I'm guessing you may have heard the Lord's Prayer at one point or another. If you're like me, you've probably got the KJV stuck so deep in your head that you can blurt it out involuntarily like you're one of Pavlov's dogs. The problem with such deep memorization is that it becomes just words instead of what they were meant to be, a prayer. Go ahead. Bust through the Lord's Prayer right now. Now try explaining what each phrase means. Having trouble? Never fear! I shall walk you through it. Or at least how my brain translates it.
When you think over the first phrase, perhaps you think of something like what I've drawn. “Hey, dude in the sky! I've got something to say!” If God is supposed to be everywhere, why do we only leave voicemails for him in heaven? The inherent problem with calling God your father is that fact that your basis for the definition is flawed. If you have a deadbeat dad or the like, you have a warped frame of reference to the word father. But even if your dad was great, he still can't do the religious metaphor justice. “Which art in heaven” clarifies “Father” not by location but as a reference to God's holiness and perfection. God as our perfect father has the ideal combination of authority with love. Understanding this simple phrase establishes the relationship of God as your father, you as a child, and all the peoples of the world, being children of God, as your siblings.
While its good to understand this intro as it pertains to properly addressing God, the most important thing to know is that your prayer is opening a dialog with God. Prayer shouldn't be like tying a wish list to a brick and heaving it through God's front window as you speed away. You aren't going to God. You're inviting him to you.
If you ding dong ditch at God's house:
If you ding dong ditch at God's house:
I have a question (and I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just curious.) When you pray, are you inviting God to you, or are you acknowledging that God is always there, and that you can seek help/advice/guidance anytime anywhere? Do you think there's a rulebook for how God accepts the invitation, or is he like a parent- always around for each of his children, but willing to work with each one individually according to their personal need? (and I don't mean just needing a cheeseburger, I mean more like a very spiritually introverted person's needs might be different than a spiritually or religiously extroverted persons, right?)
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late response. I'm still getting used to comments since it's been quiet around here thus far.
ReplyDeleteYou're right that God is always there (see Psalms 139:7-12, Matthew 28:20b, etc, etc, etc.). What I meant by “inviting God to you” is that we aren't capable of strolling up to God on our own merits, but he is more than willing to come down to us. We are breaking down those boundaries we often put on God (such as, “Hey, God, I'm gonna do my own thing today, but I'll catch up with you on Sunday”) and allowing an inflow of God into us. There's more on this in the next few posts.
As for invitational etiquette, I think people get caught up in religious rules a lot. While they are important, I think they often blind us from the fact that God is after a personal relationship. That's one of the coolest things about God. Even though he's controlling the flow of the entire universe, he still has an individualized plan just for you.
Thanks for the question. I can see how my words were confusing and I'm more than glad to clear that up.