November 10, 2009

Number 44

VIEWPOINT

Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food.  Icehouses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses, and covered with sawdust.  Often the ice would last well into the summer.

One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn't find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile.

A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch. Amazed, the men asked him how he found it. “I closed the door,” the boy replied, “lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.” (James Hamilton)

Often the question is not whether God is speaking but whether we are being still enough, and quiet enough, to hear.  The Father, however, doesn’t reach out, shake us by the neck, and shout, “Hey!  You’re neglecting ME.”  The Almighty is fully capable of getting our attention, but do I want to wait for God to whack me over the head with a spiritual two-by-four? 

When we give God time, we show Him respect.  We are saying, “Father, you’re important enough to me to set aside some time each day.  I want you to teach me, and I want to learn.”  “Our God says, ‘Calm down, and learn that I am God!’” (Ps. 46:1  CEV).

I look forward to seeing you Sunday with a Bible, a smile and a positive word!  RA

Praying “Deliver Us from Evil”

To say “lead us not into temptation” does not . . . mean that God himself causes people to be tempted. . . .  It means “do not let us be led into temptation that we will be unable to bear.” And it means “Enable us to pass safely through the testing of our faith.” (N. T. Wright, The Lord and His Prayer)

Many assure us that Jesus really means “keep us away from temptation,” or “lead us out of temptation,” or “remind us that you never tempt us.”  Of course none of these things is what Jesus actually said. He told us to beg God not to put us to a test, presumably because we would fail it.  What a vote of confidence in us!  What a vote of confidence in God!  What a way to conclude a conversation!  (Telford Work, Ain’t Too Proud to Beg)

If we spend all our effort on our own white-knuckled struggle against a temptation, it grows bigger and bigger. (Glen H. Stassen, Living the Sermon on the Mount)

The way we tinker with our temptations and tweak our reasons for acting on them are indications that we actually enjoy dancing the tango with the Devil. (Albert Haase, Living the Lord’s Prayer)

Evil that masquerades as an angel of light is commonplace.  We need help.  And we need help even when we don’t know we need help.  Especially when we don’t know we need help. (Eugene H. Peterson, Tell It Slant)

In praying to God to deliver us we acknowledge that God is greater than any foe of God.  The power of evil must be admitted and taken seriously, yet not too seriously.

Perhaps that is why, though the Lord’s Prayer honestly focuses upon trial, temptation, and evil, it never mentions Satan by name.  (William H. Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas, Lord, Teach Us)

We cannot offer this petition without being aware of how we ourselves might be contributing to the very evil (for others) that we pray to be delivered from ourselves. (Michael H. Crosby, The Prayer That Jesus Taught Us)