Our present life

“Our present life feels like a real fight as if there was something pretty wild in the universe which we needed to redeem.”-William James

In Chapter 5 (“Bold Authority”) of Moving Mountains, John Eldredge comments on words that get tacked onto the end of many prayers, yet seem to lack little of their original punch-“In Jesus’ name, Amen.”  Amen, once a declaration, now has the emotional force of ‘talk to you later’ at the end of a phone call.

John emphasizes that “In Jesus’ name” is a far, far more declarative and final command than “Amen.”  By saying “In Jesus’ name,” we are utilizing the ultimate authority of God to enforce the power of our prayers.   The whole spiritual realm, including effective prayer, runs on authority.  The author adds: “It is the secret to the kingdom of God and one of the essential secrets to prayer that works.”

The Lord’s Prayer, held high and repeated ritually, tells us to invoke the kingdom of God.  John asserts that we are partners with Jesus in this mission to invoke God’s kingdom.  The obvious implication, John observes, is that God’s kingdom is not always come and His will is not always done on earth as it is in heaven.  Jesus wouldn’t urge us to pray for something that has no meaning.  Mr. Eldredge summarizes:

“Apparently our biggest need is for his kingdom to invade our lives and our worlds. . . . It make perfect sense for Jesus to teach us to invoke his kingdom in our prayers; it makes all the sense in the world.  And it opens up staggering opportunities for prayer.”

Today’s question: In your present life, what do the words “In Jesus’ name, Amen” mean to you?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: “Rule and reign”

Our present life

Just a whole lot of small

“Many doors that look large to us are small to God, and many doors that look small to us are very large to him.”- John Ortberg

Today John Ortberg concludes his discussion of four reasons why some doors remain closed to us (Chapter 9, All the Places to Go)

4.  Doors remain closed because God has plans I don’t know.  Pastor Ortberg notes the door to a quiet life of scholarship and teaching was closed to Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Instead, Dietrich would labor in an underground seminary and a concentration camp, ultimately sacrificing his life.  Dietrich could not possibly have known that he’d leave a legacy that continues to touch the world.

In “Think Small When You Dream Big,” Jennifer Dean writes there words of encouragement:

“No such thing as big.  Everything we call ‘big’ is just a whole lot of small.

Small upon small upon small, finally equals big.  There is no big without lots and lots of small.

Nature, as God created it, is the image of the invisible Kingdom of Heaven. . . . In Kingdom living, small matters.  Small is the key to big.”

John builds on this by exhorting us to live as though our smallest acts of goodness resulting from our acceptance of God’s open doors will, through God’s grace, count for all eternity.

Today’s question: Following your vocation loss, what”whole lot of small” have you done for the Kingdom of God?  Please share.

Tomorrow’s blog: the new Short Meditation, “Come to the well”

 

 

Just a whole lot of small