“Lord, Lord…”

²¹“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
–Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV)

As someone who spends her time “in pursuit” of prayer, I pay close attention when I hear others praying. People use many different phrases to address God when they pray– “Our Father in Heaven,” “Father God,” “Heavenly Father,” “Daddy,” “Papa God,” “Lord Jesus,” and many others. And there is no “right” phrase or “wrong” phrase to use. But there definitely IS a right and wrong mindset and heart attitude!

Jesus himself, shortly after teaching His disciples what is known as “The Lord’s Prayer,” talks about those who go around calling Him “Lord, Lord.” But they do not obey God, and they will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This suggests that that have “prayed” in some form or other, but it is merely a formality or a ritual, and not something that comes from a humble heart. Jesus goes on to tell of their insistence that they “deserve” to enter Heaven based on the incredible things they have done “in (your) name.” Most people, looking at their outward success and good works, would surely assume that they are sincere followers of Christ– after all, how else could they perform such miracles? They have called on the Name of Jesus and they have called Him, “Lord.” Yet, Jesus says of them, “I never knew you.”

What terror those words strike in the heart of those who desire to follow Christ! Is it possible that God will reject those who have called on His Name and believed on Him?

Well, Yes and No… Later in Matthew, Jesus is teaching His disciples about the final judgment, and He tells a similar story, but with more “context:” In the following parable, both the sheep and the goats claim to have done good works and both groups believe they will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. It can be assumed that both groups have prayed at various times and believe themselves to be “known” to the Father…

³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³²Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ ⁴¹“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ⁴⁵Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
–Matthew 25:31-46 (ESV)

We can call Christ “Lord” without actually making Him our LORD. We can pray to God without seeing Him for who He really IS. And we can follow “Christianity” without actually following CHRIST.

I think the phrase that Jesus uses in the first quote is very telling. The people call Him “Lord, Lord.” And then, they go into a litany of things “WE have (done) in your name” (emphasis added). They do NOT call Him “Father” or even “LORD” (In the Bible, the term, “LORD” is “Adonai”, which is the substitute for Yahweh– the actual NAME of God, sacred to the Hebrew authors. It is not like “lord” as we might use for any nobleman or someone in authority, but is reserved only for the One with ultimate authority and majesty. In other words, not “Lord, Lord” but “LORD– the ONLY LORD”). Instead, they call Him, “Lord, Lord”. And they boast of the spectacular and even superhuman things THEY have done. But one of the things they fail to mention is prayer. They have used His name, but they have not necessarily called on His name– except as a formality. They have not spent time in communion with Jesus. They have not asked for His will to be done. They have not come to Him in humility or praise for HIS mighty works, only in arrogance of how they have done miracles similar to His. Nowhere do they mention following in service, as Jesus taught His disciples, nor do they mention suffering in His Name! In the later parable, both groups (the “sheep” and the “goats”) were startled by the examples Jesus gave of what they HAD or HAD NOT done. These were simple acts– humble acts rendered to outcasts, rather than showy acts of power. They were acts that materialized (or didn’t!) out of humility and compassion, rather than power or favor.

True followers of Christ will take up His yoke. They will listen for His voice, and they will be eager to obey. They will serve like Him– they will stay yoked to Him in humility and in submission. If you wonder whether or not you are truly following Christ– this is a good test. Satan will always try to make us feel as though WE must carry the load, proving ourselves worthy. He may tempt us to compare ourselves with others who seem to be “winning” at Christian service by getting noticed or listing multiple achievements. But our eyes should not be on others or even on ourselves or our accomplishments. Our eyes should be focused on God– what He has done for us on the Cross; what He is doing in our lives as we obey Him; and what He chooses to do through us as we continue to follow Him–even when it seems that we are doing very little things. We may never know in this life how important our small acts of service really are. In God’s economy, they are huge. Heaven rejoices over such small things as giving a cup of water to a thirsty child, or smiling at a lonely person on the bus, or visiting someone in the hospital or in a jail cell. The world needs more humble servants and fewer TV evangelists. (Note: I am not saying that TV evangelists cannot be doing the work of God– but I am saying that I see very few humble celebrity pastors…just an observation.) And, as the Apostle Paul reminds us, God’s strength is shown best in our weakness. (see 2 Corinthians 12:9) As we come to Him in prayer, in dependence and in humility, God’s power is perfected. As we respond in obedience, our life is brought into conformity with His.

Today, as I pray, “Lord Jesus” or “Heavenly Father,” I pray that I will do it with the right spirit. I pray that I will be quick to praise, quick to obey, and eager to seek my Father’s face, instead of my own validation. After all– Jesus is LORD!

July 1, 2024 0

Prayer in the Cyber Age

I attend a weekly prayer meeting at our church. A small group of us meets one morning a week to share prayer concerns, pray for our pastors and church workers, missionaries, community members in need, etc. It usually lasts just about an hour. On a “good day,” we have about seven people.

I grew up in a small rural area, and our little country church had a weekly Wednesday evening prayer service. On a “slow night,” we might have seven people. Sometimes, we had thirty or more (nearly half the church congregation)! They lasted about an hour and a half. When I was in college, we had groups that met once a week for prayer. It wasn’t always the same group, but it met at the same time, and, again, we sometimes had as many as thirty in attendance– for prayer. Often, we met in a dorm room, so it was cramped, and many of us were sitting or kneeling on the floor. Once, we had a fire drill, and my feet had “fallen asleep” and I had to be helped as we walked to the exit!

I don’t say this to disparage our current small group, but to point out some of the differences between life in the 1970s, 1980s and today. My current church has activities every Wednesday evening, and much larger attendance than the little country church ever attained. And prayer is still a small part of the Wednesday evening programming. Prayer is encouraged in small groups, individually, and we pray during service. But sustained time set aside for prayer– what the old hymn refers to as “Sweet Hour of Prayer”–in a group setting is becoming more of a rarity.

There are many reasons for it– some good, some not so good.

On the “good” side, it must be noted that corporate prayer today has expanded far beyond the traditional in-person prayer meeting. Prayer can be skyped, group-chatted, zoomed, and conference-called. Prayer can be “hosted” in one location, with satellite groups around the world praying in real time together. In such ways, thousands, and even millions of people can be joined in prayer. This is an amazing development!

And, along with such developments, prayer has become far more global, and far more immediate. I can receive a text or e-mail notifying me of a prayer request from nearly anywhere in the world, and know that I am joining with a host of other Christians when I stop and take a few moments to pray right then.

So what’s the “downside” of cyber prayer?

Speaking as one who has lived the experience of meeting with the same people at a dedicated time over many years specifically to pray, I have observed the following benefits:

In-person prayer meetings offer a more intimate time of fellowship, compassion, and service. I’m not just seeing other people on a screen, reading a text message, or even filling an auditorium seat as part of a huge “movement”– I’m sitting in a circle, breathing the same air, hearing the same hum of the furnace or fluorescent lights, the sound of others breathing, sighing, or even crying quietly around me. Sometimes, I’m holding another person’s hand, or giving them a hug. I am not just among fellow believers, I’m with family. We get to know one another in a deeper way. I know their families, their personal struggles and victories. I learn the rhythm of their prayers, and the issues closest to their hearts– and they know mine! And that can be a scary thing at first– building the kind of trust that intimate fellowship demands. But it pays off a thousand-fold!

In-person prayer meetings are also focused in a different way. Cyber prayer usually focuses on a specific need– sometimes an immediate, or even temporary issue. In-person prayer focuses on the long term discipline of praying. I have prayed with groups over years for lost relatives or unresolved health issues. And while that may seem depressing to read about, in practice it teaches patience, and deepens faith. As a group, we see God’s answers develop according to HIS timing and HIS plan. Sometimes, we see issues resolved quickly; other times, we see how God strengthens us in our trials; and still other times we see God do surprising and miraculous things just as we’ve almost given up hope. And there are some answers we may never “see.” But, primarily, we are not praying for an outcome– we are praying as a pursuit of Christian living; developing a life of prayer, faith, and obedience. We spend much of our time in prayer lifting up requests, but we also spend much of our time in praise, worship, adoration, confession, and thanksgiving– because prayer is a holistic pursuit.

Which brings me to another benefit, one that may not seem obvious at first. Meeting consistently and weekly for prayer is a habit. It builds a character of faithfulness and true compassion like very little else I’ve encountered. God can “show up” wherever two or three are gathered (see Matthew 18:20), and because God is beyond time and space, He can be present in a church meeting room, in cyberspace, or in outer space! But we are temporal. We have to learn patience, hope, and faithfulness. We learn to be trustworthy of the feelings and confidences of others by sharing our hearts. We learn to serve by the practice of serving those around us over an extended period of time. We learn patience by waiting on the Lord, stopping our busy, deadline-driven, goal-oriented lifestyle to make time for the development of our faith.

Finally, in a post-COVID society, sustained, regular, corporate prayer is also sustained, regular, corporate fellowship. We live in an increasingly isolated society. With more people on the earth than ever before, we are more lonely, depressed, anxious, and self-absorbed than ever before. Even in Church! Many people attend service regularly, but still feel unconnected and uninvolved. And others get “involved” in every activity, often burning themselves out trying to “outdo” themselves (or others). Activities that promise fellowship can sometimes fall “flat” in the face of social expectations. We attend, hoping to “get something” out of an experience. We want to be entertained, challenged, encouraged, uplifted, etc. But often, our expectations are not met. We don’t feel included, or we feel overwhelmed. We imagine we are being compared to others (or we do the comparing!), and feel that we fall short. We don’t know enough, do enough, are not “enough.” And we give up. We give up on the church, on other Christians, on God.

Committing to attend a weekly prayer meeting pulls us “out of ourselves.” We learn to pray for the needs of others. We learn to share our own needs and allow others to pray for us. We learn to be transparent and authentic. We learn to forgive.

Prayer is amazing– in any form. Communicating with the God of the Universe is an unspeakably miraculous opportunity, made possible BY God, THROUGH God, for OUR benefit. Prayer in the cyber age is diverse, global, immediate, and effective. But let’s consider the blessing of old-fashioned Prayer Meetings, and not forsake the practice of meeting together (see Hebrews 10:25) , in person, with no other goal than to spend a sweet hour in prayer!

April 5, 2024 0

Holiday Poison

Yesterday was Thanksgiving across the U.S. Many families enjoyed a large dinner, surrounded by family or friends. Traditionally, this dinner might include turkey (or ham or both!), vegetables and fruits (potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, baked beans, corn, squash or some kind of greens, cranberries or cranberry sauce, apples or fruit salad), dressing, stuffing, rolls, and/or bread, and some dessert, such as pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll, apple pie, or cake. It’s a holiday which focuses heavily on food and eating.

Because of this, it is also a holiday that carries the risk of food poisoning. Turkey and other meats, if not cooked properly or long enough, can make people sick. So can leftovers that are left out too long or not stored properly after the big meal.

But there is another kind of poison that can ruin Thanksgiving. It may not make us immediately physically ill, but it is not less dangerous. It is the poison of ingratitude. Like salmonella or other types of bacteria, ingratitude can be invisible. It can hide, waiting to attack without warning, causing everything to have a bitter aftertaste. It may cause violent reactions, such as rage, or lie dormant, causing depression, apathy, or a general dissatisfaction. And just like food poisoning ruining a holiday built around food, ingratitude is a natural problem to have during a time set aside for thankfulness.

One of the most insidious forms of this holiday poison comes through comparisons–we gather to be near family we love, only to compare ourselves with them. Which one is happier? Wealthier? More popular? More intelligent? Better looking? Is the host’s house nicer than mine (or is my house “good enough”)? Did I work harder? Did my contribution to the meal taste “better”(or was it passed by– again)? Why am I still sitting at “the kids’ table?” The list is endless of the petty grievances that we allow to overwhelm our intentions to be thankful and live in peace. Someone says something to “push our buttons,” or they seem to ignore us completely.

Another form of holiday poison spreads from person to person–complaining, venting, sounding off, moralizing, criticizing, blaming…what began as a thankful, joyful gathering becomes a snake pit of biting, poisonous talk. And we react. We take the bait, become defensive, get sucked into that political discussion we vowed to avoid, or we revisit old wounds we thought we had put behind us.

But unlike food poisoning, bitterness and ingratitude are choices. We can’t always choose our circumstances, nor can we choose what others say or do. But we DO choose our reactions and our attitudes. I can blame someone else’s anger or selfishness for my bitterness, but they didn’t MAKE me succumb to their poison. I can compare myself to others and feel arrogant or inept, but no one forces me to live someone else’s life or measure up to their circumstances.

God has given each of us life and breath, and a purpose. Some of His gifts to us are universal and exactly the same for each person. He has given us each 24 hours in each day; He gives sunshine and rain, day and night, and air to breathe. But some of his gifts are unique to each individual. Our response should be to open our unique gifts, so we can enjoy them and use them, NOT waste time coveting someone else’s gift when we have neglected even to open our own.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

I wish I could say that “holiday poison” was easy to avoid– it’s not. It is human nature to grumble and whine and wish for what we do not have. But it IS possible to get healing. It starts with humble confession. We DO wish for what we do not have–and the more we deny and try to bury our failings, the more susceptible we are to the poison they can bring. If we confess our feelings of inadequacy, our desire to have “more” or “better” in life, we can turn to God freely and let Him give us a better perspective. Suddenly, we “see” blessings where we used to see burdens, we can see hope where once there was only grief, and we see opportunities where we only saw obstacles before.

And God’s power to transform our attitude is just one more wonderful thing to be thankful for!

November 26, 2021 0

Tag: comparisons

“Lord, Lord…”

Holiday Poison

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