Perhaps one of the misconceptions of prayer is expecting God to do everything for us, just the way we want it, when, in truth, maybe God wants us to get up off the floor, put our hands on the plow, and walk behind the mule.
Telling some people the truth, however, is like smashing a bug against their pristine windows. They get their pride dinged, their feelings hurt; they pout. They trot along home to wash their clothes, starch their shirts, and talk to the mirror: convincing themselves that they are simply misunderstood and under appreciated by unguided souls, and how others do not know just how wonderful they are.
Truth is not easily accepted, nor is it always easy to swallow.
Truth is not always pretty, nor wrapped in a colorful box with a bow.
Neither does truth always smell good.
Truth can be painful, cutting the foundation from beneath our feet, reducing us to ground zero.
Truth is the grinding stone to sharpen dull and dark minds.
Like spoiled brats, or toddlers, we want what we want and we want it now!---and delivered to our doors as fresh as a pizza, still steaming in the box.
Like toddlers, how often do we treat God as a bellhop, or an errand boy?---with nothing else to do than stand by the telephone and say, "Order, please."
Five years ago, I thought I was playing golf by hitting golf balls all over the world---and I was, in fact, very proud of my achievements. Then I met a man who told me the truth: that I was using my golf clubs as axes, picks, shovels, chili scoopers, and ping pong paddles. That dinged my pride and I didn't like it! But when I humbled myself and allowed him to show me the errors of my thinking, my golf game turned around and I began to play golf instead of hitting golf balls all over the world.
Perhaps God will answer more of our prayers if we will humble ourselves before Him instead of trying to stand shoulder to shoulder: and let God be God.
Many times, too, a no answer to our prayers is when God does nothing. In this case, leave matters alone and pray about something else.
Remember, too, that when Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, the Lord did not like what He saw in front of the mule. He dreaded the cross, and He dreaded the death He would face at the hands of the Roman soldiers. But with His hands on the plow, He could not let go; for this was the path God had chosen for Him.
With our hands on the plow, God enables us to see the future in front of the mule. By filling our minds with the Word of the Lord, this future we see is something to dread; it is not pretty. Neither does it smell good. But this is the path God has chosen for us: and pray for others to get behind the plow.
Telling some people the truth, however, is like smashing a bug against their pristine windows. They get their pride dinged, their feelings hurt; they pout. They trot along home to wash their clothes, starch their shirts, and talk to the mirror: convincing themselves that they are simply misunderstood and under appreciated by unguided souls, and how others do not know just how wonderful they are.
Truth is not easily accepted, nor is it always easy to swallow.
Truth is not always pretty, nor wrapped in a colorful box with a bow.
Neither does truth always smell good.
Truth can be painful, cutting the foundation from beneath our feet, reducing us to ground zero.
Truth is the grinding stone to sharpen dull and dark minds.
Like spoiled brats, or toddlers, we want what we want and we want it now!---and delivered to our doors as fresh as a pizza, still steaming in the box.
Like toddlers, how often do we treat God as a bellhop, or an errand boy?---with nothing else to do than stand by the telephone and say, "Order, please."
Five years ago, I thought I was playing golf by hitting golf balls all over the world---and I was, in fact, very proud of my achievements. Then I met a man who told me the truth: that I was using my golf clubs as axes, picks, shovels, chili scoopers, and ping pong paddles. That dinged my pride and I didn't like it! But when I humbled myself and allowed him to show me the errors of my thinking, my golf game turned around and I began to play golf instead of hitting golf balls all over the world.
Perhaps God will answer more of our prayers if we will humble ourselves before Him instead of trying to stand shoulder to shoulder: and let God be God.
Many times, too, a no answer to our prayers is when God does nothing. In this case, leave matters alone and pray about something else.
Remember, too, that when Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, the Lord did not like what He saw in front of the mule. He dreaded the cross, and He dreaded the death He would face at the hands of the Roman soldiers. But with His hands on the plow, He could not let go; for this was the path God had chosen for Him.
With our hands on the plow, God enables us to see the future in front of the mule. By filling our minds with the Word of the Lord, this future we see is something to dread; it is not pretty. Neither does it smell good. But this is the path God has chosen for us: and pray for others to get behind the plow.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comments will not be published openly.