Prayer is more than praying our way out of trouble; it is praying ourselves into the will of God.
There are two kinds of Christians-- those who "pray their way in," and those who "pray their way out." Most of us, unfortunately, take our prayer lives most seriously when we are trying to "pray our way out."
But much of our lives is beyond our control. We can't run the show. We might as well relax and just enjoy the picture.
Why don't we trust God's plan and PRAY OUR WAY IN to a yielded life?
Mother Teresa kind of talks about shifting our prayers from what we want to what God wants.
In Sunday's Gospel text, Jesus shifts the direction of our prayers even further than Mother Teresa proposed. Instead of asking God to "save me from this problem," or "deliver me from this mess/stress/distress," Jesus teaches us to ask God to "glorify your name in this action."
When God's voice rang down out of heaven and promised that Jesus was being glorified, some heard angel voices, others heard thunder. When your life takes unexpected turns, crashes into a barren spot, or overwhelms you with responsibility, do you hear the din of thunder roaring in your ears? Or do you hear the voice of an angel offering you a chance to glorify God?
It's your choice. Either you can try to pray your way out of a thunderstorm. Or you can pray your way in to the glory of God.
Mother Teresa kind of talks about shifting our prayers from what we want to what God wants.
In Sunday's Gospel text, Jesus shifts the direction of our prayers even further than Mother Teresa proposed. Instead of asking God to "save me from this problem," or "deliver me from this mess/stress/distress," Jesus teaches us to ask God to "glorify your name in this action."
When God's voice rang down out of heaven and promised that Jesus was being glorified, some heard angel voices, others heard thunder. When your life takes unexpected turns, crashes into a barren spot, or overwhelms you with responsibility, do you hear the din of thunder roaring in your ears? Or do you hear the voice of an angel offering you a chance to glorify God?
It's your choice. Either you can try to pray your way out of a thunderstorm. Or you can pray your way in to the glory of God.
