In this chapter, Miller begins by reminding us of a verse in the Lord's Prayer:
Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11
He says that in the Greek this actually "is an obscure expression that literally means 'give us tomorrow's bread today.' It hints at the abundance God wants to bring into our lives."
He mentions how, many times, it doesn't occur to us to ask God for material things, such as vacation homes. Most of the time, instead of asking God for things, because we feel too selfish, we just go ahead and make purchases without taking the requests to Him. "But he wants to be part of all the decisions we make", Miller says. "He wants our material needs to draw us into our soul needs. This is what it means to abide-to include him in every aspect of our lives."
Miller also gives the example of asking God for a promotion. "It feels selfish to pray for one, so instead we'll work for one! We end up separating a big part of our lives from God because we are trying to feel good about ourselves." I would add that we try and keep from feeling selfish!
If we are in the market for a vacation home, we are likely to pray and ask God to help us find the right home, one that would fit our budget and our family. One that wouldn't be too much work, etc. What Miller says is that we are less likely to ask God questions like, "Will a vacation home elevate us above people?" "Will it isolate us?" The first type of questions are basically asking God to be our financial adviser. The second type, it is obvious that he is our Lord. We are abiding. We are allowing Him to be a part of our lives on a whole different level. Miller says, "We also shy away from prayers like these because they invite God to rule our lives. They make us vulnerable...Left to ourselves, we want God to be a genie not a person." This was convicting to me.
The second part of chapter 16 discusses how important it is to include, along with God, other believers in our lives and our decision making. Basically, Miller is pointing out how important accountability is because it is possible that we may use, "I prayed about it" as a spiritual cover up for "doing our own thing."
A Praying Life ~ Chapter 15 ~ Part 2
Allow me to quote the same verses from yesterday, but with different emphasis...
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
John 14:13-14
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
John 15:7
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
John 15:16
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
John 16:23-34
By asking in Jesus' name, Miller says, it gives our prayers "royal access". His illustration on page 135 is very helpful.
"Imagine that your prayer is a poorly dressed beggar reeking of alcohol and body odor, stumbling toward the palace of the great king. You have become your prayer. As you shuffle toward the barred gate, the guards stiffen. Your smell has preceded you. You stammer out a message for the great king: 'I want to see the king.' Your words are barely intelligible, but you whisper one final word, 'Jesus. I come in the name of Jesus.' At the name of Jesus, as if by magic, the palace comes alive. The guards snap to attention, bowing low in front of you. Lights come on, and the door flies open. You are ushered into the palace and down a long hallway into the throne room of the great king, who comes running to you and wraps you in his arms.
"The name of Jesus gives my prayers royal access. They get through. Jesus isn't just the Savior of my soul. He's also the Savior of my prayers. My prayers come before the throne of God as the prayers of Jesus. 'Asking in Jesus' name' isn't another thing I have to get right so my prayers are perfect. It is one more gift of God because my prayers are so imperfect.
"Jesus' seal not only guarantees that my package gets through, but it also transforms the package."
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
John 14:13-14
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
John 15:7
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
John 15:16
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
John 16:23-34
By asking in Jesus' name, Miller says, it gives our prayers "royal access". His illustration on page 135 is very helpful.
"Imagine that your prayer is a poorly dressed beggar reeking of alcohol and body odor, stumbling toward the palace of the great king. You have become your prayer. As you shuffle toward the barred gate, the guards stiffen. Your smell has preceded you. You stammer out a message for the great king: 'I want to see the king.' Your words are barely intelligible, but you whisper one final word, 'Jesus. I come in the name of Jesus.' At the name of Jesus, as if by magic, the palace comes alive. The guards snap to attention, bowing low in front of you. Lights come on, and the door flies open. You are ushered into the palace and down a long hallway into the throne room of the great king, who comes running to you and wraps you in his arms.
"The name of Jesus gives my prayers royal access. They get through. Jesus isn't just the Savior of my soul. He's also the Savior of my prayers. My prayers come before the throne of God as the prayers of Jesus. 'Asking in Jesus' name' isn't another thing I have to get right so my prayers are perfect. It is one more gift of God because my prayers are so imperfect.
"Jesus' seal not only guarantees that my package gets through, but it also transforms the package."
A Praying Life ~ Chapter 15
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
John 14:13-14
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
John 15:7
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
John 15:16
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
John 16:23-34
Miller asks the question, "What do we do with Jesus' extravagant promises about prayer?"
In Scripture, James explains two dangers in asking that are displayed in the following chart.
One of the dangers comes from us not even asking! James 4:2b says, You do not have, because you do not ask God. Miller explains that Jesus' prayer at Gethsemane avoids the Not Asking cliff. In Mark 14:36a, Jesus says, Abba, Father,...everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Miller explains that, "Those who err on the Not Asking side surrender to God before they are real with him. Sometimes we try so hard to be good that we aren't real. The result is functional deism, where we are separated from God. The real you doesn't encounter the real God."
The second danger comes from asking selfishly. James 4:3 says, When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. Jesus' prayer also avoids the Asking Selfishly cliff. In Mark 14:36b, Jesus says, Yet not what I will, but what you will. "Jesus is real about his feelings, but they don't control him, nor does he try to control God with them. He doesn't use his ability to communicate with his Father as a means of doing his own will. He submits to the story that his Father is weaving in his life."
In understanding Jesus' teaching on prayer, the bottom line is as Miller states it. "All of Jesus' teaching on prayer in the Gospels can be summarized with one word: ask. his greatest concern is that our failure or reluctance to ask keeps us distant from God. But that is not the only reason he tells us to ask anything. God wants to give us good gifts. He loves to give."
John 14:13-14
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
John 15:7
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
John 15:16
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
John 16:23-34
Miller asks the question, "What do we do with Jesus' extravagant promises about prayer?"
In Scripture, James explains two dangers in asking that are displayed in the following chart.
One of the dangers comes from us not even asking! James 4:2b says, You do not have, because you do not ask God. Miller explains that Jesus' prayer at Gethsemane avoids the Not Asking cliff. In Mark 14:36a, Jesus says, Abba, Father,...everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Miller explains that, "Those who err on the Not Asking side surrender to God before they are real with him. Sometimes we try so hard to be good that we aren't real. The result is functional deism, where we are separated from God. The real you doesn't encounter the real God."
The second danger comes from asking selfishly. James 4:3 says, When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. Jesus' prayer also avoids the Asking Selfishly cliff. In Mark 14:36b, Jesus says, Yet not what I will, but what you will. "Jesus is real about his feelings, but they don't control him, nor does he try to control God with them. He doesn't use his ability to communicate with his Father as a means of doing his own will. He submits to the story that his Father is weaving in his life."
In understanding Jesus' teaching on prayer, the bottom line is as Miller states it. "All of Jesus' teaching on prayer in the Gospels can be summarized with one word: ask. his greatest concern is that our failure or reluctance to ask keeps us distant from God. But that is not the only reason he tells us to ask anything. God wants to give us good gifts. He loves to give."
Chapter 14 - How Personal is God?
I have seven grandchildren. Because my children are close to one another (emotionally, not physically), they are constantly talking to their children and showing them pictures about the lives of their cousins. For the Chicago cousins, many of the pictures that are shared this time of year include playing outside in the snow. This has put a desire in the hearts of the Florida cousins (the 5-year old anyway) to see snow.
This year, God surprised her with the experience. We were visiting with Melissa in Georgia last week and God’s timing could have not been better. We arrived Friday, right before the snow storm. The kids got to see it coming down all afternoon. When they woke up on Saturday, the ground was covered in a beautiful blanket of snow. They had a ball playing in it, sledding, building a snowman, making a snow angel, and throwing snowballs at Pop Pop and Daddy. (Then we got to go back to Florida where it’s warm!)
I had a conversation with the 5-year old before we left. I told her that God loved her so much that he knew that she wanted to see snow and he made it snow so that she could see and experience it. Her response was, “God loves me even more than that.” I was touched by her understanding of how much God loves her.
When we are convinced of that love, that and infinite God is also involved in the personal details of our lives, we will be willing to lose certain things in order to have a praying life. Miller puts it like this, “What do I lose when I have a praying life? Control. Independence. What do I gain? Friendship with God. A quiet heart. The living work of God in the hearts of those I love. The ability to roll back the tide of evil. Essentially, I lose my kingdom and get his. I move from being an independent player to a dependent lover. I move from being an orphan to a child of God.”
This year, God surprised her with the experience. We were visiting with Melissa in Georgia last week and God’s timing could have not been better. We arrived Friday, right before the snow storm. The kids got to see it coming down all afternoon. When they woke up on Saturday, the ground was covered in a beautiful blanket of snow. They had a ball playing in it, sledding, building a snowman, making a snow angel, and throwing snowballs at Pop Pop and Daddy. (Then we got to go back to Florida where it’s warm!)
I had a conversation with the 5-year old before we left. I told her that God loved her so much that he knew that she wanted to see snow and he made it snow so that she could see and experience it. Her response was, “God loves me even more than that.” I was touched by her understanding of how much God loves her.
When we are convinced of that love, that and infinite God is also involved in the personal details of our lives, we will be willing to lose certain things in order to have a praying life. Miller puts it like this, “What do I lose when I have a praying life? Control. Independence. What do I gain? Friendship with God. A quiet heart. The living work of God in the hearts of those I love. The ability to roll back the tide of evil. Essentially, I lose my kingdom and get his. I move from being an independent player to a dependent lover. I move from being an orphan to a child of God.”
Chapter 14 - How Personal is God?
I heard a story told the other day that made me think of the term, “this divine dance we call prayer” that Miller uses. It was told in a lecture explaining John 14:13, “and whatever you ask in My name, that I will do…”
The story is of a man who loved fine music. So, he bought himself a violin and some sheet music. He would tune into the TV when an orchestra was playing and he would sit there and play his violin. At first his music was very scratchy and dissident, not on the same tempo with the orchestra. As he practiced though, over a period of time, he improved. As he played in his own home, his music sounded terrible. However, in the concert hall, the music sounded beautiful. What this man was doing in his home didn’t affect, at all what that orchestra was doing in the concert hall. As the man learned how to play, he came into being able to play exactly as the orchestra did. Then, as the man played, his melody would sound as if it were in the orchestra itself.
God’s plan is there in heaven and it is set. It is rolling along day by day. His plan will not change. Our job is to listen to that plan and get in sync with what God is doing. Our job is not to say, “I want it played this way, so You change how You are doing things.” Our job is to find out what is God’s will and to pray that. Prayer is learning to play in tune with the eternal God in a song that will bring glory to God.
The following application questions were then asked: Where are you and I fighting against the melody that God is playing in our lives? What can you and I do to pray in such a way that the answer will bring glory to God? Only then can we be sure that we are praying in Jesus name.
What do you all think about this illustration of prayer? Do you think it fits with what the author is describing prayer to be?
The story is of a man who loved fine music. So, he bought himself a violin and some sheet music. He would tune into the TV when an orchestra was playing and he would sit there and play his violin. At first his music was very scratchy and dissident, not on the same tempo with the orchestra. As he practiced though, over a period of time, he improved. As he played in his own home, his music sounded terrible. However, in the concert hall, the music sounded beautiful. What this man was doing in his home didn’t affect, at all what that orchestra was doing in the concert hall. As the man learned how to play, he came into being able to play exactly as the orchestra did. Then, as the man played, his melody would sound as if it were in the orchestra itself.
God’s plan is there in heaven and it is set. It is rolling along day by day. His plan will not change. Our job is to listen to that plan and get in sync with what God is doing. Our job is not to say, “I want it played this way, so You change how You are doing things.” Our job is to find out what is God’s will and to pray that. Prayer is learning to play in tune with the eternal God in a song that will bring glory to God.
The following application questions were then asked: Where are you and I fighting against the melody that God is playing in our lives? What can you and I do to pray in such a way that the answer will bring glory to God? Only then can we be sure that we are praying in Jesus name.
What do you all think about this illustration of prayer? Do you think it fits with what the author is describing prayer to be?
Chapter 14 - How Personal is God?
The beginning of this chapter warns against overspiritualizing prayer and thereby suppressing our natural desires and emotions. The author says that rushing to “not my will, but yours be done” without first expressing our hearts is not being ourselves with God. He says that there needs to be a balance between our desires and surrender to God’s will and he uses Jesus’ prayer in the garden of Gethsemane to illustrate this. Jesus prays that he will not drink the cup of his Father’s wrath, and, he follows it by, “not my will, but yours be done.” “Jesus neither suppresses his feelings nor lets them master him. He is real.”
The title of the chapter is “How Personal is God?” Personally, I wonder if we really believe that God is not only personal, but that he for us. Do we really believe the verses in Romans 8 that say, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Or, how about Isaiah 30:18, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you, he rises to show you compassion”? If we really believed these things, what would be too small or too big for us to ask of God? Miller’s husband/wife illustration points out that a husband’s love for his wife means that he will respond thoughtfully and generously to her requests. How much more so will God, who has proved his love for us by giving his one and only Son? Not only that, if we really do trust that God is for us, we will also believe that surrendering our wills to his, will also accomplish the same purpose, ie. receiving His best!
The title of the chapter is “How Personal is God?” Personally, I wonder if we really believe that God is not only personal, but that he for us. Do we really believe the verses in Romans 8 that say, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Or, how about Isaiah 30:18, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you, he rises to show you compassion”? If we really believed these things, what would be too small or too big for us to ask of God? Miller’s husband/wife illustration points out that a husband’s love for his wife means that he will respond thoughtfully and generously to her requests. How much more so will God, who has proved his love for us by giving his one and only Son? Not only that, if we really do trust that God is for us, we will also believe that surrendering our wills to his, will also accomplish the same purpose, ie. receiving His best!
Chapter 13 - Why Can We Ask?
In this chapter, the author points out that another cause for struggle in prayer is that we just don’t think that an infinite God could be concerned with the puny details of our lives. He says, “We either believe he’s too big or that we’re not that important.”
Miller sees the first sentence of Psalm 23 as capturing the idea of an infinite-personal God. “‘The Lord [infinite] is my shepherd [personal].’” He continues, “In the ancient Near East nothing else came close to this picture of intimacy. Occasionally an ancient king would be described as a shepherd of his people, but the gods were never interested in ‘little old me.’ The words me or my, which sound like ‘ee’ in Hebrew, ring thirteen times through the psalm. The infinite God is interested in me.”
When I read this, I also thought of Hagar, victim of a scheme devised by Abram and Sarai. Abram and Sarai tire of waiting on God to produce the promised offspring, so they decide to take matters into their own hands. Sarai suggests that Abram sleep with so as to impregnate her maidservant Hagar. Abram agrees to the plan and Hagar becomes pregnant. Sarai despises Hagar and mistreats her so much that Hagar flees to the desert. All alone with nowhere to go, God, in the form of an angel, appears to her. He tells her of her past as well as her future. She is blown away. In essence she says, “The infinite God is interested in me”.
God orchestrated a series of events that he used to show me that he was interested in me. In 1973 I signed the first athletic scholarship awarded to a woman in the United States. It would be twenty years later that it would be recognized as the first though. In 1993, God used events centered around something that had happened twenty years earlier to make me feel singled out and seen by him. He opened my eyes to see that an infinite God was interested in me.
Miller sees the first sentence of Psalm 23 as capturing the idea of an infinite-personal God. “‘The Lord [infinite] is my shepherd [personal].’” He continues, “In the ancient Near East nothing else came close to this picture of intimacy. Occasionally an ancient king would be described as a shepherd of his people, but the gods were never interested in ‘little old me.’ The words me or my, which sound like ‘ee’ in Hebrew, ring thirteen times through the psalm. The infinite God is interested in me.”
When I read this, I also thought of Hagar, victim of a scheme devised by Abram and Sarai. Abram and Sarai tire of waiting on God to produce the promised offspring, so they decide to take matters into their own hands. Sarai suggests that Abram sleep with so as to impregnate her maidservant Hagar. Abram agrees to the plan and Hagar becomes pregnant. Sarai despises Hagar and mistreats her so much that Hagar flees to the desert. All alone with nowhere to go, God, in the form of an angel, appears to her. He tells her of her past as well as her future. She is blown away. In essence she says, “The infinite God is interested in me”.
God orchestrated a series of events that he used to show me that he was interested in me. In 1973 I signed the first athletic scholarship awarded to a woman in the United States. It would be twenty years later that it would be recognized as the first though. In 1993, God used events centered around something that had happened twenty years earlier to make me feel singled out and seen by him. He opened my eyes to see that an infinite God was interested in me.
Chapter 12 - Why Asking Is So Hard
"When you lump God together with feelings and subjective opinion, then God is marginalized. Prayer feels odd." Miller makes the case that Western culture's tendency to relegate God and spirituality to the realm of subjective "feelings" --as opposed to observable, "facts"-- stems from the Enlightenment mindset.
Miller believes that this mindset has now permeated our entire society with the result that we have a dichotomy in our thinking where things like religion, love, and beauty cannot and should not infiltrate things like science, nature, and math. Miller maintains that this view (i.e., separating God from the rest of life) is an historic anomoly when considered in relation to the history of mankind. He contrasts this current cultural norm with the thinking of prominent pre-Enlightenment individuals such as Johannes Kepler who noted that scientific discovery was essentially a process of "thinking God's thoughts after (H)im."
Some of this discussion might have seemed out of place to a reader, especially in a chapter that presumably sets the stage for learning how to ask. I think, though, that Miller is showing us just how deep our cultural roots of keeping God in a "religious" box (my words) really do go.
As Miller succinctly states: "The Enlightenment mind-set marginalizes prayer because it doesn't permit God to connect with this world. You are allowed a personal, local deity as long as you keep him out of your science notes and don't take him seriously."
Miller believes that this mindset has now permeated our entire society with the result that we have a dichotomy in our thinking where things like religion, love, and beauty cannot and should not infiltrate things like science, nature, and math. Miller maintains that this view (i.e., separating God from the rest of life) is an historic anomoly when considered in relation to the history of mankind. He contrasts this current cultural norm with the thinking of prominent pre-Enlightenment individuals such as Johannes Kepler who noted that scientific discovery was essentially a process of "thinking God's thoughts after (H)im."
Some of this discussion might have seemed out of place to a reader, especially in a chapter that presumably sets the stage for learning how to ask. I think, though, that Miller is showing us just how deep our cultural roots of keeping God in a "religious" box (my words) really do go.
As Miller succinctly states: "The Enlightenment mind-set marginalizes prayer because it doesn't permit God to connect with this world. You are allowed a personal, local deity as long as you keep him out of your science notes and don't take him seriously."
Mid-Week Recap
On Monday and Tuesday, we covered Chapter 11 "Developing An Eye For Jesus"; on Thursday and Friday, we will discus Chapter 12 "Why Asking Is So Hard". Today, I would like to share Pastor John's sermon from this past Sunday: "The Panic After the Picnic" (click link to read the text) from John 6:15-21.
It is about the presence of Jesus and ties in both to Chapter 11 and also to one of the threads that developed last week about whether we experience Jesus' presence more during the calm, smooth periods of life (the "picnics"), or the difficult circumstances (the "panics"). The notes are long (14 pages in MSWord!!!), but worth the read.
Thanks, Pastor John, for sharing with us!
It is about the presence of Jesus and ties in both to Chapter 11 and also to one of the threads that developed last week about whether we experience Jesus' presence more during the calm, smooth periods of life (the "picnics"), or the difficult circumstances (the "panics"). The notes are long (14 pages in MSWord!!!), but worth the read.
Thanks, Pastor John, for sharing with us!
Chapter 11 - Developing An Eye for Jesus (Part 2)
Yesterday, I talked about why it is so important to develop an eye for Jesus. Today, I'd like to talk about how we do that.
Did you read the story about the lady who waited patiently for three and a half hours to have her taxes done? I'm thrilled when I can wait patiently for an hour (which I managed to do last week in the pediatrician's office). I imagine that this lady was praying as she waited and thinking "God must need me here in this office for some reason" or "Wow, God knew I needed some down time to be still". Maybe she prayed for the Millers as she saw them scurrying back and forth. Perhaps she prayed for the people in her life. Whatever her thinking was, I can almost visualize her calm and serene demeanor.
Slow Down
Sometimes we are moving too fast to see Jesus at work. I think that developing an eye for Jesus requires slowing down our usual fast pace. At times this is easier said than done, but trying to keep a little "margin" in our lives helps our hearts feel less hectic. In the Bible and in the lives of most people I know, Jesus is seldom in a hurry. If we're going to develop an eye for Jesus, it often requires us to slow down.
Flip Up Your Mind
Another element of developing an eye for Jesus is seeing things differently. In our family, we have an expression when we are able to see things differently. The expression was coined by my son when he was 5. He had a sudden idea of how to approach a situation differently and he exclaimed "Mom! I just flipped up my mind." Sometimes we have to "flip up our minds" to see things the way God sees them. When certain less-than-desirous situations arise, my husband has a good habit of asking "What is God after in this situation?" That is sometimes a good first step in seeing things differently.
Be Thankful
When all else fails and you are having a difficult time seeing Jesus at work in your life, focus on cultivating a thankful heart. For the purposes of this discussion, I mean cultivating a heart that is thankful for the "little" things. I'd like to issue a little three day experiment/challenge that I plan on doing. From Wednesday through Friday, before every meal or snack, I am going to try and think back on the last hour or two (or 5 minutes -however long it has been since I last ate), and thank God for specific things that have happened in the intervening time period--even if the things that have happened don't seem great at the moment. When I've done this experiment in the past, it really did help me to stay "plugged in" to the Lord and develop my eye.
Did you read the story about the lady who waited patiently for three and a half hours to have her taxes done? I'm thrilled when I can wait patiently for an hour (which I managed to do last week in the pediatrician's office). I imagine that this lady was praying as she waited and thinking "God must need me here in this office for some reason" or "Wow, God knew I needed some down time to be still". Maybe she prayed for the Millers as she saw them scurrying back and forth. Perhaps she prayed for the people in her life. Whatever her thinking was, I can almost visualize her calm and serene demeanor.
Slow Down
Sometimes we are moving too fast to see Jesus at work. I think that developing an eye for Jesus requires slowing down our usual fast pace. At times this is easier said than done, but trying to keep a little "margin" in our lives helps our hearts feel less hectic. In the Bible and in the lives of most people I know, Jesus is seldom in a hurry. If we're going to develop an eye for Jesus, it often requires us to slow down.
Flip Up Your Mind
Another element of developing an eye for Jesus is seeing things differently. In our family, we have an expression when we are able to see things differently. The expression was coined by my son when he was 5. He had a sudden idea of how to approach a situation differently and he exclaimed "Mom! I just flipped up my mind." Sometimes we have to "flip up our minds" to see things the way God sees them. When certain less-than-desirous situations arise, my husband has a good habit of asking "What is God after in this situation?" That is sometimes a good first step in seeing things differently.
Be Thankful
When all else fails and you are having a difficult time seeing Jesus at work in your life, focus on cultivating a thankful heart. For the purposes of this discussion, I mean cultivating a heart that is thankful for the "little" things. I'd like to issue a little three day experiment/challenge that I plan on doing. From Wednesday through Friday, before every meal or snack, I am going to try and think back on the last hour or two (or 5 minutes -however long it has been since I last ate), and thank God for specific things that have happened in the intervening time period--even if the things that have happened don't seem great at the moment. When I've done this experiment in the past, it really did help me to stay "plugged in" to the Lord and develop my eye.
Chapter 11 - Developing An Eye for Jesus
In the last post, Cindy did a good job of describing five cures for cynicism. The sixth cure has an entire chapter devoted to it --the sixth cure is to develop an eye for Jesus.
Tomorrow, I plan to talk about developing that eye for Jesus, but today I want to emphasize why I think it is so critical. To get started, I'd like to present two questions for reflection, based on last week's study.
1) Why is cynicism so dangerous?
2) Why is it so important to understand how cynicism clouds our view?
Miller helps us answer these questions when he states: "Cynicism looks in the wrong direction. It looks for the cracks in Christianity instead of the presence of Jesus." (emphasis added)
Isn't this so true? I'm sure we've all had innumerable occasions when we've heard people point out negative aspects of Christianity. I'm sure we've been guilty of it ourselves. I find myself focusing on the cracks when I observe (and duly note) inconsistencies in the lives of "mature" Christians.
When we look for the cracks in Christianity (i.e., succumb to cynicism) instead of looking for the presence of Jesus, we miss the hand of God in our lives. When we miss the evidence of God's hand, our trust in Him cannot grow and our faith falters. Faltering faith was the primary sin of the Israelites that kept them out of the promised land. Faltering faith and unbelief is what Jesus zeroed in on repeatedly in His interactions with individuals during His earthly ministry. Jesus even tells the disciples, in John 6:29 , "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."
Believing is a primary component of our jobs as Christians. If our mental and emotional effort is diverted to cynicism, our belief is not what it can and should be, and our ultimate enemy (Satan) gains ground. Conversely, when we develop an eye for Jesus and see His hand at work, our trust in Him increases, our faith grows, He is glorified and HIS kingdom advances. And, that is why it is so essential to develop an eye for Jesus.
Tomorrow, I plan to talk about developing that eye for Jesus, but today I want to emphasize why I think it is so critical. To get started, I'd like to present two questions for reflection, based on last week's study.
1) Why is cynicism so dangerous?
2) Why is it so important to understand how cynicism clouds our view?
Miller helps us answer these questions when he states: "Cynicism looks in the wrong direction. It looks for the cracks in Christianity instead of the presence of Jesus." (emphasis added)
Isn't this so true? I'm sure we've all had innumerable occasions when we've heard people point out negative aspects of Christianity. I'm sure we've been guilty of it ourselves. I find myself focusing on the cracks when I observe (and duly note) inconsistencies in the lives of "mature" Christians.
When we look for the cracks in Christianity (i.e., succumb to cynicism) instead of looking for the presence of Jesus, we miss the hand of God in our lives. When we miss the evidence of God's hand, our trust in Him cannot grow and our faith falters. Faltering faith was the primary sin of the Israelites that kept them out of the promised land. Faltering faith and unbelief is what Jesus zeroed in on repeatedly in His interactions with individuals during His earthly ministry. Jesus even tells the disciples, in John 6:29 , "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."
Believing is a primary component of our jobs as Christians. If our mental and emotional effort is diverted to cynicism, our belief is not what it can and should be, and our ultimate enemy (Satan) gains ground. Conversely, when we develop an eye for Jesus and see His hand at work, our trust in Him increases, our faith grows, He is glorified and HIS kingdom advances. And, that is why it is so essential to develop an eye for Jesus.
Chapter 10
In chapter 10, Miller states that Jesus "offers 6 cures for cynicism" but this chapter only describes 5...
1. warm but wary. Mt. 10: 16-31. Miller states, "Jesus keeps in tension wariness about evil with a robust confidence in the goodness of his Father." I like that. Mt. 10:16's 'be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves' really says it all. Personally, the sentence, "We are to combine a robust trust in the Good Shepherd with a vigilance about the presence of evil in our own hearts..." was meaningful to me.
2. learn to hope again. "As you grasp what the Fathers' heart is like, how he loves to give, then prayer will begin to feel completely natural to you (p. 85.). And also on page 86, "When you pray, you are touching the hopeful heart of God. When you know that, prayer becomes an adventure."
3. cultivate a childlike spirit. "As soon as I begin simply asking for help, I have become like a little child again...Instead of critiquing others' stories, watch the story our Father is weaving." The quote from Alan Jacobs was excellent: "those who will never be fooled can never be delighted, because without self-forgetfulness there can be no delight." (p. 86.) His example of Psalm 23 where he crossed out all reference to the Good Shepherd -- illustrating what it is like without Him made me aware of why some days for me are harder than they need to be...they are hard because I have forgotten Him.
4. cultivating a thankful spirit. "Thankfulness isn't a matter of forcing yourself to see the happy side of life...Thanking God restores the natural order of our dependence on God. It enables us to see life as it really is." (p. 89) The verses Miller references on pages 89 and 90, were good reminders to me that I am blessed by all the friends and family I have around me and my family, and I need to be thanking Him more often and letting them know I am thankful to Him for them. "Thanksgiving looks reality in the face and rejoices at God's care. It replaces a bitter spirit with a generous one." (p. 90) and then "God is not cynical in the face of evil. He loves." (p. 91).
5. cultivating repentance. In this part Miller talks about the disconnect between the public and private person when we sin. Publicly we function fine, but privately we are unrepentant of our sin and continuing in it. Cynicism notices the disconnect with others but conveniently does not look at its own sin and disconnect from God. I loved how Miller described David and how he viewed Goliath and his trust in God because of his "rich walk with the Shepherd."(p. 92). This is where I want to be. I want to be faced with the Giant and have my heart beat at the same rate!
I am really enjoying this book. I am going to have to read it again, I can tell that already...
Chapter9
Bruce's dad died 2 weeks after Coulter was born. He and I actually went into separate hospitals the same day--me to give birth and he because he was hemorrhaging. He was an unusual man. He had a stroke when Bruce was fifteen and was disabled and unable to work after that time. His wife was a high school teacher, and while caring for him, raising her children, teaching school, she went back and got advanced teaching degrees that enabled her to provide for the family. He in turn took care of most of the responsibilities at home.
It was fun to watch him with his grandchildren. Bruce's brother has three sons--two of which were then just little guys. I can remember them sitting tucked up on either side of Mr. Burch with his arms around them listening to what they were saying to him. He would sit there with them and hold them as long as they wanted to stay there (they were young wiggly boys, and after awhile would run off and do something else).
When Jesse was little, we held him a lot. One reason was that he would scream less if he was held! Another reason we would hold him was because we could hold his body in a position that would be more comfortable for him. Without a lot of support, Jesse's body gets really torqued, twisted and causes his muscles to cramp. Most of my pictures of Jesse as a little guy are when he was being held by Bruce. You could bend Jesse into a sitting position, tuck him in beside your hip in the lazy boy rocker, put you arm behind Jesse' head and come down with your hand and hold his arm down. Bruce would often feed Jesse in this position because Jesse's body could be relaxed while he ate--and to be relaxed while eating was a real feat for Jesse. It still is.
When Coulter came along, he joined the crew in the chair. I have pictures of both kids sitting with Bruce in the chair---Coulter sprawled across Bruce and Jesse tucked in under his arm. Bruce held Jesse like that until they ceased to fit in the chair... (By the way, the chair eventually fell apart).
Now we have a little girl. From early on, she too has loved to be with Bruce in the chair. When she came to us as a little baby, he would hold her and, since he is so warm natured, she never could stay awake, and would get the best naps on his shoulder. Now she is 8 years old and runs and jumps on him, sits next to him, reads books to him, shows him the days' boo boos, tells him of all the interactions (+ and-) with her peers at school, cuddles, puts goo in his hair, paints his nails and generally has a great relationship with her dad. She knows he is there for her and that he is never too busy to put something aside in order to be with her. She is confident that he will choose her.
This is how God wants us to be. We are really not too big to sit in His lap and enjoy Him. He wants us to tell Him of our day--the good and the bad. He is never too busy. His ear is always inclined towards us. He wants us to climb up and spend time with Him. He is a Father who is welcoming to visits--be they long or short ones.
As I have read this book, the visual of my children and their dad, how comfortable they are with him, how well they know him, how confident they are that they are loved beyond measure, how spontaneous they can be with him, how they freely interrupt his life with theirs---I think about these images as I read about how to pray to our Heavenly Father who loves us infinitely more...
Chapter 9
I don't know about you, but I have never thought about prayer and cynicism in the same thought block. There were many points made by the author that really sat me down to think. Here is my list.
Cynicism:
..."is the opposite of a childlike spirit."
..."questioning the active goodness of God on our behalf."
..."is the spirit of the age, a tone that permeates our culture..."
..."is easier to feel than to feel deep passion."
..."creates numbness toward life."
..."begins with the wry assurance that everyone has an angle."
..."protects you from crushing disappointment, but it paralyzes you from doing anything."
..."destroys intimacy."
..."merely critiques."
..."is passive. It is without hope."
..."often begins with ungrounded optimism in the goodness of humanity."
..."this shattered optimism sets us up for the fall into defeated weariness and, eventually, cynicism."
..."The movement from naive optimism to cynicism is the new American journey. In naive optimism we don't need to pray because everything is under control, everything is possible. In cynicism we can't pray because everything is out of control, little is possible."
..."Weariness and fear leave us feeling overwhelmed, unable to move. Cynicism leaves us doubting, unable to dream. The combination shuts down our hearts, and we just show up for life, going through the motions. Some days it's difficult to get out of our pajamas."
..."Our personal struggles with cynicism and defeated weariness are reinforced by an increasing tendency toward perfectionism in American culture. Believing you have to have the perfect relationship, the perfect children, or a perfect body sets you up for a critical spirit, the breeding ground for cynicism. In the absence of perfection, we resort to spin--trying to make ourselves look good, unwittingly dividing ourselves in to a public and private self. We cease to be real and become the subject of cynicism."
On the other side of things, the author makes these points about the characteristics of a praying life.
A praying life:
..."engages evil. It doesn't take no for an answer."
..."was (is) in God's face, hoping, dreaming, asking."
..."is feisty."
..."comes from knowing my heavenly Father loves, enjoys and cares for me."
..."is confidence in the goodness of God acting on our behalf."
I don't know about you, but I can relate to some of Miller's descriptions of cynicism. In some ways it reminds me of keeping your expectations low so then you are not disappointed...so then you start not aiming very high in life...in relationships...you coast on through to avoid waves that might obliterate life as we know it. We don't want to be given any more because then we know more would be required and we are just too tired to give more...
Yes, this chapter was one I could relate to. What parts impacted you all?
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