Two huge answers to prayer

Dear St John’s Eagles,

 

One of the biggest stories in the last 24 hours is the news that an impasse that existed in the attempts to cobble together a satisfactory alliance of agendas, ethnic forces, political and religious authorities in Iraq has finally been overcome.

 

You can see one of the first of the news articles here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40122481/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa

 

I bring this to your attention because I have been bringing the need to your attention for your prayers that this would happen.   It has been printed in the Sunday bulletin prayers and intercessions section for well over a year.  As well, we have been lifting this up in prayer at our 7:15am Morning Prayer time almost every day.  

It is an example of praying specifically for something.  That is, in this case, praying for peace but doing so in an informed manner.  And, in this case, the point that if there was no cooperatively shared government in Baghdad, there would never be any peace in the nation (there would never really be a nation), as well as the work of our military and diplomatic corps – and all the lives sacrificed for that purpose – would have seem wasted.   So the intercession I requested of you was not to limit your prayer ethereally to “peace”, but to pray for what just happened to happen.

 

This is a faith building moment.  Something huge, beyond ourselves.  Where our lives and concerns and hopes and even prayers lay seemingly inconsequential  we have found them suddenly to be within our reach — or more properly, within God’s reach.   That, of course, is the hope of things to come that we have in our belief in Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.

You must see the connection, or your prayers will be either non-existent altogether (like, why bother?) or lacking the faithful expectation (like, “our thoughts go with you”) we have been entrusted as heirs of the kingdom of God.

Should we attribute this good news for Iraq and the stability of the Mid-East to the prayers of the faithful back at St. John’s in Tulare?  Well, frankly, along with any and all others who were petitioning the Lord faithfully, Yes.  Why?  Because we were bold to say, “Our Father…”

 

There are so many questions that this stance raises among both the faithful and the cynical alike.  Some of the questions are basic logistics.  Why does prayer take so long so often to be answered?  How many people had to pray for this to happen, or is it a function of numbers at all?  Even praying this specifically does not seem to take into account the massive efforts of international diplomats, Iraqi patriots concerned with government, civic forces, ethnic sacrifices, etc., so shouldn’t there have been even more specific intentions in prayer?

Some of the questions are based on theological views of the realtionship between God and his creation, that is, variations on the question (and answers to), “How involved does God become in the day to day operations and entanglements of human beings?”   As well, some of these questions are concerned with discerning the content of those prayers, that is, what in fact is God’s will, and is my prayer a proper one?

 

I believe these are important questions, the answers even moreso.  It might be helpful to some to know that everything being posited in this word of encouragement and exhortation is based on God’s teaching through the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament.  This is, in fact, the first place to go to find the answers to those questions.   Hopefully (and as I obviously teach and preach), the answers to these questions – without allowing the questioning itself to force a moritorium on intercession – should lead Christians to even more heartfelt, faithful, expectant, fervent and bold petitions, and thanksgivings, perhaps all the while engendering even more questions.   The fulfillment enboldens us even more.

 

What larger than life state, national, contintental, and world situations does this now motivate you to place into prayer?  And do you not see the value of an unwavering commitment to that prayer in the name of Jesus to see it through?

 

I did say that there were TWO huge prayer petitions answered.   The second is an answer much closer to home, actually affecting someone in our own parish family.  It was shared with me this past Sunday morning:  it was the offer by a former employer to have this person come back to the job from which they had been released.   The time frame was much shorter than our prayers for the Iraqi coalition government to be formed, only 4 months worth, and unemployed for about 3 months of those 4.   Praise the Lord God Almighty.

 

Is this huge?  Yes.  Not because there was an answer at all, because we see answers to parishioners prayers all the time.  But regarding employment, some of you have prayed for a job that did take as long as the Iraqi prayer.  So you know that the intensity and commitment to the job prayer was at least the same and probably more than any petition for something far more removed.   And you also know that given the current state of business and budgets and employment, finding a job, and a job you want and might actually enjoy, is indeed a huge thing.  So, again, Alleluia!

 

In this case, too, we can say that St. John’s has had a hand in the answer to this prayer by being willing to utter the petition in the first place, and to continue on with it until we saw it through.  Again, we were so bold as to say, “Our Father in heaven..”   Again, this is a faith building moment.  Something huge, an economy and its consequences beyond our ability to manage ourselves, and we have found what seemed unreachable suddenly to be within our reach — or more properly, within God’s reach.   Again, this is the hope of things to come that we have in our belief in Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.

 

This is a time – as with all moments of the vision of God’s Kingdom – for rejoicing, and for worship.   Our only restraint is the awareness that answered prayer does not imply utopia acheived.  But we can say that with answered prayer the summit has been reached, to use a hiking illustration.  And then it is time to continue on with the hike.

 

How might this parish pray for you, and your concerns both personal and beyond yourself, both far and near?   And what will you do to join in the prayers for others, and other situations, as a member or friend of this parish?   Intercession and personal prayer ministry is a central part of the vision for this parish.  If not already, it is time for you to be engaged as both someone who asks for prayer and as someone who prays for others.

   Training and resources for learning are available.   Trained and authorized prayer teams are also ready to assist you in your own needs, and to which you might join.   Daily prayers at Morning Prayer can be requested by writing your petition or thanksgiving into the prayer log at the back of the nave in the church.  And you can join us at 7:15am any morning.

 

On behalf of those in Iraq, and all and any who have found their prayers answered through the prayer ministry of St. John’s, thank you for praying.

 

 

Rob+

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