The intro to the book is a bit cheesy and sugar-sweet; but the chapters are another story. Great, deep, hard-hitting, and biblical. There are certain moments when she talks about things (like the "Devil's cheese" left out to trap church mice) that I kind of inwardly groan - but if you can get past small moments like that; you can love this book. My only other complaint is that her own life may be un-relateable to most. She talks about being married to a husband who is a televangelist and flying all around the country doing speaking engagments, etc.. I can imagine a suffering person wanting to write her off for this - like, "Well, we can't all be Christian celebrities!" So, aside from those 2 small things - it's a very usable book. I'm even thinking of using it in my challenge group next year.
Choice #1 = To Resist Pain or Use it
Whether looking at verses about how a servant is not better than his master, or how we should consider it pure joy when we face all kinds of trials, the Scripture - especially the NT - is full of counter-cultural wisdom about suffering. This chapter confronts everything that is at the core of American belief and values. We are Americans with the unalienable right to pursue peace and happiness! But, Briscoe claims that while American Christians are praying, "God, get this trouble off my back!" - that other Christians around the world say instead, "God, strengthen my back to bear it".
She also quotes wisdom from some other great Christian thinkers =
"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." C.S. Lewis
"Not only is pain useful as a warning, it may also be an essential dimension in our richest experiences." Philip Yancey
One thing I really like about this chapter is that she spends a fair amount of time talking about serving other suffering people. Sometimes, when I read a book or chapter about Christian suffering - it turns me inward as I think about "woe is me". But, she is good at acknowledging that as Christians we will suffer; but that this life isn't all about us and our happiness. "Trouble trains us to serve troubled people." (p. 19)
She uses a few different Bible translations that I'm not as familiar with; and it can be nice to read familiar verses in a new way - such as:
"God sometimes uses sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek eternal life." 2 Cor 7:10 TLB
"We can be full of joy here and now even in our trials and troubles. [Taken in the right spirit] these very things will give us patient endurance." Rom. 5:3 Phillips translation
"When the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So, let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete." James 1:3-4 TLB
The discussion/prayer guide at the end of the chapter seemed quite useful and cool too.
She gave a metaphor for us that I liked a lot. She talked about a little girl playing around in a crowded train car. A traveler watched her and began to wonder who she belonged to - she was so well-adjusted and friendly with everyone it was hard to tell. But just then the train entered a tunnel and was filled with darkness. As that happened, the girl ran to a man at the front of the traincar. As the darkness came, she showed who she belonged to. And so will we if we run to God in our own dark times.
Showing posts with label persistence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label persistence. Show all posts
Monday, May 3, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
"No Easy Answers" by William Lane Craig
I only read one chapter from this short book. Someone photocopied a chapter for a retreat teaching - but, man! I loved it. I'm really looking forward to getting the book and reading the whole thing.
For those who don't know William Lane Craig - he a great scholar and known for public debate skills. He had a pretty awesome debate here in Columbus with an atheist thinker. I've only ever seen his writings in textbooks, but this book "No Easy Answers" is a devotional-style book about prayer.
In the chapter I read "Unanswered Prayer", he explores Jesus' promise to answer our prayers and the seemingly different experience that many people have had. It's easy to understand why some prayers go unanswered, but it's a harder pill to swallow in other areas.
He gives 5 suggestions for having an unfettered spiritually powerful prayer life:
1. Confess and repent from sin in your lives. Psalm 66:18 says, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." Also, 1 Peter 3:7 gives biblical precedence to the idea that prayers can be hindered because of sin.
2. Ask for things that will glorify God rather than just asking for things "with wrong motives that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." - James 4:3
3. Have faith the size of a mustard seed. James 1:6-8 says that the double-minded man needs to ask and "believe, and do not doubt" because the one who doubts "should not think he will receive anything from the Lord." Now, I think I should point out - as a sidenote, that it doesn't say God won't answer that sort of prayer - it just says that we shouldn't expect Him to if we are just words without faith.
4. Develop earnestness about the things we pray about. If we're having a hard time with earnestness, if we just pray for something at a prayer meeting and then never think about it again, we can ask God to help us develop a burden or a passion for the things we are praying for. He talked about when he and his wife raised missionary support and certain people would say, "we're not going to support you financially - but we'll pray for you." and how they didn't expect that those people would actually be earnest to pray for them. "Unfortunately, Christians have the idea that prayer support is a lesser commitment than financial support, when in reality precisely the opposite is the case. It doesn't take much effort to write a check every month or so and never think of it again, but it's a tough thing to pray earnestly and regularly for a Christian worker or missionary." (p.49)
5. Persevere in prayer. "Some Christians will tell you that all you have to do is pray once about something, commit it to the Lord, and then relax and trust Him to take care of it. But I think I can say confidently that this is not the teaching of Jesus." (p.50)
In the last half of the chapter, Wright talks about Paul's prayers for the churches as an example to us, and wonders if any of us pray that way for others and for churches. His conclusion is as follows:
"Are you just muddling along in the Christian life, never seeing God really work in response to your prayers? When was the last time you moved the hands of God through prayer? If you're not satisfied with your prayer life, maybe it's time to take inventory of the obstacles to answered prayer in your life...prayer is hard work. But the promises of prayer are great. Let us strive to lay hold of those promises." (p.57)
I think as a whole, there are some really good thoughts here. Although, I find myself qualifying some of his points because I think that there are plenty of messed up people who have their prayers answered; and plenty of good people who have their prayers unanswered. And, this can't be about law or formula. However, if you (like me) know that there is no formula and simply want some advice on how to become a better prayer warrior - this is a great book and a great chapter for stirring up the prayer warrior inside.
-j-
For those who don't know William Lane Craig - he a great scholar and known for public debate skills. He had a pretty awesome debate here in Columbus with an atheist thinker. I've only ever seen his writings in textbooks, but this book "No Easy Answers" is a devotional-style book about prayer.
In the chapter I read "Unanswered Prayer", he explores Jesus' promise to answer our prayers and the seemingly different experience that many people have had. It's easy to understand why some prayers go unanswered, but it's a harder pill to swallow in other areas.
He gives 5 suggestions for having an unfettered spiritually powerful prayer life:
1. Confess and repent from sin in your lives. Psalm 66:18 says, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." Also, 1 Peter 3:7 gives biblical precedence to the idea that prayers can be hindered because of sin.
2. Ask for things that will glorify God rather than just asking for things "with wrong motives that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." - James 4:3
3. Have faith the size of a mustard seed. James 1:6-8 says that the double-minded man needs to ask and "believe, and do not doubt" because the one who doubts "should not think he will receive anything from the Lord." Now, I think I should point out - as a sidenote, that it doesn't say God won't answer that sort of prayer - it just says that we shouldn't expect Him to if we are just words without faith.
4. Develop earnestness about the things we pray about. If we're having a hard time with earnestness, if we just pray for something at a prayer meeting and then never think about it again, we can ask God to help us develop a burden or a passion for the things we are praying for. He talked about when he and his wife raised missionary support and certain people would say, "we're not going to support you financially - but we'll pray for you." and how they didn't expect that those people would actually be earnest to pray for them. "Unfortunately, Christians have the idea that prayer support is a lesser commitment than financial support, when in reality precisely the opposite is the case. It doesn't take much effort to write a check every month or so and never think of it again, but it's a tough thing to pray earnestly and regularly for a Christian worker or missionary." (p.49)
5. Persevere in prayer. "Some Christians will tell you that all you have to do is pray once about something, commit it to the Lord, and then relax and trust Him to take care of it. But I think I can say confidently that this is not the teaching of Jesus." (p.50)
In the last half of the chapter, Wright talks about Paul's prayers for the churches as an example to us, and wonders if any of us pray that way for others and for churches. His conclusion is as follows:
"Are you just muddling along in the Christian life, never seeing God really work in response to your prayers? When was the last time you moved the hands of God through prayer? If you're not satisfied with your prayer life, maybe it's time to take inventory of the obstacles to answered prayer in your life...prayer is hard work. But the promises of prayer are great. Let us strive to lay hold of those promises." (p.57)
I think as a whole, there are some really good thoughts here. Although, I find myself qualifying some of his points because I think that there are plenty of messed up people who have their prayers answered; and plenty of good people who have their prayers unanswered. And, this can't be about law or formula. However, if you (like me) know that there is no formula and simply want some advice on how to become a better prayer warrior - this is a great book and a great chapter for stirring up the prayer warrior inside.
-j-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)