If I Could Understand Everything About God . . .

 One of the catchphrases (in this case it's actually a sentence) I frequently use is: "If I could understand everything about God, he wouldn't be much of a god would he?" Others address the same idea by talking of attempting to "put God in a box." Obviously, if the earth is God's footstool (Isaiah 66:1)--and that's a metaphor--then there is no box big enough.

Especially, though, for those of us who approach our faith in a cognitive way--"What does the Bible text say, and what does it mean?"--and who have seen the excesses of late Twentieth and early Twenty-first Century so-called Spirit-led ministry, there is a measure of cynicism that has to be overcome. We've seen too many "Spirit-filled" evangelists weeping before the camera, looking at a different camera wide-eyed and disheveled when they are caught in Spirit-forbidden sin. If I'm not careful I allow all the gold-plated bathroom fixtures, Leer Jets, and mansions with guards to convince me that anything beyond what happens with me just isn't right. It must be fake. Somebody has an agenda.

Lord, when my skepticism becomes seeing you as living in a box, forgive me. Heal my heart.

I read this account from Christianity Today magazine of what is going on at Asbury University, 

My first impression was: I was impressed, but, likely, not in the way you expect.

I was impressed by the way the administration at the school reacted to what was going on. I can tell you by experience that making good decisions, as a group, in a new situation, with others looking over your shoulder is hard, really hard. It looks to me like these folk are working hard to maintain balance. On the one hand, there is the unknown. On the other hand, there is a desire to do what is right. 

Lord, guide the administration at Asbury. Protect them and help them protect the students in their care.

The article I mentioned above, and other reports tell of gatherings similar to what is going on at Asbury breaking out at other schools. 

Lord, I admit my ignorance, but I confess that my ignorance of your greatness is vast. It is so vast that I have no idea of what I don't know. Surely, in the vast reaches of who you are, that stretch infinitely beyond what I know, there is much that I don't understand. I do know that you, God, are loving and righteous. So, Lord, from my tiny store of understanding I reach out to you. Lord, I pray that not just college students, but old and young, rich and poor, people of all colors and economic conditions will know your love and will turn from the sin that not only destroys individuals but is consuming our society. I pray that folk will turn to you. 

   Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  (Matthew 6:9–13, NASB95)  

AMEN 

Praying for the President: Should I, Would I?

A neighboring pastor, Jerry Fallwell Senior, used to say that people in Lynchburg VA would either pucker (as in to kiss) or spit when they saw him coming. Clearly, our current President, Donald Trump, brings out those kinds of polar responses in the political social realm. I'll leave it to others to sort out which pole, or perhaps a mediating view, is right about the current resident of the White House. My thought today has to do with an interesting encounter another Virginia pastor had with Mr. Trump.
At this point, I'll quote from Tim Challies's blog. I had heard about Trump appearing before a church asking for prayer. It was Challies who provoked me to click and learn more.

PRAYER FOR THE PRESIDENTDavid Platt explains how he found himself praying for President Trump on Sunday morning. “Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that we didn’t see coming, and we’re faced with a decision in a moment when we don’t have the liberty of deliberation, so we do our best to glorify God. Today, I found myself in one of those situations.”

Platt found himself in a very typical pastoral situation, not that the President regularly appears in a church requesting prayer, but pastors frequently find themselves in situations when they have to make potentially important--even life-altering decisions in a very brief time. I have often been in these Nehemiah moments. You remember, don't you, when Nehemiah stood before the absolute sovereign of Persia. In the sycophantic culture of the palace, Nehemiah had been caught in what could be a capital crime. “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick?" (Nehemiah 2:2) Sadness in the monarch's presence was considered an insult. Nehemiah bravely summarized the source of his discomfort, the plight of his people, the Jews, who lived on the fringe of the Persian kingdom. I figure Nehemiah's senses must have been on high alert. The plight of his people was the result of the policy and practice of the Persian administration, and he was standing before the Supreme Persian. Nehemiah's relief at not being immediately dragged away was short-lived.
Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?”" (2:4)
In that brief moment--that was all he had--Nehemiah prayed.
I figure Platt uttered one of those "Help, Lord!" prayers as he decided how to handle the request put before him. President Trump had shown up, unannounced, toward the end of a service, and requested that the McLean Bible Church have a time of public prayer for him. (It would appear from the report that the President's request was not disruptive--at least not to those other than Pastor Platt.)
I've not made requests before all-powerful Kings or had the controversial President of my nation appear at a service requesting prayer. I have, many, many times found myself in situations when I needed to decide fairly quickly, knowing that the decision wasn't completely black or white and/or knowing that either way I decided there would be consequences, some negative. Just off the top of my head here are some. Fellow pastors will note, "been there, decided that."

• Phone call from a funeral director: "Rev. Merrell, The family of Sally Jones has asked that you speak at her funeral." At this point the default, "Yes, of course." answer is on my lips. "Oh, and by the way Rev. Objectionable will also be speaking." Fill in the blank. Rev. Objectionable is a heretic, sexually immoral person, member of a group that is Theologically obnoxious, or someone who has instulted me and my church, etc.
• Walking into a hospital room of a person who has been diagnosed with a terminal disease. The family has been diagnosed with a sickness called "denial." In hushed tones they instruct me, "Don't mention that she has cancer." 
• In spite of my best efforts to set up policies and guidelines, someone or something comes along that doesn't quite fit what I had already decided. As I make up my mind I can already hear the protests, "But you didn't do that for . . ." The nuance that influenced my spur of the moment decision would be lost on my detractors.
• I wish I could more consistently take comfort in the knowledge that our Lord suffered at the hands of critics. "He hangs out with tax-collectors and prostitutes." Too frequently, my thoughts continue, "Yes, and they crucified Him."

I could go on, but I think I have made the point, at least one point, of this post. Church-member, your pastor is called on to make decisions that you will never have to make and often make those choices in a Nehemiah moment. Cut him some slack. More importantly, pray for him.

For what it is worth, I think Platt made the right decision. He probably won't read this, but I figure I ought to stick up for someone who is making a good effort to do the right thing in a turblent context. To those who think otherwise, I ask you to consider, would your objection still be there if the President were Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Sanders, or (fill in the blank with your favorite)?

I also was convicted by the news. I find it difficult to consistently pray for my leaders. Often mention of "Kings and all who are in high places" in my public prayers are most prominent by their absence. I need to do better.

Below is the link to a post in which Pastor Platt shares his thoughts. It concludes with a video of him praying for President Trump.

https://www.mcleanbible.org/prayer-president

BTW, a word of thanks to Denise Gregson for giving me a heads up about Tim Challies post. :)

Praying for the welfare of my city, even if I don't live there.

Though I have never really lived in the country, I think there is country in my bones.  My parents, and as far as I can tell all my ancestors were country-folk, farmers and such.  I have enjoyed time in

cities.  I've been privileged to visit Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Prague, Rome & Florence in Italy, Alamaty Kazakhstan, Dresden Germany,  Jerusalem, Athens, and Corinth in Greece, Quito Ecuador, Austin Texas, and Washington DC.  In addition to those notable places, I've enjoyed time in some smaller, but impressive in their own right, cities like Roanoke VA, Ibarra Equador, and Neuva Ocatepeque Honduras, and College Station TX.  For all my adult life I've lived in a mill-town in the mountains of Virginia, that though technically a city, is quintessential, small-town America.
If you give me a box of crayons, though, and a piece of paper and ask me to draw the ideal place to live, it is none of the above.  Likely it would be a place on a lake, situated so the sun would rise over mountains behind the house, and set across the water spread out before my spacious front porch.  No antelope in my art-work, but deer would roam there.  If you pressed me for details, though, somewhere, just out of sight, far enough away that I couldn't hear or see it, there would be a city--a city where my wife could shop, where I could take her on a nice date, go to concerts and see lovely architecture.  I'd like for there to be a baseball team there--triple A would do.  There ought to be places to work and learn.  The college there ought to have a noble laureate on faculty.  The signs, as you come into town should boast "Home of . . ."

In other words I want the benefits of city, I just don't want to live there.

Sound familiar?

I was brought up short, along these lines, this morning as I was studying 1 Timothy 2, getting ready for Sunday's message.  I Timothy 2 has a strong emphasis on praying for our community and our leaders.

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. . . . Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. (1 Timothy 2:1–8, NASB95)     

This led me to consider Jeremiah's instructions to a group of exiles,

‘Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’ (Jeremiah 29:7, NASB95)

I confess, I tend to think of cities in a somewhat negative light--"Nice places to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there."  Cities, however, when done right, are places that produce great works.  As people pool their resources, talents, dreams, and hard work, great things emerge.  That is, if those people are able to "lead tranquil and quiet lives."  On the other hand, some of the recent unrest in cities, reminiscent of the late sixties, reminds us that piling people together without the benefit of that which fosters tranquility and quiet, is like piling oily rags in the furnace room.  Sooner or later . . .

All of us, whether we live at the end of a dirt road or in a high-rise looking down on millions, ought to be praying for our nations, our leaders, out communities.  And for all of us that includes our cities--those engines of culture and influence that drive culture.

Trevin Wax suggests some ways to pray for our cities:

Below I have listed out prayers that we have recently been utilizing to pray for our city. My prayer even now, is that the Lord would use these to glorify Himself in the redemption and renewal of your city.

• Sunday - That the Gospel would be boldly and unashamedly proclaimed in our local churches. That our churches would be places for the broken, unwanted and hurting. That Christ will be offered as the only remedy for the very thing we cannot do, make our selves better or save ourselves.

• Monday - Pray that Romans 8:35-39 would become a reality. Pray for yourself, for your family, for your pastors, for your church. That our hope would be found in Christ and in Christ alone and that his hope would produce Gospel boldness in our lives.

• Tuesday - Pray Matthew 6:10 over your city. Spend this day replacing the word “earth” with the name of your city… for me it is “In Charlottesville as it is in heaven”.

• Wednesday - Pray that the Spirit would weed out the sin in your life that has kept you from living a life on mission. That He would open up opportunities for you to be present and intentional with the gospel in your neighborhood. Pray for your neighbors by name.

• Thursday - Pray boldly Psalms 33:8 over your city.  The the people would stand in awe before Him.

• Friday - Pray Habakkuk 3:2 over your city. That the Lord’s love, wrath, justice and mercy would be made known in the City.

• Saturday: Pray that the Lord would increase our burden for our city. That our love and growth in the Gospel would produce a desire to see others saved, and grow in their love and understanding of who God is, what He has done and what He is doing.

You can read his entire blog post here.