The Lord's Prayer, Exemplary of Imprecatory Prayer, Exalts God

I'll let it speak for itself, keeping in mind that these are the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen."
-Matthew 6:9-13

Notice how Jesus, in His example of how His disciples [that's us] should pray, emphasizes God's glory.  God's name (which is not Jesus, by the way, although Jesus is unquestionably God) is lifted up as holy, and the individual praying asks for God's kingdom to come and for His will (not the praying person's will) to be done.  It closes by recognizing that the kingdom, the power, and the glory belong to God forever and ever - not to man.  In this way, the Lord's prayer, the example Jesus gave of how we should pray, exalts God and recognizes men as askers, not commanders, of God. 

God doesn't need our permission to accomplish His purposes in the world, but like any good Father, He hears the requests of His children, and grants them if it suits Him.  We must always keep in mind that He knows better than we do, that He sees a bigger picture that He has not revealed to us.  Although, as His children, we may be crying out for the spiritual equivalent of ice cream, the Father knows we haven't yet eaten our dinner.  Or maybe what we're crying out for is so outside His plan for us that He snatches it away quickly, because He knows that, like the can of pesticide beneath the kitchen sink, it would be poison to our souls if granted.  He knows.  We don't.  That's why our prayers are always to be couched in gentle requests with the acknowledgement that God's will and knowledge are higher and better than our own. 

To say something akin to, "Father right now in the name of Jesus I command this affliction to leave this individual" is to fail to recognize that it's possible GOD HIMSELF caused the affliction for His own purposes.  Like that of the man blind from birth, some afflictions are not from sin, but rather came about so that God's glory might be revealed (John 9:1-4).  And some afflictions actually do come from God.  Take, for instance, the case of King David's affliction.

"I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me."
-Psalm 119:75

Why was King David afflicted?  To bring about his renewed obedience to God.

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your word."
-Psalm 119:67

I personally believe, though it's not explicitly stated in the Bible, that King David strayed from God because he followed after the lusts of his flesh - not just his lust for another woman, but lust in general born of a greedy and manipulative heart.  He became so consumed with his riches and power that he got comfortable and no longer obeyed God.  I believe that God had to strip David of some of these things to accomplish His purpose in David's life - namely, repentance and a renewed commitment to obeying the Lord.  Again, I believe that like any good Father, the Lord removes things from our lives that are preventing us from being the person into whom He is shaping us.  This may, in the momentary and temporary sense, be perceived by us children as an "affliction," but really the Lord is just chastising and growing us by removing anything that is not of Him.  By framing our prayers in an imprecatory fashion, by asking God instead of telling Him, we exalt Him and acknowledge the superiority of His thoughts and ways over our own.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
-Proverbs 16:9

Cashflo Dollar is Wrong: God IS in Control!

"Get this in your head. YOU are in CONTROL over this planet. I'm gonna have to say it several times, because people just don't, they can't just, they just can't get ahold, they just can't grasp ahold of that concept..here it is, let's just go right ahead and say it, they can't, they have a hard time about with what I'm about to say. GOD IS NOT IN CONTROL OVER THIS PLANET."
-Creflo Dollar
Sorry, Cashflo, but God IS in control! That's fundamental to true Christian belief. If we are in control, and God is not in control, how are we not making ourselves like God? If we claim authority that rightly belongs to God, how does that not artificially exalt us and diminish the Lord?

The revelation of Scripture is this: God is in control of His entire creation, including the earth.

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." -Psalm 24:1

"Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: 'Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.'" -1 Chronicles 29:10-13

"Prayer is man giving God legal right and permission to interfere in earth's affairs."
-Creflo Dollar
Are you kidding me? God doesn't need MY permission to do ANYTHING. In fact, He works out everything in conformity with the purpose of HIS OWN will, not our will (Ephesians 1:11). The clear teaching of the Bible is that when we pray, we are to ask this His will be done (see the Lord's Prayer). God doesn't need our permission to accomplish His will; rather, He needs our submission and our faith in His ability to accomplish His will in a way that works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Here is a link to video of "Dr. Dollar" making this statement, just in case it's hard to believe he actually said this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQui4Ce6HXU

See also this thoughtful piece by John Piper, who is a Calvinist (which I'm not, but I agree with his assessment of "faith preachers"): Why I Abominate the Prosperity Gospel.

Never Have I Known This River Dry

Everyone is pregnant...well, almost everyone. Not me, for instance. Why does this bother me? Some days it does, and some days it doesn't...but on the days it does, why does it? It's not - it can't be - that I somehow feel their pregnancies are preventing me from my own pregnancy. What is it, then? Pure covetousness? I tell myself no, but then again, I tell myself a lot of things.

It all comes down, I think, to this illusion in my own mind that I deserve to have a child (or more to the point, that my husband deserves to have a child). The truth is, y'all, I don't deserve anything good at all. I deserve death and hell and pain and suffering and neverending torment and separation from God. Who am I to question God's judgment, when He's been more than fair, when He's given me so much more than I deserve? Just for starters, I have a roof over my head and food in my belly and money in my bank account and a wonderful husband who loves me and thyroid meds to keep me from feeling sick and - oh my gosh - water on tap. And let's not forget, you know, eternal life. Y'all, I'm blessed, plain and simple. Baby or not, I'm a child of the Most High God. I should be less concerned with who is having children and more concerned with Whose child I am.


“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."
-Matthew 6:25-34, New Living Translation

It's in my head, y'all, but sometimes it's not in my heart. I'm a-workin' on it, though.

The Last 1.5 Years of My Life

Where have I been for the last year and a half? I've been in law school. As a first-year law student, I had very little time for breathing, much less blogging. I anticipate my second year will be better, but honestly, this blog is pretty much only for me anyway. If I fall behind, I'm sure no one will particularly mind that much.

I worked hard in my first year of law school, and I'm happy to say that I did well. Going to law school was one of the best decisions I've ever made, a clear step in the direction of where God wants me.

What else happened to me in the past year and a half? I had another miscarriage in late May 2010, this time at just 4w5d. I barely knew I was pregnant. It is less painful somehow, the second time around...or at least it was for me. I suppose it's easier to trust in the grace and judgment of God in the face of what seems so terrible when you've exercised those particular muscles before and trained them what to do.

I am now seeing an endocrinologist for my thyroid issues and for PCOS. My TSH was .62 in February, .16 in July, and 1.6 in August. I have no idea what my thyroid is doing. I had a battery of tests a couple of weeks ago, and I'll get the results when I go back for my oral glucose tolerance test in September. Apparently, this is now a "gold standard" test which all PCOS patients should have before their 30th birthdays. I'm in my late twenties, so bring on the chugging orange I guess.

I wish I could say that, rough stone rolling that I am, I've become smoother in the last year and a half...and perhaps I have. I would like to think that I have. I would like to think that the rushing river of life running over me has revealed more of God's handiwork and the person I was created to be. I would like to think I am more humble, more grateful, and more concerned with the welfare of others. I would like to think that each turn on the Potter's wheel has molded me more into what He would have me be. I would like to think that I have surrended my own life for His, just as He once surrendered His life for mine. I would like to think I've laid it all down without picking it back up again.

I would like to think these things, but they are best left to outward observers, and to God...not to me. I am afraid that an attempt at self-evaluation would turn into self-deception, that what I would like to think would improperly influence what I actually thought. But I do hope that I am beginning to bear spiritual fruit even in this season of physical barrenness, and I hope that the Lord has done what He desires through me, that I have not stepped in His way but rather followed His still, small counsel. To be sure, one day I will know, but that day cannot be today. All I can do is pray that the Lord will give me a soft and willing heart, and that He will guide me always into truth and direct me in the path He would have me take, all to His glory.