Freedom

In responsibility both obedience and freedom are realized. Responsibility implies tension between obedience and freedom. There would be no more responsibility if either were made independent of the other.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I have an opportunity to teach a course on ethics next month in Ecuador. In my studying, I ran across this quote from Bonhoeffer. As I consider changes in our culture, I couldn't help but ponder the accuracy of his statement. I see the tension that Bonhoeffer described. For the most part it seems that freedom is pulling away from responsibility. Our ability to have so much information available at our fingertips has contributed to an indiviualistic sense of freedom that erodes our responsibility for our choices and for one another. Freedom as described in teh Bible is the "freedom" to live for God. It is the "freedom" to be an instrument of righteousness. It is the "freedom" to fulfill our divine purpose and love God and others and serve.

Our Father

When Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray, He began with an emphasis on our relationship with God. That is an emphasis that we should carry with us in our prayers. Sometimes we request help or answers without an appreciation for the relationship that God offers. God answers prayers in a personal way. Consider the words of David Platt, in his book Radical:

"Suppose...you are making a big decision in your life, and you need help. You have a couple of different options before you, and you need guidance to decide which way is best. So you ask God for help. But he doesn’t answer with guidance. Instead he answers by sending the Holy Spirit, who is our Guide. God sends the Helper, who will live in you and not only tell you what decision to make but also enable you to make that decision."

Nehemiah

When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Nehemiah 1:4

Over a decade ago, Daniel Goleman began introducing the idea of "Emotional Intelligence" in leadership literature. At the top of his list of qualities, Goleman lists "Empathy". According to Goleman, effective leaders should "sense what others are feeling". In simpler terms, leaders must care about others. When Nehemiah heard about the condition of Jerusalem from some of his "brothers", he sat down, wept, fasted and prayed. Nehemiah's response provides a great lesson for us. "Prayer" and "Care" go together. If we do not care about our relationship with God and others, our prayer life will likely reflect apathy rather than empathy.

The Psalms

Followers of Jesus have been praying the Psalms for centuries. The Psalms introduce us to a broad array of prayers. Scot McKnight describes the Psalms as "surprisingly honest and open and frank". Could the same desscription be applied to your prayer life? Esther de Waal shares her thoughts about praying the Psalms in "Seeking God". She observes, "In the Psalms I find myself at my worst and my best. Here I can acclaim God with warmth and confidence and hope, but here also I can give vent to...thoughts that might otherwise lie hidden in the dark and angry corners of my heart." Along with McKnight and Ester de Waal I have enjoyed praying the Psalms. It is a way to join together with Pilgrims throughout the ages and pour out your heart before the LORD.

More thoughts about Prayer

On Sunday I will continue to take a look at the prayer of Jesus in Matthew 6. In particular, I want to consider what we can learn from His prayer to the Father, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". If we fast forward from the teachable moment of Matthew 6 to the Garden of Gethsemane we can hear Jesus pray again, "Your will be done". The context is different. The prayer is the same. God's will was an agponizing death on the cross. Even though we may never be required to endure a trial before Pilate and a scourging like Jesus, I can't help but consider how we sometimes turn prayer around. How often do we pray as if it is about convincing God that He should faciliate the coming our our "kingdom" and our "will"? Thankfully, I believe Jesus teaches us that prayer can help us recognize (and desire) the Kingdom of God and understand how it differs from all other "kingdoms", including our own. The will of the Father is always best.

Prayer

Just as our flesh is covered by clothing, and our blood is covered by our flesh, so are we, soul and body covered and enclosed by the goodness of God. Yet the clothing and the flesh will pass away, but the goodness of God will always remain and will remain closer to us than our own flesh.
Julian of Norwich (1343-1413)

Here at the beginning of the New Year I sense a call to pray. It is not merely a call to duty, though prayer is a spiritual discipline. It is not a call to routine, though prayer should be habitual. It is natural evidence of a relationship with our God. Julian of Norwich was an English mystic who was known for her writings about “joy”. (Interesting when we consider that she experienced a serious illness at the age of thirty and she lived during a time when fear of the “Black Plague” was rampant.) When we began to recognize that the “goodness of God” remains closer to us than our flesh, it changes our view of daily prayer. Just as we discovered in Psalm 121 yesterday, God is near. God keeps, protects, and watches over us. He never sleeps. He surrounds us 24/7 and preserves our soul. Enjoy speaking to your heavenly Father today. Enjoy listening.