Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Advent 2: Wednesday
Read: Philippians 1:2-11
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine
making request for you all with joy... (Philippians 1:3-4)
It seems that, in the present day, we Lutherans don't especially rejoice in
God's gift of prayer. It may be as simple as our old sinful nature: Old Adam
hates God's gifts, and he'll fight every attempt to bring our pleas before the Lord.
It may be that we're put off by the poor doctrine of others, who say that “God
will give you what you want, as long as you pray well enough,” thus turning
prayer into a faux means of grace. It may be that we misunderstand prayer. It
may be that, in our proper desire to extol the means of grace and God's work
toward us, we neglect the privilege of speaking back to Him. It is most certainly
a privilege, especially given the many pains of the people of God, be it sickness,
rebellious children, victimization, loss, or more.
So we take St. Paul's example to heart today, who often gave thanks for the
Philippians and prayed for their welfare with joy. This is something we can all
do: pray confidently for good, with joy. Why? Because prayer is really nothing
else than repeating back what God has said to us. To praise Him, we declare
what He has done. To thank Him, we give thanks for His mercies. And when we
petition Him, we pray His promises back to Him. If it is the rebellious child who
has left the faith, we remind God of His promise to be faithful, and ask that He
would continue to pursue His runaway baptized child. If it is disease, we pray
for healing in His time and the comfort of grace in the meantime. If it is
victimization, we pray for comfort and help from the One who was the Victim
for us on the cross. Though the situations often mask and assault the joy of
which Paul speaks, there is a joy and confidence to our prayers: God always
keeps His promises.
God always keeps His promises.
Though we don't know if the rebel will repent, we know that God will
faithfully pursue, even as He did not forsake His wayward Israel. While we don't
know if God will provide healing in this life or will wait until the Last Day, we
do know that the healing will come—and that His final Word for us is one of
life, not death. While one may never fully recover from suffering an assault in
this life, the Paschal Victim grants grace and declares His people clean, even
when they feel violated and defiled.
There will be brutal days when words are so scarce that the longest prayer
you might muster is one you've sung in the liturgy: “Lord, have mercy.” It's
short and not particularly specific, but it prays God's promise back to Him: God
promises mercy and help for Jesus' sake.
And God always keeps His promises.
Rejoice, O people of God. The Lord hears your prayers and keeps His
promises—and all will be answered ultimately when your Savior comes again.
Jesus comes again in mercy When our hearts are bowed with care;
Jesus comes again in answer To an earnest, heartfelt prayer;
Alleluia! Alleluia! Comes to save us from despair. (TLH 56:2) ¶ 12/13/2006 05:55:00 AM
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine
making request for you all with joy... (Philippians 1:3-4)
It seems that, in the present day, we Lutherans don't especially rejoice in
God's gift of prayer. It may be as simple as our old sinful nature: Old Adam
hates God's gifts, and he'll fight every attempt to bring our pleas before the Lord.
It may be that we're put off by the poor doctrine of others, who say that “God
will give you what you want, as long as you pray well enough,” thus turning
prayer into a faux means of grace. It may be that we misunderstand prayer. It
may be that, in our proper desire to extol the means of grace and God's work
toward us, we neglect the privilege of speaking back to Him. It is most certainly
a privilege, especially given the many pains of the people of God, be it sickness,
rebellious children, victimization, loss, or more.
So we take St. Paul's example to heart today, who often gave thanks for the
Philippians and prayed for their welfare with joy. This is something we can all
do: pray confidently for good, with joy. Why? Because prayer is really nothing
else than repeating back what God has said to us. To praise Him, we declare
what He has done. To thank Him, we give thanks for His mercies. And when we
petition Him, we pray His promises back to Him. If it is the rebellious child who
has left the faith, we remind God of His promise to be faithful, and ask that He
would continue to pursue His runaway baptized child. If it is disease, we pray
for healing in His time and the comfort of grace in the meantime. If it is
victimization, we pray for comfort and help from the One who was the Victim
for us on the cross. Though the situations often mask and assault the joy of
which Paul speaks, there is a joy and confidence to our prayers: God always
keeps His promises.
God always keeps His promises.
Though we don't know if the rebel will repent, we know that God will
faithfully pursue, even as He did not forsake His wayward Israel. While we don't
know if God will provide healing in this life or will wait until the Last Day, we
do know that the healing will come—and that His final Word for us is one of
life, not death. While one may never fully recover from suffering an assault in
this life, the Paschal Victim grants grace and declares His people clean, even
when they feel violated and defiled.
There will be brutal days when words are so scarce that the longest prayer
you might muster is one you've sung in the liturgy: “Lord, have mercy.” It's
short and not particularly specific, but it prays God's promise back to Him: God
promises mercy and help for Jesus' sake.
And God always keeps His promises.
Rejoice, O people of God. The Lord hears your prayers and keeps His
promises—and all will be answered ultimately when your Savior comes again.
Jesus comes again in mercy When our hearts are bowed with care;
Jesus comes again in answer To an earnest, heartfelt prayer;
Alleluia! Alleluia! Comes to save us from despair. (TLH 56:2) ¶ 12/13/2006 05:55:00 AM
