simplicity
Our God is extravagant. He is more awesome than words could attempt to express. His depth and glory are beyond anything I could dare try to describe. He is the Creator of all things. The totality of his being is unfathomable. This is the God I worship.
What makes him even more spectacular, in my eyes, is that he is the lover of our souls. He is deeply and profoundly in love with his unruly creation. In the outpouring of this love he sees fit to listen and respond to us as we pray. As I write this I can't help but think that God is in the small stuff.
At Bridgeway I have been blessed with the opportunity to sit down with some guys who have already met Jesus and know him as their savior. This is exciting because we hit the ground running with the concept that Jesus is our strength, our guide, and the author of our faith. These are essential points to grasp onto along the process of life recovery.
However, most men I meet with have little or no concept of God. Sometimes they simply don't believe because it hasn't really ever entered into their lives as an option. So many of these men have never touched a Bible. I mean it... never even touched one... let alone open one or read one!
So where do you start with these guys? One simple prayer.
No, I'm not talking about a prayer of salvation. I'm not talking about, "Pray this one pray and you are saved from the flaming pit of hell."
I (and many of the other counselors) have seen lives change through suggesting the faithful praying of these words:
"God please show yourself to me."
That's it. Nothing else. I tell the guys that if they wonder if they should pray anytime- just pray this. When you find yourself praying for some other reason- add this to your prayer.
"God please show yourself to me."
The product of this prayer has been amazing. Through seeking God is this way God is not limited to our understanding. He's not boxed in by our demands for a specific sign. He's not constrained by our preconceived notions about him. We let go of the leash and let God be God, per se.
Every man I have suggested this prayer to has come back to me with a story to tell about how God showed up in his life. One man sensed a peaceful presence at a stressful time. One man perceived a vision of a lighted pathway toward a sober life. One man was awakened by a voice in the night calling his name and urging him to pray. One man was led to read a message in a book that spoke of God and cut to his heart. One man saw light cast onto his bedroom wall in the shape of the cross. Every man has returned with a story.
Have I made my faith too complicated? Do I demand signs of God in ways that are only pleasing to how I want to see him? Likely so.
We can not constrain God to any creation of man, but we can limit our vision in such a way as to never see the vast array of ways that God reveals himself around us.
Let God out of the box and keep it simple. Remember, this magnificent and mighty God whom we seek after desires of us the faith of a child. That just makes him even more awesome somehow.
What makes him even more spectacular, in my eyes, is that he is the lover of our souls. He is deeply and profoundly in love with his unruly creation. In the outpouring of this love he sees fit to listen and respond to us as we pray. As I write this I can't help but think that God is in the small stuff.
At Bridgeway I have been blessed with the opportunity to sit down with some guys who have already met Jesus and know him as their savior. This is exciting because we hit the ground running with the concept that Jesus is our strength, our guide, and the author of our faith. These are essential points to grasp onto along the process of life recovery.
However, most men I meet with have little or no concept of God. Sometimes they simply don't believe because it hasn't really ever entered into their lives as an option. So many of these men have never touched a Bible. I mean it... never even touched one... let alone open one or read one!
So where do you start with these guys? One simple prayer.
No, I'm not talking about a prayer of salvation. I'm not talking about, "Pray this one pray and you are saved from the flaming pit of hell."
I (and many of the other counselors) have seen lives change through suggesting the faithful praying of these words:
"God please show yourself to me."
That's it. Nothing else. I tell the guys that if they wonder if they should pray anytime- just pray this. When you find yourself praying for some other reason- add this to your prayer.
"God please show yourself to me."
The product of this prayer has been amazing. Through seeking God is this way God is not limited to our understanding. He's not boxed in by our demands for a specific sign. He's not constrained by our preconceived notions about him. We let go of the leash and let God be God, per se.
Every man I have suggested this prayer to has come back to me with a story to tell about how God showed up in his life. One man sensed a peaceful presence at a stressful time. One man perceived a vision of a lighted pathway toward a sober life. One man was awakened by a voice in the night calling his name and urging him to pray. One man was led to read a message in a book that spoke of God and cut to his heart. One man saw light cast onto his bedroom wall in the shape of the cross. Every man has returned with a story.
Have I made my faith too complicated? Do I demand signs of God in ways that are only pleasing to how I want to see him? Likely so.
We can not constrain God to any creation of man, but we can limit our vision in such a way as to never see the vast array of ways that God reveals himself around us.
Let God out of the box and keep it simple. Remember, this magnificent and mighty God whom we seek after desires of us the faith of a child. That just makes him even more awesome somehow.
posted by Gregg @ 10:57 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home