It's the meeting grounds for the emotions of gratitude, longing, celebration, and grace. - Sandra McCracken
Thursday, May 31, 2007
just to clarify
I'm not asking if we should pray about decisions. I'm asking, how much does God care about our comfort? Is He really rooting for me to have a bigger car, or promotion, or house with a pool? That's the question I meant to ask.
Well, not to just be contentious about all this, but I don't think God cares about our comfort. Comfort and discomfort are about a million miles away from justice and injustice, mercy, love; things that I think God does care about.
As far as prayer, I think that's why I've started to really like the idea of Common prayer. Not to say that personal prayer is wrong or anything, but we should realize that that kind of prayer is a pretty recent religious invention and that Common prayer connects us to the larger issues that I think God does care about as well as with the larger body of Christ.
Also, Hooters has pretty good wings, but I'm with you on the whole misogynistic thing.
I have to disagree with Lane. While of course God wants us working to aleviate injustice, practicing love and mercy, that does not mean that He doesn't care about our comfort! Does that mean that we will always be comfortable? Absolutly not. There are times that God provides rest during the storm, but there also time that God pushes us beyond our limits - opening our eyes from a life of comfort to see the injustice all around us. But that does not mean that He doesn't care about our comfort. He does care where we live, how we use our resources, and how we trust Him.
Again, I am going to disagree with Lane in saying that prayer is a recent invention. There is Scripture where Jesus refers to God as Abba - there is no title no more personal than to call the Almighty God, Daddy. Yes, Common Prayer is old, tried and true - and I find a lot of benefit from it. But I cannot imagine that God would want me to stop using either type of prayer, espeically personal. It is through personal prayer that I learn more about Him, and that can never be wrong, even when it is pushing me out of my comfort places.
Valerie wrote "I think we have taken the idea of a personal God so far in some of the protestant churches in America, that we have lost some of the humility and larger perspective that comes from acknowledging just how big God is." well said. Does God care about my comfort? Yes. But, in a material sense..."Is He really rooting for me to have a bigger car, or promotion, or house with a pool?" No, I honestly do not think so. If he is rooting for some people to have a bigger car, promotion, or house with a pool, what does that say about those who don't have these things? (To me, this leads to the whole prosperity gospel loop, and focus on "doing" or "getting".) I am not saying those things are inherently bad, but unless there is a part of the New Testament I've missed, I don't see how the "stuff" we accumulate during our life really matters to God in the sense that he actively "roots" for us to have these things. I am also continuous skeptical about how quickly Bible belt Christians seem to use the phrase "God told me..." to justify decisions. Is he really speaking them all the time, or do we feel more comfortable reading into things (and saying "God told me...") in order to have "peace" in our decisions. I tend to concur more with Stephanie's comment related to folks making a bit too much out of God's will sometimes. I'm rambling now...and still too chicken to write my name. :)
I think anonymous is saying what I mean by comfortable. I'm not opposed to the idea that God has hands in all parts of our life, but I just don't think God has ordained comfort in the way that we has 21st century Americans think about it.
Also, we don't have to have this debate here, I have my own blog.... but I might contest the notion that Jesus using 'abba' in the context of Mark 14 is supposed to be an example for his followers, but is instead a way in which the Marcan writer wants us to see the unique relationship between God and Jesus.
Those are good questions--probably questions that we won't have real answers to this side of heaven.
I am not a fan of the prosperity gospel. I believe that God intends for his children to bring him glory. Maybe sometimes we can best do that through our successes, but I believe that sometimes we do that through our failures too.
The only thing I think I know for sure is that the blessings that we get aren't necessarily just for our enjoyment. It's all about God.
6 comments:
I got ya. That is what I understood you to mean. Though, it lead me to babble on as I do when my mind stars rolling.
Did I mention my stepdad had a heart attack? And Nattie starts chemo today.
Well, not to just be contentious about all this, but I don't think God cares about our comfort. Comfort and discomfort are about a million miles away from justice and injustice, mercy, love; things that I think God does care about.
As far as prayer, I think that's why I've started to really like the idea of Common prayer. Not to say that personal prayer is wrong or anything, but we should realize that that kind of prayer is a pretty recent religious invention and that Common prayer connects us to the larger issues that I think God does care about as well as with the larger body of Christ.
Also, Hooters has pretty good wings, but I'm with you on the whole misogynistic thing.
I have to disagree with Lane. While of course God wants us working to aleviate injustice, practicing love and mercy, that does not mean that He doesn't care about our comfort! Does that mean that we will always be comfortable? Absolutly not. There are times that God provides rest during the storm, but there also time that God pushes us beyond our limits - opening our eyes from a life of comfort to see the injustice all around us. But that does not mean that He doesn't care about our comfort. He does care where we live, how we use our resources, and how we trust Him.
Again, I am going to disagree with Lane in saying that prayer is a recent invention. There is Scripture where Jesus refers to God as Abba - there is no title no more personal than to call the Almighty God, Daddy. Yes, Common Prayer is old, tried and true - and I find a lot of benefit from it. But I cannot imagine that God would want me to stop using either type of prayer, espeically personal. It is through personal prayer that I learn more about Him, and that can never be wrong, even when it is pushing me out of my comfort places.
Valerie wrote "I think we have taken the idea of a personal God so far in some of the protestant churches in America, that we have lost some of the humility and larger perspective that comes from acknowledging just how big God is." well said.
Does God care about my comfort? Yes. But, in a material sense..."Is He really rooting for me to have a bigger car, or promotion, or house with a pool?" No, I honestly do not think so. If he is rooting for some people to have a bigger car, promotion, or house with a pool, what does that say about those who don't have these things? (To me, this leads to the whole prosperity gospel loop, and focus on "doing" or "getting".) I am not saying those things are inherently bad, but unless there is a part of the New Testament I've missed, I don't see how the "stuff" we accumulate during our life really matters to God in the sense that he actively "roots" for us to have these things.
I am also continuous skeptical about how quickly Bible belt Christians seem to use the phrase "God told me..." to justify decisions. Is he really speaking them all the time, or do we feel more comfortable reading into things (and saying "God told me...") in order to have "peace" in our decisions. I tend to concur more with Stephanie's comment related to folks making a bit too much out of God's will sometimes.
I'm rambling now...and still too chicken to write my name. :)
I think anonymous is saying what I mean by comfortable. I'm not opposed to the idea that God has hands in all parts of our life, but I just don't think God has ordained comfort in the way that we has 21st century Americans think about it.
Also, we don't have to have this debate here, I have my own blog.... but I might contest the notion that Jesus using 'abba' in the context of Mark 14 is supposed to be an example for his followers, but is instead a way in which the Marcan writer wants us to see the unique relationship between God and Jesus.
I have my own blog, right...
Those are good questions--probably questions that we won't have real answers to this side of heaven.
I am not a fan of the prosperity gospel. I believe that God intends for his children to bring him glory. Maybe sometimes we can best do that through our successes, but I believe that sometimes we do that through our failures too.
The only thing I think I know for sure is that the blessings that we get aren't necessarily just for our enjoyment. It's all about God.
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