Love Letters

I have been watching the film 'Dear John' this evening.  I joined it halfway through, so I'm not 100% sure what's happening, but I think I'm just about up to speed.

 

At the heart of the story is a young couple, separated by distance, who write to each other (or, to be properly American, write each other).

 

The letters are filled with messages of love between the couple and stories from their days.

 

When we talk about prayer, this is what I picture.  Not a stuffy ritual.  Not a list of wishes or wants.  Not a hands-together-and-eyes-shut affair.  But messages of love between us and God.

 

This is how Jesus taught us to pray -

 

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God.  Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.  The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.  The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant.  They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.  Don’t fall for that nonsense.  This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.  With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply."

 

[Matthew 6:6-13 MSG]

 

When we write letters to those we love, we don't try to show off or pretend we're someone we're not.  We don't hide the truth.  We express ourselves honestly and openly.  We share our hearts and we share our love.

 

God speaks to us through prayer, but He also speaks to us through the Bible.  His Word is a love letter [there is a brilliant and beautiful description of the Bible as God's love letter to us on this website - http://www.fathersloveletter.com/text.html].

 

God loves us and wants us to know the love He has for us.  He has already written to us.

 

We simply need to open the letter.

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes

I don't pretend to understand how prayer - us talking to God - works.  I'm not even sure that 'works' is the right word to describe what happens [which I explored in this post - http://thegoldenandthegrey.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/does-prayer-work.html]

 

But one of the biggest things that has stuck with me in terms of God 'answering' prayers was something one of my friends at Uni said several years ago.

 

Sometimes we are the answer to our own prayers.

 

Sometimes we actually possess the power or the potential to answer our own prayers.  To change situations, to restore relationships, to mend burnt bridges, to bring peace into problems, to forgive and restore, to love people.

 

Sometimes the answer to our prayers is within our grasp.  James writes,

"Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, 'Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well'—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?"

[James 2:15-16 NLT]

 

And the end of the same passage in The Message translation reads,

"Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?"

 

Our faith should motivate us to act.  Especially when it comes to meeting the needs of others. 

 

If I know a friend who is in financial trouble and praying for more money, couldn't I give some of my own?  Or if I know someone who is struggling to cope after the birth of their child, couldn't I offer to babysit, or help with the shopping or cleaning?  Or if someone is lonely and feeling depressed, couldn't I go and sit with them and chat and have a cup of coffee?   

 

Obviously it's good for us to pray for people and to offer their situations up to God.  And sometimes there won't be anything that we can do to help them.

 

But sometimes God's answers look like us.

 

As 'God' says in the film 'Bruce Almighty'

 

"People want me to do everything for them. What they don't realise is they have the power.  You want to see a miracle, son?   Be the miracle."

 

Sometimes we are the miracle.  Sometimes we are the answer.

Queuing

Queuing.

Along with having a stiff upper lip, a fondness for tea and a propensity to talk about the weather at any given opportunity, us Brits are known for queuing.

Regardless of the reason, we are excellent at forming a perfectly neat line and patiently waiting our turn.  In fact, for big events - the release of the 7th Harry Potter book, the Diamond Jubilee, The Royal Wedding, for example - we will make an event of queuing itself by taking tents and picnics and setting ourselves up well in advance of the actual event.

I was lucky enough to be on The Mall on the Saturday of the Jubilee weekend.  Whilst we enjoyed the concert, part of the fun of the day was the hour or so we had beforehand, waiting for it to start.  Everyone was very friendly and chatty and there was a feeling of excitement and anticipation.  There were lots of people who had even camped out over night and lined The Mall with their patriotic tents, picnics and Pimms.  Everyone was having a brilliant time, even waiting for the main event.

We enjoyed waiting.

In the last week, I have been in several queues, mainly in different shops.  I have had to wait no more than three minutes (one as short as fifteen seconds) at any of these different checkouts but, on several occasions, the cashier has apologised for the fact that I have had to wait.

This seems to go against the very thing that the British were made to do.  Obviously no one likes queuing for an unnecessarily long time especially in a shop on a sunny day.  But do we really mind waiting that much?

My first reaction would be to say no, but when it comes to prayer and waiting for God to respond, it is rather a different matter.

I can be patient in a 'real' queue, I can chat to the people around me who are also waiting, I can even enjoy myself waiting in line.  But I never seem to apply the same principles to when I'm waiting for God.  I'm not particularly patient, I don't often talk to people in a similar situation and I certainly don't enjoy myself.

I think part of the difference is that in a real queue you can at least see it moving; no matter how slowly, there is a feeling of progress as you wait.  But when we pray and wait for God, there can sometimes feel as if there is no progress at all.  And that's when we have to stop relying on our own understanding and trust with hope that God is doing something behind the scenes.

"Wait, Israel, for God.  Wait with hope.  Hope now; hope always!"

[Psalm 131:3 MSG]

I think I would do well to make the following verse my mantra when I find myself in a spiritual 'queue':

"God, the one and only - I'll wait as long as he says.  Everything I need comes from him, so why not?"

[Psalm 62:1 MSG]

Why not indeed. 

Does Prayer Work?

Does prayer work?

It's a question asked over and over and over.  By people who are seeking God.  By people who are doubting God.  By people who are questioning God.  By people who love God.  By people who hate God.  By people who are angry at God.

Does God hear our prayers?  Does He care?  Does He answer them?  Why does He answer some prayers and not others?  What makes Him answer our prayers?  Is there a 'right' way to pray?  Is there a 'wrong' way to pray?  Do His answers relate to our faith?

Does prayer work?

Many people ask the question.

But I don't think it's the right question to ask. 

Prayer isn't a mechanism or a magic formula.  It isn't a cosmic shopping list, or a 'request slot' with God.  Prayer isn't about me and what I want.  Prayer isn't something that works or doesn't work.

Prayer is talking to our Father in Heaven.  Prayer is a conversation with our Creator.  Prayer is relationship.  In the same way that human relationships are built on communication, our relationship with God is built on prayer. 

When I chat to family or friends on the phone or face-to-face, I don't simply ask them for things.  And I don't judge their love for me on whether or not they meet my demands.  Of course, there are times when I do ask for things from them, but that is part of my relationship and conversation with them, not the whole relationship.  Most of the relationship is built on chatting and sharing, talking and listening.  Learning more about the other person - their thoughts and beliefs, their likes and dislikes.  Learning what they are passionate about and what they value.  And it's about sharing my thoughts and beliefs and values and dreams and hopes and fears.

Prayer is the same.

It is about falling in love with God and partnering with Him to fulfil His work in this world.

Jesus advised His followers to pray like this:

"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God.  Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.  The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant.  They're full of formulas and programmes and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.  Don't fall for that nonsense.  This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.  With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply."
[Matthew 6:6-7 MSG]

Perhaps instead of asking Does prayer work? we would be better off asking What is prayer? and spending our time developing our relationship with God.

[The most useful and beautiful book I've ever read about the question of prayer is "God on Mute" by Pete Greig.  I strongly recommend it.]

Voices

How many times have you watched something and known that you recognise one of the actors, but can't remember their name?  (How did people cope with this frustration in the days before IMDB?)

I was surprised to find myself recognising an actress the other day, not because I recognised her appearance, but because I recognised her voice.  It surprised me because I don't usually consider myself an auditory learner; I have a very visual memory and don't often remember things through hearing. 

But everyone's voice is unique.

Of course, we can put on accents, or change the tone of our voice, or the words that we use in different situations, but we each have a unique and individual voice -

"The sound of each individual's voice is entirely unique not only because of the actual shape and size of an individual's vocal cords but also due to the size and shape of the rest of that person's body, especially the vocal tract, and the manner in which the speech sounds are habitually formed and articulated."

Everyone's voice is different.

That's why when we phone someone we know, we simply say "It's me," knowing that they will know it's us.  They know and recognise our voice.

Jesus said the same thing about His followers - we know and recognise His voice. 

"My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me."

[John 10:27]

We recognise His voice by developing a relationship with Him. 

In most new friendships or relationships, there comes a point where we feel comfortable introducing ourselves on the phone with a simple "It's me."  And we feel comfortable to do that when we know that our voice will be recognised, because we know that the other person knows us.  Similarly, Jesus doesn't just want us to know His voice, but to know Him.

And we get to know Him by reading about Him in the Bible and by talking to other Christians and listening to talks and, most obviously, by talking to Him ourselves through prayer.  And the more we practise these things, the more familiar His voice will become.  And although we may hear many other competing voices in the world, we listen to, and follow His.

We know His voice, because we know Him.