Praying and Praising

Something To Think About, Praying and Praising:

My co-pastor and I have been working through a series on prayer recently.  In part we have been dealing with some of the idiocy that is taught about the subject.  The view some folk have of prayer would cause it to end up being like one of those face-offs of wizards or witches that sometimes occur in fantasy movies.  The bearded ones, pointy hats in place face off and hurl lightning bolts at one another to see which one really has the most power.  Many folk think the power of prayer is me learning the proper power-techniques so that I can get God to do what I want.  So we've got prayer warrior A naming-and-claiming, rebuking the forces of foul weather, and praying through for sunshine for the Sunday School picnic.  Meanwhile right next door prayer-master B has grabbed hold of the horns of the altar and won't turn loose until God sends rain for the corn. Do we really want to live in a world where God suspends His omniscience, in order to use Hisomnipotence to do the bidding of creatures who are inherently selfish and who are horribly limited in what they can see in terms of both space and time? In the model prayer Jesus says that we should pray, "Thy will be done." Surrender. Prayer is not my manipulation of God.  It is my submission to Him. The great wonder and mystery is that God chooses to use our prayers to accomplish His will, and when His plan unfolds we are in a unique position to praise God for what He has done.             For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction . . . but [God] . . .delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.  (2 Corinthians 1:8–11)  The end result of the kind of prayer taught in the Bible is not me talking God into what I want, it is me entering into what God is doing, and praising Him for it. It's Something To Think About.