Finding God's Heart in Prayer

I thought I was finished writing about this year’s presidential election when I wrote my post on August 1^st (http://faithmeanderings.blogspot.com/2016/08/to-vote-or-not-to-vote.html).  But recently God has been laying something on my heart that I want to share.

Most of us would agree that the choices before us this year are difficult at best; in fact, the outcome of the election seems grim regardless of who wins.  And I’m not interested in joining the legions of others who have used social media to rant and rave about what choice we should make.  What I am interested in is determining what God might be asking us to do in spite of the end result of the election.

I have been hearing many people calling Christians to pray – for our nation, for the outcome of the election, etc.  But it seems to me that these types of prayers might be selfish.  Instead of praying for God’s sovereign will, we pray for the things we want to happen; and we sometimes act as if God isn’t sovereign.  I think we might be praying for the wrong things.

According to Christ’s words (Matthew 5:43-45) and his example (Luke 23:34), we are to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, forgive them, and trust what God is doing even if it doesn’t seem right to us.  It’s much easier to get angry and side against those we disagree with.  But if we could apply these Biblical principles to our election, we would stop worrying and find better things to pray about.

I’ll admit I’m resistant to what God’s been telling me, but I think our prayers need to be more concerned about other people and less about our hopes for our country.  It’s hard to pray for someone you disagree with or who has wronged you, but what would happen if Christians diligently prayed for the souls of the two candidates?  Regardless of what happens in the election and in our country, this is what God ultimately cares about.  Whether I understand it or not, God loves Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as much as he loves me or any other devoted follower of Christ.  His highest desire is for both of them to choose to submit to his authority and follow his leading.  Am I praying specifically for the souls of those I don’t like, including these candidates? 

And what about members of ISIS or Vladimir Putin or terrorists?  What about lost people from other cultures that I don’t understand, such as Muslims?  Do I really believe that they have worth because they are created in the image of God, and that God loves them as much as he loves me?  Do I pray for their souls, or only that they would be defeated or kept away from me?

God help us to choose to see others through your eyes and to pray as Jesus would pray if he was walking on earth today.    

The Voice of Truth

Truth is not highly valued in our post-Christian society.  I’m not talking about honesty; that’s an entirely different topic.  I’m talking about the pursuit of absolute truth in a relative world.  While many seem to want to acquire the answers to questions about truth, many are unwilling to choose the narrow path necessary to accept the real meaning of truth.

This should not surprise us.  I’ve been reading in the gospel of Mark, and Jesus’ approach to teaching truth can be somewhat unnerving.  He makes it clear that truth isn’t for everyone – that not everyone will accept what he has to say:  “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables” (Mark 4:11).  Jesus also said, “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:14).

Does this mean that God isn’t offering truth to everyone?  I don’t think so, because 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that “the Lord . . . is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance”.  What I think Jesus meant by his words is what we are seeing in our culture today: truth will not be accepted by everyone because not everyone is fully engaged and willing to interact with truth (Mark 4:33).  Because truth is a revelation of part of God’s character, it is unchanging and demands our attention and response.  There is no middle ground – we either stand for truth (and God) or we stand against truth (on Satan’s side).  (See John 8:44 & 47 and Luke 11:23).

Throughout chapter 4 of Mark (and many other places in the gospels), Jesus also makes it clear what our approach to truth must be if we are to claim to be his disciples:

v. 3 – “Listen!”

v. 9 – “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

v. 23 – “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

v. 24 – “Pay attention to what you hear.”  

v. 33 – “. . . he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.”

We have to block out all the other “voices” in our culture and make a conscious choice to listen only to the voice of truth.  Otherwise, we might miss it.  Only when we truly listen and embrace truth will we have something worth offering those who are looking for the answers – always being “prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).

 

(NOTE:  Max Lucado’s story “The Song of the King” is a great way to teach children the value of listening to God’s voice in a society with so many options.  The lesson of this story is also important for adults living in a relative world.  Here’s a link to a reading of it that is posted online:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD6bNjJGTwc.)