About Me
- Paul Metler, Ph.D.
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- Hello. Thanks for stopping by. If you care to read about what's crossing my mind or sticking in my heart I welcome you to my latest post. So, I hope you enjoy my ramblings. More importantly, I hope I can encourage you to join me in my quest to be a faithful follower of my Lord Jesus Christ.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
A man of prayer
Jonah prayed while in the belly of a fish. He became a "man of prayer" in his crisis time. But, prayer is both simple and complex. It can be as simple as a cry for help or as complex and mysterious as the transformation of God's work in us. Jonah prayed. His prayer is a mixture of confession and acknowledgement of God's truth. Yet, on the other side of the fish, it doesn't seem that Jonah's heart was much different. Nouwen's definition of a "man of prayer" reveals the transformation that God desires. Nouwen writes "a man of prayer is, in the final analysis, the man who is able to recognize in others the face of the Messiah". Quite a challenge when we think in terms of Jonah seeing the fingerprint of God on the wicked people of Nineveh. But, too often that is how we justify our apathy or hatred toward others. If we fail to see Jesus, we fail to reveal Jesus.
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2 comments:
Maybe Jonah's problem is similar to other gifted people who fall. They are too impressed by the power of their gift and forget that God looks on the heart instead of the outward manifestation of the gift. Jonah was obviously a powerful and gifted preacher who was able to bring an entire nation to it's knees in repentance, but he failed to see that he needed repentance also.
Thanks for bringing us this powerful series of sermons and blog notes!
Thanks Marjorie. I was reading in a book by Brennan Manning today called "The importance of being foolish". In the book he connects the "foolishness" of the cross with those who are truly powerful in the Spirit. Manning's comments draw a stark contrast between Jonah and Paul. Paul wanted to know Jesus in the fellowship of His suffering - sacrificing his own needs for the sake of the gospel. Jonah didn't seem to be open to such a way of life.
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