It's always the little things

I recently heard Erik Thoennes - a great preacher, teacher, and theologian - mention something very appropriate in a sermon. He mentioned it in passing, really - the sermon was about something else. He reminded us of Paul's words from Philippians 2:14-16:

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life - in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.” (NIV)

“Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” (ESV)

The real emphasis I want to highlight here is verse 14: “Do everything without complaining or arguing”. The ESV says “grumbling or questioning”, and the NASB says “grumbling or disputing”. No matter how it's worded, we get the point, don't we?

During his sermon, Thoennes stopped to talk about complaining, which is what inspired me to write about it - even now, weeks after hearing the sermon. It was such a good thought, that it has stayed in my mind until now.

Why do we complain so much?

What does complaining accomplish?

Isn't it easy to complain? Think about how ready we are to complain. It is one of the easiest ways we have to get out our frustration and dissatisfaction with life and its direct effect on us.

But Thoennes had a thoughtful statement. I don't remember the wording now, but the idea was: Imagine what life would be like if we never complained. Imagine what a huge step that would be in living a righteous life. Imagine how a person like this would stand out, amidst a culture of epidemic complaining.

He went on to say that small things like this are what glorify God - doing the little things well, being faithful with the little he's given us. Thoennes says:

“Most of the time, glorifying God looks really normal. We glorify God when we refuse to gossip. We glorify God when we love our wife as Christ loves the church, even though she doesn't always make that easy. We glorify God by being men and women of integrity and doing what we say we will do. We glorify God by being patient with one another, bearing one another's burdens, and serving self-sacrificially when we want to be self-focused; by pursuing holy lives and dying to self and forsaking at times our image or our reputation; to suffer in light of the calling God has for us, with hope and with confidence in God. That's glorifying him - when you have gut-wrenching anguish in your life, and you refuse to curse God's name, refuse to just live in the disappointment, and you're willing to move beyond it and say, “I trust you, Lord, because you're good, and I know you're good, and I don't feel that right now, but I know it's true.”

I remember reading in my textbook for Intro to Psychology in college something to the effect of: It isn't the really big problems in life that push us over the edge and stress us out the most - it's the little things, like the broken shoelace with no time left.

There is a lot of truth there. Think about how many little things we gripe about. That's what I think of when I imagine complaining - griping. It isn't constructive or useful or beneficial for anyone. It's simply stating how dissatisfied we are with the realities of a fallen world.

What contradicts complaining? Isn't it contentedness? Do you find it difficult to be content? I know I do. Contentedness is a huge challenge in much of the world today, and strikingly so in American culture. If we allow ourselves to observe or listen to the many voices speaking to us (TV, music, movies, books) they will convince us that we are not content. We're somehow always being shorted, being stifled by “The Man”, missing out on something great.

Paul's words have been a great challenge to me:

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” - Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)

This is a passage that I have memorized and meditated on over and over. You will notice that if you try speaking scripture out loud, you must decide how to place emphasis in the reading. On the concluding sentence in this little passage, I have come to place the emphasis on “him”, rather than “everything”, which I have heard a few times from other readers. I don't think Paul's goal is to emphasize how much he can do, but rather, who it is that enables him to do everything he does - Jesus. He is saying that Jesus provides the power for contentedness in every situation on life's spectrum.

For added encouragement, I'll give you a couple more bits of scripture:

“The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” - Proverbs 19:23

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?' “ - Hebrews 13:5-6

What can we do to gain contentedness? Surely we desire this as followers of Christ. I think a good way to gain contentedness is by gaining humility. But how do we gain humility? That's a tricky question as well. I think one way that God has provided for us to gain humility which leads to contentedness is through several spiritual disciplines. Again, I must direct you to the writings of Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and Klaus Issler who have discussed this topic thoroughly. I always recommend first reading Willard's Spirit of the Disciplines, as this book gives theory and history behind the practice of spiritual disciplines. From there, Foster and Issler provide more insights and practical applications.

A few examples that come to mind are the disciplines of fasting, secrecy, and silence.

In fasting, we confront our dependence on food, physical sustenance. Even beyond our body's needed nourishment, I think we also deal with the issue of comfort and security which we gain from food, emotionally and mentally. In fasting, we allow ourselves into this weakened condition so that we can draw life from the true source - God himself. The act of fasting itself does nothing. It is God who does the work through the practice of fasting.

In secrecy, we keep the good things we do out of the sight and knowledge of others, allowing God alone to acknowledge us. Rather than performing good works for others to see, we do them privately, secretly. Rather than reporting to others (no matter how subtly) the good we've done, we let God alone observe it. Rather than receiving our glory from man, we receive it from God. This helps us learn to give up our need for man's approval and praise.

In silence, we allow ourselves to escape the clatter and noise of the world. As much as we might claim to dislike the noise of the world - we might find that it is actually comforting. Noise allows our minds to stay comfortably distracted, ignoring the realities we don't want to face in ourselves. The inseparable sibling to silence is the discipline of solitude. When we are alone, in the quiet, with only God to see and hear us, we open ourselves to scrutiny and observation. Not only by God, but also by ourselves. We must now deal with the self, confronting the ugly “us” that we have been hiding behind the busy-ness of life. Here, we are spiritually naked before God, ready for him to show us what he will. No friends, family, or tools can help us here. We become aware of who we are. This experience can be, and should be, very humbling.

Gaining humility is only one benefit of these disciplines. All of them have ways of drawing us into Christlikeness and maturing us in the spiritual life.

Having thought about these things, our goal should now be to live consciously aware of the words we speak, and the heart with which we speak them. The heart is the issue. If we find ourselves complaining, we need to examine our hearts and wonder, “Where did that come from? Who am I, that I complain like this? What condition is my heart in?” If we can curb our complaining habits, I think we will start to see good kinds of fruit, and we will be a blessing and encouragement to those around us. I am far from mastering this. We must remember that it is the little things that will catch us off guard. We must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in us, guiding and cautioning us. Let us work at it, always in the power of Christ alone.

NOTE: When I say "complain", I am talking about a type of communication that comes from a heart that is not rightly content and properly humble. This is different than sharing valid feelings. I never think we should hold back clear communication about facts and real life concerns. The difference between stating a genuine concern and complaining is really a matter of the motives and intentions of our hearts. And, I also encourage you to remember that it is often the difference between the little things and the bigger things that actually do need to be talked about. Body language and tone are also a clear indicator of our intentions. For instance, there is an obvious difference between, "I don't wanna do the dishes!!" and "I really wish this migraine would stop hurting..." Hopefully you see the difference, as it is an important one. Communication is of the utmost importance, so don't keep yourself from clearly expressing your feelings and discussing your thoughts.

Hymn: He Leadeth Me

Today, I encourage you to meditate on the only hymn ever written by a man named Joseph H. Gilmore. He penned the words in 1862. In 1864, William Bradbury put music to the words. Gilmore didn't realize music had been put to his hymn until 1865! Bradbury died 3 years later. To read up on the background of this hymn, look here.

You can also look here for images and hymn background.

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He Leadeth Me

(Verses)
He leadeth me, O blessèd thought!
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be
Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom, (bowers are pleasant, shady places in gardens or woods)
By waters still, over troubled sea,
Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.

Lord, I would clasp thy hand in mine,
Nor ever murmur nor repine; (Discovery Singers say, “Nor ever doubt thy grace divine”)
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since ’tis my God that leadeth me.

And when my task on earth is done,
When by Thy grace the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since God through Jordan leadeth me.

(Chorus)
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.

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It's especially interesting to meditate on God's leading in our time and culture. Many of us have been raised in a culture that teaches us to plan our own way. It can be a difficult task to learn how to follow God's lead. How do we become sensitive to his leading? On this matter, I highly recommend consulting Dallas Willard's book, Hearing God, and Klaus Issler's book, Wasting Time with God. These men have written many wise words on the subject.

I am inspired by the phrase, “Content whatever lot I see.” This sentence rings with Paul's words in Philippians 4:10-13. It is certainly a challenging call to devote ourselves to spiritual disciplines which will train us to be content whatever our circumstances. I think contentment is a huge problem in our culture. Lack of contentment leads to griping and complaining (a subject I will post about later). How content are we? On what do we base our contentment?

On an interesting side note, William Bradbury also wrote the music for Anna B. Warner's hymn, “Jesus Loves Me”. Warner wrote the first stanza - the one most Christians know - and 5 other stanzas were later added. Bradbury also wrote the music for “'Tis Midnight, and on Olive's Brow”, “The Solid Rock”, and “Sweet Hour of Prayer”, among several other hymns.

The Pre-wrath view

A couple weeks ago, I posted about Robert Van Kampen's book, The Rapture Question Answered, Plain and Simple. You may be wondering what the pre-wrath view of the end times looks like. Here's a summary of how Van Kampen orders the events of the seven year tribulation period before the millennium.

1. false Christs appear


2. wars and rumors of wars


3. famines and earthquakes (beginning of the birth pangs)


4. Abomination of Desolation is seen standing in the holy place (Antichrist, according to Van Kampen)


5. Christians are killed and hated by all nations on account of Christ's name (This is Satan's wrath. During this time many people fall away from their faith.)


6. once the gospel has reached the whole world, Christ's sign appears, initiating the time of the end


7. darkening of sun and moon, stars fall from the sky


8. like lightning, the sign of the Son of Man flashes in the sky


9. Son of Man comes on the clouds with power and great glory


10. Christ's angels gather the elect


11. Antichrist's persecution is ended


12. God's wrath arrives - the end of the age

At the heart of the Pre-wrath view is the timing of Christ's second coming and the rapture. This view holds that Christians will suffer under Satan's wrath, under the reign of the Antichrist. Then, halfway through the tribulation, the most intense persecution will take place against Christians. Sometime during the last half of the tribulation, a sign in the sky will precede Christ's coming. Then Christ will come to take his followers away, ending Satan's wrath. At this time, God's wrath begins. No Christians suffer God's wrath.

The sequence of events listed above is all taken from the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24. When considering this view, Van Kampen believes Jesus is addressing the church - all Christians. He says that advocates of the pre-tribulation view of the rapture believe that Jesus is here addressing Jews who become Christians during the tribulation.

What do you believe?

Is Jesus addressing Christians or Jews? That is perhaps the first thing we should address when considering this passage.

Do you agree with Van Kampen's assessment of this order of events?

I just recently finished reading Mike Wilkins' commentary on Matthew. I would like to go back and see on which points he parallels Van Kampen's interpretation.

If you'd like to do some research on the Internet:

• Van Kampen's Pre-wrath site


• free online Revelation commentary by Van Kampen and others


• recommended rapture books from Strong Tower Publishing


• other pre-wrath resources

Psalm 145: Pure Praise

The other day, I had a short chunk of time to read some scripture. I decided to read a Psalm. The one I chose for no particular reason was Psalm 145. This turned out to be a blessing, as it was exactly the kind of Psalm I had hoped to find. I think the ESV chapter heading must have drawn me in: “Great is the LORD”. This was the kind of Psalm I had been hoping to find.

As God pulls me in, training me from day to day, I desire more and more to praise him, to meditate on his sovereignty, to delight in his existence, to acknowledge his majesty - to glorify him simply because he is God, before and above all things. This is the reason that Psalm 145 was so refreshing to read.

This Psalm begins with, “A Song of Praise. Of David.” This alone stirs my heart. A song of praise. The forethought makes me giddy inside, the idea of God being praised - is there anything more right? This title gets me eager to read the passionate David's words.

In verses 1, 2, 10, and 21, David uses the term “bless” as a form of praise for God and his name. Let me share with you a small excerpt from Richard Foster's book, Prayer.

“Blessing is jubilant praise, praise raised to its highest point. 'Bless the Lord, O my soul,' enjoins the Psalmist, 'and all that is within me, bless his holy name' (Ps. 103:1). Luke closes his Gospel with the enthralling words of blessing 'and they were continually in the temple blessing God' (Luke 24:53). When we are brought into experiences of blessing God, the soul is enraptured in praise.” - Richard Foster, Prayer, pp.84-85

I am thankful to Foster because I had never given thought to the meaning of this term “bless.” Do we, as a Church, bless God as we should?

Other forms of praise expressed in this Psalm include:

• declaring God's mighty acts, greatness, glorious kingdom, and power
• passing down recollections of God's works from generation to generation
• meditating on God's majesty and wondrous works
• singing of God's righteousness
• giving thanks to God
• proclaiming to God his own glory and goodness

David recalls how merciful God is, how slow to anger, how good he is to his creation. He delights in God's enduring dominion, his kindness in all his works. He ponders God's mercy as he “upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.” He reminds us that the Lord is near to “all who call on him in truth” and “fulfills the desire of those who fear him.”

David concludes this Psalm of praise by saying:

“My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.”

Oh, how we need to speak the Lord's praise, to remind one another of God's enduring mercy and dominion, not just today, but every day, never breaking the habit. We need to bless his holy name, and invite others to do the same. Let our meditation on Psalms of praise such as this add more praise to our hearts - always keeping God in his position of absolute majesty.

Praying with Expectation, Part 2

When you pray for something, which model sounds more like you?

1. I doubt my prayer will be answered, but I hope it
will.

2. I expect my prayer will be answered, but if it isn't, I trust the sovereign God to bring about the perfect alternative.

The first option is really easier, isn't it? This approach to prayer is safer for us. What I mean is, we have a very powerful innate ability to defend ourselves in every aspect. When we pray, we are putting ourselves out there, becoming vulnerable before God. With emotional and mental vulnerability comes caution.

The difficulty with the second option is that we are forced to - either consciously or subconsciously - ask ourselves one or more of the following questions.

• What if God doesn't answer as I expect?


• What does an unanswered prayer say about me?


• What does it say about my faith?


• What does it say about my method of prayer?


• What does it say about God?

These are all valid questions, and certainly worth asking. But often, I think we don't want to face questions such as these. We might not like the answers. The answers may require us to change, and change is certainly not an attractive prospect. Change means stress, and stress is what we work hardest to diminish in our lives.

You may have prayed with expectation, devoting hours of energy to what you were certain God would answer. You could see it in your mind, waiting joyfully for God's glory to be known through the answered prayer. And yet, he didn't show up. You were left feeling cold, dry, weak, tired, and wondering.

So how do we deal with this?

First, let me quote Foster from his chapter on petitionary prayer.

“Another reality to keep in mind is the simple fact that many times our prayers are indeed answered, but we lack the eyes to see it. God understands the deeper intent of our prayers and so responds to this greater need, which, in its time and in its way, solves our specific prayer concern. We may ask for greater faith so that we can heal others, but God, who understands human need far better than we do, gives us greater compassion so that we can weep with others. A part of our petition must always be for an increasing discernment so that we can see things as God sees them.” - Richard Foster, Prayer, p.183

Foster is right. God's wisdom and sovereignty are beyond our own. When we trust and live as if our prayer will be answered, it will be. But we don't always see the answer exactly as we had imagined it. We must keep confidence that if God answers in a way other than we had precisely asked, that it is probably a better answer.

Issler also deals with this very issue in the last chapter of Wasting Time With God. I will briefly share with you a useful table Issler devised regarding unanswered prayers of the saints. In this table he includes 4 types of “alternative affirmative answers” to prayer. In the table, he includes the manner of the answer (same as our asking, or different/better) and timing of the answer. Here is a simplified version of the table:

(Klaus Issler, Wasting Time With God, p.238)

Manner	Timing
same	now
same	later
different / better	now
different / better	later

He also sites examples of each type, if you would like to investigate the book further. While I recommend reading the entire book, I encourage you to specifically take a look at the section of chapter 8 entitled “Wasting Time with God: Faith Stretching Prayer” in regard to this matter.

We have all experienced the emotional injury that results from being denied our expectations. Maybe a trusted friend promised something and didn't deliver. We are very cautious about “getting our hopes up” because we know that the let down is emotionally difficult. And so, we treat God as we would people. The difference is, humans are fickle, God is sovereign. If God doesn't answer us for any reason, either it's for the best good (Romans 8:28) or because he has an alternative that we haven't seen yet.

We also receive encouragement from Paul's words about Jesus in 2 Corinthians 1:20:

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” (ESV)

Looking at this passage, Piper says:

"We see that prayer is a response to promises, that is, to the assurances of future grace. Prayer is drawing on the account where God has deposited all his promises of future grace. Prayer is not hoping in the dark that there might be a God of good intentions out there. Prayer goes to the bank every day and draws on promises for the future grace needed for that day. . . . Prayer is the confident plea for God to make good on his promises of future grace for Christ's sake.” - John Piper, Future Grace, p.107

I have come to believe that God, in giving us the duty of prayer, has given us a responsibility to pray with expectation. Our role in prayer is not to doubt. Our role is not to second guess God. Our role is not to make empty wishes. Our role is not to protect our emotions. Rather, I think our role in prayer is to step out with true hope. We should believe that what we ask for will come about. We should look forward to God's gracious answer as if it is reality. The outcome of the prayer is irrelevant. God's Yes or No is irrelevant; he may decide as he will on the matter. Nothing changes our responsibility to trust with hope. God longs to give and to answer. Anyone who is a parent will certainly understand the desire to pour out your love on your children in various forms of blessing. Our Father is the same, I think. If he says no, it is because he has an even better way.

Let's continue in expectant prayer, always hopeful for what God will do by his future grace.

I will end with a few passages from scripture:

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” - Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” - Hebrews 4:16

“And Jesus answered them, 'Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and thrown into the sea,” it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.' ” - Matthew 21:21-22 (ESV)

“In [Jesus] and through him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” - Ephesians 3:12 (NIV)

“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.” - 1 John 3:21

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him.” - 1 John 5:14

“ 'I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard see, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.' “ - Matthew 17:20-21

QuickPost: Unexpected Provision

A book I've been really eager to get my hands on is J.P. Moreland's The Kingdom Triangle. I've heard him speak about it and have put the book on my "must acquire" list. But I had resolved myself to waiting around and hoping to receive it for Christmas or some such.

Today, through very odd and unlikely circumstances I saw a friend whom I haven't seen for several months. This friend works with J.P. I asked if he had read the book, which of course, he had. He didn't let me leave without giving me a copy of the book he happened to have on hand for giveaway. A fresh, unread copy of The Kingdom Triangle!

I can't let the opportunity pass by to share this experience. God provided. My chances of being there at that time, in that situation, was very unlikely. God is good, and today he provided me with spiritual food I could never have expected.

Praying with Expectation, Part 1

This is the first of a two-part series I am going to do. The topic deals with something that has been constantly on my heart and mind over the last few months.

I recently read Richard Foster's book Prayer. I have also been recently involved in situations that needed radical prayer. This all took place after a period where I felt like I needed to study and increase my understanding of prayer. I felt that I knew so little and that there must be more to prayer than I had learned or experienced.

During this time of learning, I have adopted principles I gained from reading Foster, as well as Klaus Issler's Wasting Time With God and John Piper's Future Grace. Specifically, I am referring to a principle I have come to call “praying with expectation.”

In Future Grace, Piper encourages the reader to see in scripture God's emphasis on forward-looking faith and hope. He explains that true hope is different from the kind of hope we typically think of. The way I see it, our hope tends to lean on the side of uncertainty and even doubt: “I hope this new job works out” or “I hope the mechanic can fix my car.” But, Piper argues that the kind of hope God calls us to is one like Abraham's. This type of hope is what Piper calls “faith in future grace.” One of the greatest examples in scripture is seen in Abraham. God says to him:

“ 'Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.' ” - Genesis 22:2 (ESV)

Abraham obeys, taking Isaac to the mountain. Isaac questions the situation, wondering what's going on, why they have brought no lamb for the sacrifice. Then we read this profound reply from Abraham:

“ 'God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.' “ - Genesis 22:8

This is a wonderful example of true hope. Abraham believed in God's faithfulness to the point that he placed his hope in what would happen. He was looking forward with expectant faith. His hope wasn't the kind that wonders helplessly. He was sure of what would come. James looks back on this situation:

“You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend.” - James 2:22-23 (NIV)

Abraham had the kind of hope that leads to action. His faith wasn't a simple desire. I ask you to apply your imagination as we continue, putting yourself in Abraham's position.

“When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.” - Genesis 22:9-10 (ESV)

We recall Abraham's earlier statement to Isaac (Gen. 22:8). He knew God would provide a way out. How did he know? Scientifically, naturalistically, all the odds were against him. But Abraham's hope was in a faithful and sovereign God who is beyond the workings of nature and common human understanding. Abraham had learned to conquer the doubting faithlessness that plagues us today. Our attitude would probably be something like: “I know God can send an alternative if he wants to. All I can do is wait and see.” How contrary this is to Abraham's understanding of our Father! He didn't doubt, wallowing in self-pity. He took action, waiting expectantly for God's faithfulness. He had faith in future grace, to use Piper's wording. He was actually ready to go through with killing his own son because God had commanded him to. He still knew that God, by his sovereign choice, could take Abraham's only son away. He knew that God had power to demand his will. And yet he knew God would supply. This can seem quite paradoxical. But in my studies, I have come to find that many things are paradoxical with the almighty God. Abraham readily obeyed, and yet hoped expectantly that God would provide an alternative. Abraham's actions were, in a way, prayer.

“But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here am I.' He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.' And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.” - Genesis 22:11-13

God answered Abraham's faith and actions (his wordless prayers), and the situation turned out just as Abraham had expected. The same can be seen in the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:8-30).

One of Piper's central verses in Future Grace is Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” God loves to answer prayer. He longs to see us trust with the hope of Abraham, the kind of faith that looks forward and prays with expectation, not doubting, but seeing, imagining the outcome in accordance with God's will.

We also see Jesus as an example of powerful prayer, which Foster calls “Authoritative Prayer.” Jesus commands spirits to leave and bodies to heal. This is a striking contrast to many prayers I've heard and prayed myself in today's church: “God, if it is your will, let so and so be healed” or “Lord, let this situation work out, if it is your will.” Then we somberly walk away, hoping God will hear and answer. But I don't think God ever trained us to pray with such a heart. That is why I am so thankful to Piper for teaching me about faith and grace, and to Foster and Issler for teaching me the many facets of and forms of prayer. I can't recommend their books enough.

Now, all of this sounds great in theory. Real life is an altogether different story, isn't it? Your experience may be that prayer seemingly never works out. Maybe you feel that God never answers your prayers, or that he is distant. You may imagine him ignoring you, or saying “no” to all of your heartfelt pleas. Dealing with this difficult and troubling reality will be the subject of my next post.

Outlining scripture

Several months ago, I was thinking about the book of Revelation. I had read the book so many times, and yet still didn't have a very good overview of the book. I could only remember a few specific parts of the book, but the whole of it still remained a blur. (My mind is detail-oriented. I am not very good with broad overviews.)

So I decided to make my own outline of the book. In the outline, I make each primary heading one of the bold headings from the Bible passage. Then, all the sub-points under each heading are general descriptions of the important events or features of that bit of text. For example:

X. The Throne in Heaven (Ch. 4) - primary heading

1. John sees an open door in heaven; a voice calls to him - sub-point


2. John finds himself "in the Spirit"; sees someone on a throne in heaven - sub-point


3. etc. - sub-point

This enables me at any time to go back and see what the different parts of the large book of Revelation are - in my own descriptive terms.

I have been working at completing this outline bit by bit. I am almost finished now, with one chapter to go. I see two benefits of this process, one which I've already mentioned, the other which I discovered only by doing the project:

1. I can now look back any time and be quickly reminded of the basic sections and features of the book.


2. The process itself - going through the book in an orderly fashion with an eye out for distinct components - has given me a better overview, forcing me to think about what each section contains and what meaning it may have. These bits are often easy to miss when you are just reading, as opposed to analyzing or dissecting.
   

If you find yourself in a similar situation, desiring a better overview of a passage or book from scripture, why not try outlining? It may or may not help you personally, but at least you've taken the time to break the book down and think about what each section contains to form the whole. Anytime we look at scripture in a new way is one more opportunity for the Spirit to train us.