Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. - 1 corinthians 13:12
there are so many events in our lives that really knock us down. as Christians, these events often bring about fervent prayer. we're taught about the power of prayer on a regular basis, and in many cases see that power as we or those we know rejoice in answered prayer. so what happens when we're really praying hard for a situation in our lives that has us so stressed out, and our prayers aren't answered... at least not in the way we're expecting?
bitterness, anger, confusion.. these are a few of the many reactions we might have as a result of a prayer unanswered. another reaction that isn't all that uncommon is for someone to become angry with God. to question God. now i don't necessarily think it's a bad thing to show this kind of emotion, but to what extent does it get taken? i do think there is such a thing as a healthy skepticism, because we don't have all of the answers. but at some point trust has to take over. faith has to become stronger. when these things occur, that skepticism shrinks. the doubts in our minds are replaced by the knowledge and acceptance that we won't know all there is to know in this life, but we trust in our Father to take care of us.
now let's take a step back and look at this anger that we might have towards God. you may disagree, but i believe it stems from a belief that God is in control. i say "belief" because it just might not be factual. stay with me here. some might see that as blasphemy or whatever, but is that true or are we so accustomed to what we've been spoon-fed that we don't believe any other way is possible? do we really believe that God is pulling the strings and that we're simply his puppets? if we go that route, then we believe that we're predestined to do what we do and to die how we die and to go to heaven or hell. if that's the case, doesn't it become harder to quell any anger towards a God who preselected us to perish before we were ever born? if this is the way we are to believe, then what are we to make of 2 peter 3:8,9 that says "but you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. the Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. no, he is being patient for your sake. he does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent."?
i don't believe that God is the master of puppets. so is God in control? let's look at it this way: do you have free will? the answer is, of course, yes. so since we have free will, is God in control of our actions? NO! if he were, then we wouldn't love him. it wouldn't be love because love must be given, not taken. and so for us to love God, he gave us free will. and with that freedom, we choose to obey or disobey him. so if God isn't in control of our actions, is he completely in control?
i, like many others, contend that in order to give us free will so that we may love him, God gave up a measure of his control. so i'm not saying that God wasn't once in complete control, but i am saying that he gave up some of that control in order that we may love him!
the other thing that leads to our anger is that we have COMPLETELY lost sight of the fact that there is spiritual warfare going on around us. it's so easy to dismiss this, isn't it? to live life like there isn't a villain. to simplify things and to think God is lounging around waiting for our requests so that he can jump at the chance to show us his love by answering our prayers. let me show you what i'm talking about.. in daniel 10, there is a section that completely attests to this fact. verses 10-13 say this:
"Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.
Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.”
in light of this, how do we now view our prayers? and let me just say, this is a very small portion of prayer. it's so dynamic that entire books have been written about the very subject and probably only touch on a small chunk of what prayer is and how powerful it can be. i want to leave you with one final excerpt from the book letters from a skeptic that i feel beautifully summarizes the latter portion of this blog about warfare. i hope you take the time to read it, and i hope that in some way your view of our El Shaddai, our loving Father, changes in some way. just remember, God doesn't promise to deliver us from every storm, but he does promise that he'll be right beside us and we'll be a different person on the other side. may God bless and keep you.
"let's say there was a little house inhabited by american allies on normandy beach when d-day broke out. in fact, let's suppose that the family in this unfortunate beach cottage consisted of the son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren of the head captain of the invading american fleet. there they were, caught in the crossfire of this terrible battle. let's say they had a radio line with this captain and could radio their requests to him during the battle. they told him they were being hit both with enemy fire and with american fire. they told him they were wounded and needed supplies, hungry and needed food, etc.
now the captain cares a great deal about his son and his family and would like to answer every one of their requests. but, at the same time, there is a larger battle to fight, thousands of other lives to consider, and the outcome of this important battle which must be of preeminent importance. so sometimes this captain can meet his son's requests. but other times, given the strategic warfare of the enemy, he cannot. and perhaps sometimes their requests are not even to their own advantage given the course the battle is taking.
but the unfortunate family in the beach cottage doesn't have this broader perspective. they only know that the captain is on their side, that their requests are heard and are taken into account, and that sometimes their requests are granted and sometimes not. but they, lacking this strategic perspective, have no idea why this is the case. they don't have a purview of the whole battle. their perspective is limited to the tiny windows in their cottage."
letters from a skeptic - dr. gregory a. boyd & edward k. boyd
