Praying Specifically

Bill Hybels just finished a sermon series on prayer at Willow Creek. In one of the messages, he commented on something I’ve often thought about. Now that it’s on my mind I can’t help but notice it when people are praying, and that is the frequent use of the phrase “Be with,” as in “Be with Bill as he travels” or “Be with John in the hospital.” As Hybels pointed out, why are we praying for something that is already promised to believers in Scripture?

·         “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

·         “…even the Spirit of truth… You know him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:17).

·         “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

·         “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

·         “By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you” (2 Timothy 1:14).

Granted, there are a couple times in Scripture where Paul says, “The Lord be with you” (2 Thessalonians 3:16) or “The Lord with your spirit” (2 Timothy 4:22), but I would take these more as a word of blessing (benediction) than as a prayer request. More often, Paul blesses the readers with “grace be with you” or “peace be with you.”

What exactly is it we’re hoping for when we pray “Be with Aunt Margaret”? I would suggest a few things we can pray that are more specific and more scriptural.

·         Give peace and comfort to John in the hospital and heal this infection quickly.

·         Protect Bill as he travels and keep him alert on the roads.

·         Remind Margaret that You are with her as she mourns and bring friends alongside her.

·         Encourage Sam and let him know he is loved by You and by his family.

·         Bring Sue to a saving knowledge of Your love and grace.

I know when we’re praying, especially in public, it is hard to come up with the right words to convey all our desires for a person. So “be with” has become a catch-all phrase to fill the gap (and “bless” is right behind that in usage). I’m not sure how we can recognize answers to prayer if all we pray are vague generalities. But if we pray specifically and scripturally, it should become more evident how God is working to answer those prayers. It’s a bit like writing a strategic plan (something we’ve spent months on at our office). If a goal is not specific and measurable, how do you know if/when you’ve reached it?

One of the other comments Hybels made in his sermon series is that he finds it hard to concentrate on prayer unless he writes it out longhand. That’s something I’ve started doing recently for some of my prayers. I’ve been reading through the Psalms and when a verse catches my attention I write it down and then write a prayer based on the thoughts triggered by it. That’s not a substitute for praying on the go as needs come to mind, but I find that I am more likely to include praise and thanksgiving if I’m taking the time to write out my prayers.

I suspect we all need help in our prayer lives, and that’s probably why so many people won’t pray out loud. No matter how verbally adept we may or may not be, we can take comfort in the fact that “we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).

Singing the Truth

Do you have any hymns that just irk you? A few have come to my attention in recent weeks. They are hymns that are generally pretty good, with catchy tunes, but have just one phrase that totally destroys the message. When we sing them in church, I’ll often drop out on the troublesome line.

One song that I have a problem with is “At the Cross.” The verses written by Isaac Watts are great, but the refrain by Ralph E. Hudson has issues. “And now I am happy all the day!” Really?! I find that hard to believe. I haven’t observed any Christians that I believe could sing those words completely honestly, which is why I choose not to sing them. I think the hymn was better off without the chorus. As one blogger wrote, “The text and musical style of the refrain… are not well-suited to the soul-searching gravity of Watt’s text…” (http://drhamrick.blogspot.com/2009/01/alas-and-did-my-savior-bleed.html).

Another hymn that frustrates me is “I Must Tell Jesus” by Elisha Hoffman. Once again it is the last line that hinders the overall message, “Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.” It is true that Jesus can help, but rarely does He choose to do so apart from human agents. The Church is known as the Body of Christ for a reason—we all need one another. This hymn is on target when it says, “I cannot bear these burdens alone,” which is precisely why we need to be talking to our brothers and sisters in Christ, and not just assuming that God will answer our prayers privately and without anyone else being involved.

A third hymn, “Tell It to Jesus” by Jeremiah E. Rankin, has the same problem: “Tell it to Jesus alone.” I begin to wonder if some of the hymn writers just got tired of looking for a good rhyme and settled for words that are lacking in biblical depth. I also wonder if these indicators of “private faith” are reflective of the culture in which the hymns were written. All three of the men mentioned (not including Isaac Watts) were Americans writing in the late 1800s. American culture in general is individualistic, and that may well have deepened following the disruption of the Civil War, which certainly did not foster unity and trust.

Thankfully, there are a great number of hymns and choruses with solid theology, some centuries old and some newly written. Unfortunately, many churches are stuck with a very limited number of songs due to familiarity or perhaps laziness. And even more unfortunately, many church members don’t actually think much about the words they are singing. They either don’t know or don’t care if they sing something that is untrue and/or unscriptural. I’ll admit that for many years I haven’t paid much attention either. Only recently have I been more conscientious about knowing what I’m singing, and that’s probably because I’ve been thinking and writing more about specific subjects such as the Body of Christ. At a recent event I was observing a non-Trinitarian person as we were singing “Holy, Holy, Holy,” and I had to give them credit for not singing the last line, “God in three persons, blessed Trinity.” Since they didn’t believe that to be true, they weren’t going to pretend it was okay to sing it.

It’s usually up to the pastor or worship leader to evaluate the quality of the musical message, and they may not have the time to do so. I challenge you (and myself) to think about the words we sing. Are they biblical? Do I believe them? Am I being honest with myself and others by making these claims? I’d also challenge those who are involved in children’s ministry to think about the songs we are teaching our kids. (I personally have problems with “If you’re happy and you know it,” “Climb, climb up sunshine mountain,” and similar tunes.) Do we really want our children singing something unbiblical just because it has a catchy tune and fun motions?

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Co. 3:16).

Suicide Facts

Since I’ve taken a break from tradition to focus on Mental Illness Awareness Week, I wanted to share the following “Ten Fables and Ten Facts about Suicide” and “Warning Signs to Watch For” from New Light on Depression: Help, Hope, & Answers for the Depressed & Those Who Love Them, by David Biebel and Harold Koenig (pp. 236-237). This is a helpful book despite the fact that it’s almost 10 years old. It is written for Christians, but has valuable information for anyone. Another good resource is http://www.save.org/

Statistics show that about 15 percent of clinically depressed persons will commit suicide. So it is essential that we know the facts.

Fable 1: People who talk about suicide do not commit suicide.
  Fact 1: 80 percent of those considering suicide do talk about it in one way or another.

Fable 2: Suicide happens without warning.
  Fact 2: Suicidal people give many clues of their intentions.

Fable 3: Suicidal people are fully intent on dying.
  Fact 3: Most are undecided but are willing to take a gamble that someone will discover their plans and intervene.

Fable 4: Once a person is suicidal, he is suicidal forever.
  Fact 4: Suicidal intentions usually are time-limited.

Fable 5: Improvement after suicidal crisis means the risk is over.
  Fact 5: Most suicides occur about three months after improvement begins, when a person has enough energy to act out his or her thoughts.

Fable 6: Suicide is more common among the rich.
  Fact 6: Suicide occurs in equal proportion throughout society.

Fable 7: Suicide is inherited or runs in families.
  Fact 7: Suicide is an individual pattern.

Fable 8: All suicidal patients are mentally ill.
  Fact 8: While extremely unhappy and perturbed prior to death by suicide, many who take their own life would not be judged mentally ill.

Fable 9: Deep religious faith makes suicide impossible.
  Fact 9: The despair and hopelessness accompanying severe depressive illness can undermine faith.

Fable 10: Caregivers (family or friends) can always prevent suicide.
  Fact 10: People intent on suicide may succeed even when friends and family do everything possible to prevent this outcome. When this happens, it is not the caregivers’ fault.”

Warning Signs to Watch For

• Expressions of helplessness or hopelessness
• Extreme withdrawal from friends, family, and usual activities
• Talking about suicide or ending it all
• Self-destructive or risk-taking behavior
• Giving away favorite possessions
• Sudden changes in behavior or mood
• Increasing use of alcohol or drugs
• Identification with someone who has committed suicide
• Preoccupation with thoughts of death
• Clear plans
• Previous suicide attempts

Christians and Depression

This is Mental Illness Awareness Week. Many folks know that I’ve struggled with depression most of my life, sometimes major, sometimes minor, but almost always there. So it’s a subject I’m often researching, looking for new medical breakthroughs or just looking for encouragement from people who have been there. So I thought I would share some of the things I’ve been reading lately on the subject of depression. I’ve read some good and not-so-good books in the past couple weeks, and I see the same theme repeated in many, as the following quotes reveal.

In Gwen Smith’s book Broken into Beautiful she says, “I’ve spent most of my life hiding behind a smile… I’ve always considered my past just that: my past. I’m pragmatic that way. I’ve experienced shame, pain, and brokenness as much as the next person. I just haven’t been in the habit of sharing the particulars with people who could possibly judge me for it” (p. 7).

Barbara Crafton writes in Jesus Wept (not a book I’d recommend), “The umbrage we take at depression in people of faith lies in a mistaken idea of what faith is for: we imagine that a closer walk with God will make us consistently happy. We’re so committed to this idea that some of us take sorrow on the part of religious people as evidence of their hypocrisy… Neither faith nor the lack of it guarantees happiness” (p. 95).

Another author I’m starting to like is Sheila Walsh. I have not yet read her first book, Honestly, but in Extraordinary Faith she quotes a woman she met, “I used to believe. I used to believe that God loved me, and the church would be there for you when times got rough, but it’s a crock. The church is just a building full of people pretending to be okay when they’re bleeding to death” (p. 83).

And one book I haven’t finished yet is New Light on Depression, by David Biebel and Harold Koenig. They list and refute ten myths about depression: 1) You’re depressed because you want to be depressed. 2) You can beat depression with willpower. 3) You’re depressed because of unconfessed sins. 4) If you’re depressed, you’re just feeling sorry for yourself. 5) Depressed believers have weak faith. 6) It’s easy to tell when you are depressed. 7) Depression is just another word for grief. 8) Christians will be understanding and supportive. 9) Depression is a waste of time. 10) Depression arises from repressed anger (pp. 75-91).

The common, and disturbing, theme in all these is that Christians tend to stigmatize believers who are suffering from depression (as well as other mental illnesses). There is a lack of understanding and an abundance of misconceptions about depression and how it relates to faith. As a result, Christians who are depressed end up with added shame for not living up to the standards of their community, and they may try to survive in secrecy. Jan Dravecky in A Joy I’d Never Known mentions a pastor who preached at her, “If you are depressed, you don’t need medication, you don’t need counseling, you don’t need to go running after everything the world has to offer. That will only open you up to the power of Satan…” Some small part of me hopes that this guy suddenly experiences depression for himself!

The truth is that people from all walks of life can suffer from depression. It often has nothing to do with faith, although shame and guilt can certainly add to the problem. Sometimes it leaves without treatment, but often medication and/or counseling are needed. At the very least we need friends who will encourage us and remind us of the truth of God’s promises in Scripture.

For those who are seeking to help a depressed person, the two most important things you can do are listen and pray. Listen without judging. Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask the suicide question. Share encouragement and truth as appropriate. There may be times for offering advice, but you need to be sure they are open to hearing it. And pray for the person when you are together as well as any other time they may come to mind. We all like to fix problems, but there are no quick fixes to depression. As John Townsend writes in Where Is God? “God uses our difficulties to make us relationally based people, rather than solutions-based people—relationships first, solutions second” (p. 116).

For those who are in the hole of depression, the top two recommendations I can give are: 1) Be totally honest with at least one person who can support and encourage you with biblical counsel and wisdom; and 2) Don’t give up. Keep on keeping on even when the road never seems to end. I feel like my whole life has been one of learning and relearning how to let people in. When I don’t, that road ahead of me looks like a never-ending uphill climb. But as I let others join me, I no longer notice the road but begin to enjoy the journey.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be completely free from this particular thorn, but as Paul said it does keep me humble and reminds me that God’s grace is sufficient even in this weakness. “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9). My frequent prayer for myself and for anyone suffering from depression is that of Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

One Body

Sunday as we were taking communion, the cracker that I happened to pick up was melded to another cracker. The phrase that came to mind was “the two shall become one flesh.” When I looked that up later, I found it quoted in 1 Corinthians 6:16, and the following verses come right after it, “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him… Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (vv. 17, 19-20).

Those words seemed appropriate for communion. It’s not just about partaking of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, but a reminder that we are united with Him in one body. “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Cor. 12:27). In the words of Henri Nouwen, “The Eucharist is the sacrament through which Jesus enters into an intimate, permanent communion with us. It is the sacrament of the table. It is the sacrament of food and drink. It is the sacrament of daily nurture… Jesus gave us the Eucharist as a constant memory of his life and death. Not a memory that simply makes us think of him but a memory that makes us members of his body. That is why Jesus on the evening before he died took bread saying, ‘This is my Body,’ and took the cup saying, ‘This is my Blood.’ By eating the Body and drinking the Blood of Christ, we become one with him” (Bread for the Journey, Sept. 30).

The other phrase that was triggered by my “twin” cracker was “becoming like Him.” That could come from 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.” Another verse is Philippians 3:10, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.”

I wonder sometimes whether it is outwardly evident that I am becoming more like Him, or is it too hidden from view? Is my “cracker” being absorbed into His, or am I something else altogether? (You may be thinking I’m a nut.) As Pastor Matt pointed out, our modern perception of the church is that of independent “small bites” without any consideration of the fact that we are one body, all melded into one another and into the larger Body of Christ. (The worst marketing device I’ve seen was the “prepackaged communion cup and wafer.”) Perhaps our efforts at convenience and visitor-friendliness have backfired when it comes to the unity of the church.

During communion I also remembered a previous time when my communion cup had a slight crack in the side. I had to hold one hand under the cup to catch the drips. It makes me wonder whether a lot of Christians want the “sanitized” Jesus, enjoying the Baby of Christmas but avoiding the suffering, blood, and death on the cross. They want the joy and peace of knowing they have eternal life, but they don’t want any interference in daily life, and certainly not any real pain or suffering. They want a little bit of Jesus, but they don’t want to “get any on them.”

We’re probably all guilty at various times of thinking that church activities and the Christian life are too inconvenient, too intrusive, or just too much. Have you heard the old line, “Jesus gave His life for you. The least you could do is give your life for Him!”? I’m not sure guilt-trips ever work for long-term motivation. But perhaps if we begin to see ourselves as one body, living and functioning together, we’ll find a growing desire to participate more fully in life together.

May our local body be visibly conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

Signs

I’ve been rereading Exodus lately, and I’m really liking Moses. I can identify with his fears and questions. He starts off by killing an Egyptian, and runs off to Midian to avoid the consequences. (I wouldn’t mind hiding out in the wilderness for awhile.) So God has to get his attention with a burning bush. After Moses hears the orders from God, what is his response? Not “Here am I, send me,” but “Who, me?!” God assures Moses of His presence and plan, and yet Moses insists on having all the details spelled out for him. And after God tells him everything, Moses still says, “I need a sign.” God gives him several signs, and yet Moses still responds, “I can’t do this! PLEASE send someone else.” So God allows Aaron to go along and help out.

Throughout the whole process of freeing the Israelites from captivity in Egypt, Moses continues to question God. Moses does seem a bit more confident at the Red Sea—“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord” (14:13). However, verse 15 leads me to believe Moses was still quaking inwardly since God asks, “Why do you cry to Me?” After all the signs that Moses has seen, and the reassurances he’s gotten directly from God, in Exodus 33 we find him asking for yet another sign of God’s continued presence and direction in this plan. This time Moses gets to see God’s back as He passes by the cleft in the rock. And knowing that the wilderness experience goes on for many more years, you know that Moses has a lot more times of doubt.

It’s reassuring to know that even the “big name” guys of the Bible don’t have it all together. No matter how much they’ve seen and heard, they still question God’s plan (and maybe His sanity!). Apparently God doesn’t tire of reassuring His children of His love and care. They may be lightly chided, like Jesus asking the disciples, “Where’s your faith? Why were you so afraid?” But God never tells anyone, “No, I’ve given you enough signs! Just do what I said.” At least, He doesn’t say that to those who earnestly seek Him. Jesus quotes Isaiah’s words says that unbelievers “keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing but do not perceive” (Luke 8:10). And Paul says that God’s “eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived… So they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

But for those who are children of God, He seems to delight in giving reminders of His love. Like a loving parent, He doesn’t say, “I told you yesterday that I loved you, and nothing has changed since then. Do I have to say it again?” No, He’s eager to say “I love you” every day, multiple times per day, and as often as we need to be reminded.

In the book Captivating, by John and Stasi Eldredge, they relate the story of when each of them asked for a simple sign of God’s love and the answers were granted immediately. (I believe it was dolphins and starfish that they were looking for.) I had a similar experience a couple weeks ago up in Blowing Rock. In that area of North Carolina, small, almost perfectly cubical rocks (limonite) can be found and I’ve spent a lot of time looking. I’ve never found more than one about half an inch in size during a weekend visit. Well, this particular weekend I was feeling pretty low, and so I asked God that as a sign of His love He would allow me to find a good size square rock. I started looking, and within about a minute I found three, and within the rest of the weekend I found two more. It seems like a really small thing, but it was the reassurance I needed just then. I may not have faith that can move mountains, but I do have a God who can move stones no matter how big or small.

When we start doubting God’s love, the enemy likes to capitalize on that and make us feel like an isolated, incompetent failure—the “only one in the world” who questions whether God really cares or really has the power to change our circumstances. But God isn’t surprised or judgmental when we say, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!” Sometimes He’s just waiting for us to acknowledge our weakness and ask for His comfort and help.

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Justifying Justification

It occurred to me this week one reason why we have so much trouble understanding justification, and that’s the fact that the word “justify” has multiple meanings that are almost contradictory. Consider these common examples from everyday life and media: “I can justify having dessert tonight because I only had a salad for lunch.” “The jury agreed that self-defense was justifiable homicide in this case.” “I put this down as a business lunch in order to justify my travel voucher.” In these examples, justification is used as an excuse or an acceptable reason for doing something.

The biblical use of justification is entirely different. One definition from Wiktionary is “To absolve, and declare to be free of blame or sin.” God doesn’t excuse our sin, or declare that we had an acceptable reason for sinning. We can’t justify our sin by saying, “The devil made me do it,” or “I’m just weak in that area.” Our excuses don’t fly with God. Instead, God actually removes our sin from us through the ultimate punishment of Jesus’ death on the cross on our behalf. We’re free from blame only because Jesus took our sin upon Himself.

Romans 3:24 says that we “are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 4 goes on to talk about Abraham being declared righteous because he believed God. James does link faith with works, but points out that Abraham’s faith was “completed” or made evident by his actions. He trusted God, therefore he took the action of offering Isaac upon the altar.

An illustration came to mind this weekend while I was in the mountains. Perhaps you’ve seen fire towers in areas where forest fires are a danger. During fire season someone is posted in the tower to watch the surrounding land. But of course, they aren’t actually looking for flames. The first sign they will spot is the smoke coming up. By the time they see flames it’s too late. It’s similar with faith and works. Faith is the fire and works are the smoke. Smoke doesn’t do anything to make the fire hotter or bigger, it is simply the visible evidence of the fire. Just as it is virtually impossible to have a wood fire without smoke, so faith without works is impossible. It is possible to create smoke without having fire. (Just ask my smoke detector when I’m making toast!) So also it is possible to do good works without having real faith in God.

What creates fire? You need to have fuel, such as wood, an ignition source, and oxygen. Fire cannot create itself, and neither can faith. Faith is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). God provides the igniting spark and the breath of the Holy Spirit. And He’s given us sources of fuel such as Scripture, prayer, teaching & preaching, and fellowship. “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God” (2 Timothy 1:6). God gives us all that we need to build the fire of faith. And as that fire grows, good works will come billowing forth (Ephesians 2:10). If we have no desire to do the good works God has prepared for us, we need to ask whether we actually have faith or just a nice pile of firewood. If that’s the case, we should seek God through Scripture and prayer and ask Him to ignite that faith within us.

True faith is saving faith (James 2:14). True faith is justifying faith (Romans 3:24). I think we tend to get confused about faith and works because we’re using the wrong definition of justification. My family has this strange habit of asking people “How do you justify your existence?” By which is meant, what work do you do that gives your life meaning and purpose? So in that sense, yes, our works do justify and give purpose to our life. But if we think that our works somehow add to our faith or improve our standing before God, we aren’t using God’s definition of justification. He has declared us free from guilt and sin. Our works can’t add anything to what He’s already done for us in and through Christ. The person who has a deathbed conversion is as justified before God as the pastor who came to faith as a child.

Faith and justification are gifts from God and are the source from which our works must flow. Otherwise we’re just blowing smoke! Does a fire choose whether to make smoke? No, it just comes naturally through the chemical process of combustion. Neither do we really choose whether to do good works. We can try to resist God for a time, but He will not allow the fire to die out completely. He is more than willing to turn up the heat on us if needed.

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7).