessarily disagree with her...but...I mean really...

-James

The basis for hope

The basis for optimism is sheer terror. We are too scared to admit our lives are not what we'd like them to be. We wrap ourselves in the blankets of illusion and compromise, hoping to avoid the cold of reality. The truth is we've all fallen at some point. We've all woken up in the middle of the night and wished we were somewhere, or even SOMEONE else. Yet, that, I think, is the problem. That we ARE someone else. Most people are other people. Our thoughts are someone else's opinions, our lives a mimicry, our passions a quotation.

"We're all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

That's the main thought I want to emphasis in this blog. We all get hurt, we all get beat down, we all become a facade, and we all are brokenhearted. The key difference is where we place our hope.

"But, Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The Sky, not the grave is our goal...
...Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say:
It is well, it is well with my soul!"

P.S.
To add a little bit of irony to this post, I must tell you many of these thoughts rely heavily on, if are not direct quotes from the written work of Oscar Wild. I do not find a major problem in this. Mr. Wild and I end up in two very different places of thought. I think it is safe to say my thoughts are not his opinions. Rather my life is the feeble reflection of Christ, in whom I have all confidence and trust, and am unashamed to imitate. Again, our defining characteristics are in what or who we place our hope. Hope: the key I sometimes ponder Mr. Wild lost.

-James