through the darkest valley, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will fear no evil, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
for you are with me; <\/p>\n\n\n\n
your rod and your staff, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a description of life. We live in a world where darkness can decide\nto take up a weapon and attack strangers in a school, in a mall, in a church,\nin a park, in a movie theater. And there\nis nothing that can be done to stop it. We are all going to die some day. We\ndon\u2019t know when. We don\u2019t know\nwhere. We don\u2019t know how. And there isn\u2019t a thing we can do about it. Life is beyond our control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Politicians and pundits will\ndisparage the offering of \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d after a tragedy as meaningless\ndrivel that accomplishes nothing. At\nfirst glance it is hard to deny that the peddlers of outrage have a point.\nAfter all, James wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c<\/sup>Suppose a brother\nor a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, \u201cGo\nin peace; keep warm and well fed,\u201d but does nothing about their physical needs,\nwhat good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is\nnot accompanied by action, is dead.\u201d <\/sup>(James 2:15-17)<\/p>\n\n\n\n But we miss the caveat inherent in\nJames\u2019 words. James\u2019 assumption is that\nwe have the ability to solve the problem before us if we would only act. Taking care of feeding and clothing someone\nhuddling at our feet is well within our wheelhouse. But resurrecting the dead? Preventing mayhem? Stopping crime? Ending bloodshed? Perhaps not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible also warns us against\nputting our trust in rulers, relying on other people, or even trusting in\nourselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, we are encouraged to rely\non God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the time of Samuel, God\ncondemned the Israelites for asking for a king. God told Samuel that their\nrequest was a rejection of God. He\nargued that it was no different than when they had replaced Him with idols. It was just more of the same. Relying upon a human leader for salvation is\nno different than relying on any other false god. And that sort of trust is doomed to\ndisappoint in the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I cannot prevent criminals from\nhurting people. I cannot bring back the dead. \nI cannot restore sight to the blind. \nI cannot make the deaf hear. I\ncannot make the lame walk. I cannot so\nmuch as cure the common cold. About all I can do is bore you to death and help\nyou catch up on your sleep. How am I supposed to solve mass shootings, end\nstarvation, or bring peace to the world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If I can\u2019t solve those existential\nproblems, why would I imagine some politician yelling at me and demanding my\nvote is going to be any more successful than I would be? Since when has any\npolitician done what they say they are going to do? How are they better than me? How are they better than anybody else? Why\nwould I put my trust in them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then I return to thinking about\nprayers. And you know what? The book of Revelation speaks directly to\nthat issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The point of the book of Revelation\nis that the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of God. And how will it happen? Because we choose the right politicians? Is\nthere even such a thing as a right politician? \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n What did Jesus say? Three times in the book of Revelation we see\nthe prayers of all God\u2019s people being poured out on the kingdom of the\nworld. And they are remarkably powerful\nand effective. More effective and powerful than the rulers of an empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And James also had something to say\nabout prayers, too, after that part about words being meaningless when it comes\nto filling empty bellies (not unlike the ravings of political hacks). In James 5:15-16 he wrote that prayer is not,\nin fact, empty and meaningless:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd the prayer offered in faith\nwill make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have\nsinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and\npray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person\nis powerful and effective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n You want to change the world? We all do. \nThe church can do that. Not by\nusing the weapons of the world. Not\nthrough joining the rage mongering of politicians who really only care about\ngetting elected. Instead, by prayer:\nbecause God is real and God can intervene in our world. Prayer is not just\nmeaningless pleasantries blowing in the wind. Our prayers are not just feel\ngood vibes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We can change the world through our\nprayers and through our proclamation of the Good News that Jesus Christ has\ncome, that he gave himself for our sins, that he rose again, and that he is\ncoming back:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Comfort, comfort my people, <\/p>\n\n\n\n says your God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 <\/sup>Speak tenderly to\nJerusalem, <\/p>\n\n\n\n and proclaim to her <\/p>\n\n\n\n that her hard service has been completed, <\/p>\n\n\n\n that her sin has been paid for, <\/p>\n\n\n\n that she has received from the Lord\u2019s hand <\/p>\n\n\n\n double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:1-2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n And\nthen Isaiah went on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3 <\/sup>A voice of one\ncalling: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn the wilderness prepare <\/p>\n\n\n\n the way for the Lord; <\/p>\n\n\n\n make straight in the desert <\/p>\n\n\n\n a highway for our God. b<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n 4 <\/sup>Every valley shall\nbe raised up, <\/p>\n\n\n\n every mountain and hill made low; <\/p>\n\n\n\n the rough ground shall become level, <\/p>\n\n\n\n the rugged places a plain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 5 <\/sup>And the glory of\nthe Lord will be revealed, <\/p>\n\n\n\n and all people will see it together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For\nthe mouth of the Lord has spoken.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6 <\/sup>A voice says, \u201cCry\nout.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n And I said, \u201cWhat shall I cry?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll people are like grass, <\/p>\n\n\n\n and all their faithfulness is like the\nflowers of the field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 7 <\/sup>The grass withers\nand the flowers fall, <\/p>\n\n\n\n because the breath of the Lord blows on them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Surely the people are grass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 8 <\/sup>The grass withers\nand the flowers fall, <\/p>\n\n\n\n but the word of our God endures forever.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 9 <\/sup>You who bring good\nnews to Zion, <\/p>\n\n\n\n go up on a high mountain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You who bring good news to\nJerusalem, r<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n lift up your voice with a shout, <\/p>\n\n\n\n lift it up, do not be afraid; <\/p>\n\n\n\n say to the towns of Judah, <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHere is your God!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 10 <\/sup>See, the Sovereign\nLord comes with power, <\/p>\n\n\n\n and he rules with a mighty arm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n See, his reward is with him, <\/p>\n\n\n\n and his recompense accompanies him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 11 <\/sup>He tends his flock\nlike a shepherd: <\/p>\n\n\n\n He gathers the lambs in his arms <\/p>\n\n\n\n and carries them close to his heart; <\/p>\n\n\n\n he gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah\n40:3-11)<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\nmust not underestimate the power of prayer and the proclamation of the Good\nNews to transform a life. A single\ntransformed life has endless repercussions. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus\nis the answer to the world\u2019s problems. \nWe\u2019d do well to remember that and to take it seriously. <\/p>\n Psalm 23 tells us: Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4) This is a description of life. We live … Continue reading ![](\"http:\/\/nettelhorst.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/plugins\/send-to-kindle\/media\/white-15.png\")
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