We have all heard about the massacres in Norway. It's a horrible thing! It seems not a month can go by with out something happening in the world that is completely unfair, something that causes so much suffering. As Christians we need to pray pray and pray some more about these things. But how can we help a problem so big or other problems so far away from us. Should we just pray for things and people in our own area?
It brings to mind a scene from Star Wars. The scene where Yoda is teaching Luke about the force. He tells Luke to lift his ship out of a swamp using the force. Luke tries but declares he will never be able to get the ship out, seeing that it is too big for him to extract from the water. Yoda then teaches him that you just have to believe. Now check out this bible verse.
Mathew 21:18-22
Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered.
When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked.
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
A mountain!! Jesus is saying if you have faith and do not doubt that anything is possible! Nothing is too big! Nothing! So we need to pray that the world be changed! We can pray for the WHOLE WORLD! for ALL PEOPLE! Anything is possible with God if we have faith and do not doubt.. I know it's easier said than done but wow.. That should give us some hope even in the face of suffering and horrible world tragedies.
Sometimes though I fear that if everyone just prays then nothing may ever get done. I see the importance of prayer but I think the world needs real action - real tangible work and sweat and tears. The massacre in Norway was horrible but prayer alone cannot ensure it will never happen again. God gave us free will so that we can help shape the world we live in. We need to try and understand why these massacres are occurring... this man hated Muslims and killed his own people because he felt they were being too accommodating to them. What can we do to get rid of this Muslim-hate that many Christians and non-Christian Westerners have? Sorry - bit of a rant here. :-) Just trying to think more about what role prayer/God has on Earth and what role we have...
ReplyDeleteI wasn't suggesting we should only pray. My point is I think if people are going to pray we are capable of praying for more than just our community or our friends and family. We need to expand our ideas of praying (for those who are praying) and pray for all issues in the world. I completely agree that much more needs to be done and hate is not okay. Ignorant hate or informed hate is still hate, we can't just pray for love we need to show love. We can't just pray for change we need to work at change. Prayer for me is just a part of that but I realize it's not for everyone. For those who don't pray you can still use the analogy that Jesus and Yoda used. Nothing is to big and we shouldn't look at it that way. We each have power to effect change in our own way!
ReplyDeleteTotally... loved the Yoda reference! And what you say makes total sense... prayer can definitely be a part of things... I just hear people so often making reference to the fact that they can just "pray away" their problems.
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