Hey Guys,
Last sunday, i had the honour(?) of being prayed for by an elderly, Chinese lady with regards to a future Mrs Lin. Her parting words was an insistence that I prayed for said wifey on a daily basis. First, a quick side note. The lady obviously said what she did out of good intentions, so I accepted it gracefully; but lets be careful when we attempt to encourage single Christians in this way, lest you (un)intentionally imply that they are somehow incomplete until they're married. I believe single believers play a valuable role in the kingdom of God and disagree with the notion that, despite being satisfied in Christ, I would need a spouse in order to be truly happy. Having said that, onto my main point.
Apart from being an awkwardly loud, and (noticeably) public announcement of my singleness (to the amusement of several middle aged, Asian ladies outside Ranch 99), her final admonishment actually served to remind me of something important. For just a second after she told me to pray for my own future spouse, my immediate thought was this: Did God not already predetermined that, if I were to marry, who my wife would be? If so, what is the point of me praying about it. Then my mind expanded on the thought: What then, if all outcomes are pre-written, is the point of prayer at all? Right then I realized I was treading dangerous, ungodly grounds. Have you ever thought this way? There are many good reasons why we should pray even though God already knows how it'll all play out.
- God delights in our prayers when they're prayed in faith. Prayer is thus an act of worship.
"...the prayer of the upright is His delight." Proverbs 15:8b
- Our relationship with God is just that, a relationship. A relationship requires conversation in order to grow, and prayer is that conversation.
- Prayer reminds us of our dependency on God and dispels the illusion of self control we so love to hold onto. It does this by making us aware of answered prayers and seeing all good things as gifts from God. Without prayer, any good thing in my life is more easily viewed as the result of my own effort rather than God's grace. God hates that kind of arrogance.
- Prayer allows us to humbly accept God's will when it is contrary to our own. It is certainly easier to shrug off disappointments in life if our desires went unsaid before God, yet how little faith it takes go about our days in this prayerless lifestyle? If our primary reason for lack of prayer or hope in God is a fear of disappointment from a God who loves us, then we've damnably missed the point!
"I say to God, my rock: 'Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?' ...Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." Psalm 42:9-11
- Lastly, the idea that because God already decided how things will play out prayer is unnecessary, is a faulty one. It is a matter of cause and effect. While the events in history are foreknown and predestined by God, they will not come to pass without a cause, therefore even causes (such as prayer) are preordained. Prayer is therefore a cause by which the events prayed for can come to pass. By way of analogy, God may ordain my life be spared from being trapped in a hypothetical burning building, but He could also have ordained that my salvation come from a fire extinguisher and the presence of mind to fight off the panic and use it. The fire extinguisher is the cause and my life being saved is the effect; without using the fire extinguisher, I die. So it could be with the success or failure of our marriages, whether or not we find a job, whether our future children will be godly or not - God uses our prayers as the causes to such effects. I do not fully understand how prayer would lead to, say, a future wife; but I choose to believe, by faith, the words of James when he said:
"You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." James 4:2-3
John Piper has a wonderfully confusing article on this subject in the form of a short conversation between a prayerful and a prayerless man.
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/prayer-and-predestination
Encouragement for the week, dare to hope in God and work to develop a prayerful lifestyle. It matters.
Have a happy Wednesday!
Edward
Stunning display of BMX awesomeness, thanks to sister for showing me this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj6ho1-G6tw
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