I Don’t Want a Plastic Jesus

It’s Christmas time again and you know what that means?  It means it’s time to climb into our attics or rummage in the garage for our plastic Jesus to put in the nativity scene.  I especially like the ones that you can put a light inside and make him glow.  Now before you call me a Scrooge, let me just say that I can appreciate the spirit of the season and the meaning of the manger scenes, but there is a subtle danger in these plastic displays.  Let me explain.

Think about what we are doing here.  We have a plastic casting of a baby which we deem to represent Jesus.  But this plastic Jesus is totally dependent on us to show up.  He can only come out of his box when we want him to.  We hose him off, plant him in a plastic crib and light him up.  Then at the end of the season, we wrap him up in bubble wrap and put him away for another year.  And my guess is that most people don’t think about him again for that year.  This plastic Jesus makes no demands on our lives.  He doesn’t challenge us.  He doesn’t convict us.  He doesn’t speak to those areas of our lives that need to change.  At the same time, this plastic Jesus doesn’t forgive sin.  He doesn’t offer rest.  He doesn’t heal.  He doesn’t bring joy, comfort or peace.  Plastic Jesus just lays there surrounded by plastic people making no impact in our lives.  He is tame… and quite frankly, useless.

I don’t want a plastic Jesus.  The Jesus I know is independent of me.  He acts as He wills, whenever He wants.  He shows up in my life in the most unexpected places and times.  And while that may be inconvenient at times, it is terribly rewarding when I pay attention.  I do not control this Jesus.  Hopefully, He has total control of my life.  At least that is what I am striving for.  Plastic Jesus just lays there. 

The Jesus I know speaks into my life.  He doesn’t leave me alone or to my own devices because He cares enough about me to want better for me.  This Jesus does demand, convict and forgive.  The Jesus I know is someone I can go to when the world has beaten me up and I am weary.  The Jesus I know is someone I can talk to, cry to and worship.  He is someone I can depend on when others have let me down.  He is someone who can give me hope, joy, comfort, peace, rest, direction, wisdom, support.  This Jesus is someone I can worship.  I mean really look to beyond anything the world can offer.  Plastic Jesus just lays there.

So, I’m not saying not to put up our Christmas lawn ornaments – or maybe I am, but either way please look beyond the hollow plastic baby and recognize the true and living Lord.  This Christmas bow down in reverence.

TBT: Worship is a Verb

Today’s Throw-Back-Thursday post comes from November 25, 2011

---

Isn’t funny how we talk about worship.  Usually, it’s as an adjective, as in, “I went to a worship service.”   Or “The worship leader did a nice job today.”  Sometimes, worship becomes a noun – “The worship was great.”   It just seems to me that we miss the very essence of worship when we use those terms.  Here’s a different thought: Worship is a verb.  It is an action word, something we engage in.

At its very essence, worship is the act of bowing down.  Both the Old and New Testament make use of words that reflect that idea; humans humbling themselves before a superior being.   And built into that concept is an even greater truth – that there is a God and humans are in a subordinate relationship with Him.  That truth is fundamental to human existence.  We have been looking for a way to understand and relate to this Divine Being since the creation.  What started out as a walk in the garden with Him, turned to fear and appeasement.  We offered animals and other sacrifices instead of talking to Him as a friend.  The revolutionary idea that Jesus expressed in the Gospel of John is that God is seeking worshippers, not cringing subjects.

Here is what Jesus said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”  (John 4:23,24, NIV)

OK, so if worship is a verb, what does that mean?  First, worship does not means going to a certain building, at a certain time, on a certain day.  Sure worship may happen there – individually and collectively – but just being there is not worship.   Worship is an act of our spirit responding to His Truth.

God has initiated a conversation with people not based on fear but on truth;  a conversation about our position and place in the universe; an understanding of who He is and who we are.  He is still greater and superior to humans and we still need to bow down, but we do it out of respect, awe, and admiration.  We come to Him not with animals or grain or ritual, but with our hearts poured out to Him.  We come giving Him our human essence, our spirit, seeking its rightful and restful place with Him.

There is only one basis for spiritual and true worship of God – that is the life-restoring death and resurrection of Jesus.  His one life won for us true life.  We no longer need to fear God. We no longer need to appease God.  We no longer need to satisfy a divinely justified anger at our offense.  All these things were wrapped up in His death garment and destroyed by His resurrection power.  We worship in awe, adoration and admiration in response to this great initiative – to His great Giving.

So we just say “WOW, Thank You!” in the most genuine, heartfelt way we know how.  It may be formal ritual or informal gatherings; it may be singing or sitting quietly; it may be dancing or kneeling; it may be shouting or laughing or crying.  It really doesn’t matter what form it takes, it just needs to be true.  It simply needs to come from the very center of our soul reaching, stretching, longing into his loving presence.  So next time you find yourself in a “worship” service looking at a “worship” leader remember to be a worship verb.

Into our Freedom

How we live our lives as Christians matters.  How we respond to the ups and downs of life, but mostly the downs, is seen by our non-Christian and our Christian friends.  What we do when life knocks us around will have an impact on our friends, family, co-workers, and even strangers.  Our outward expression of faith must match our inward conviction of hope and joy inherent in the Good News.  I know it is difficult sometimes, life can be hard, the devil can attack and our own weaknesses can get the better of us, but even Job, after experiencing the soul-crushing loss of his children, fortune, and health, was still able to say, “I know that my Redeemer lives.”  In the passage below we get a glimpse of how the apostle Paul navigated difficult circumstances.

And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”  And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”   (Acts 16:23-31)

After having been beaten, thrown into prison and placed in stocks, Paul and Silas deployed the two most powerful weapons available to the Christian: prayer and praise.  This was not a glib “Praise the Lord” veneer but a deep and heartfelt turn to the only one they knew to be good and faithful; this was an acknowledgment of the trustworthiness, supremacy, and sovereignty of God in all things, even in the inner reaches of a prison.  They prayed, no doubt for release and strength to endure, but also, I am sure, for constancy in their Christian confession and for God to receive all the glory due His name.  Prayer is the earnest expression of relationship – the conversation between child and Father – knowing He is listening.  They also praised – singing hymns – to express their incomprehensible joy of knowing Jesus their Savior.  Praise changes our focus from ourselves to God and puts our hearts in the proper posture of worship.  Praise changes the atmosphere in our souls and even in the physical space around us.

As Paul and Silas deployed these weapons, several things happened.  The other prisoners listened – they observed faith in action and saw God in action.  Paul and Silas were released from their shackles and experienced both a physical and spiritual freedom and the light came flooding in.  And the jailer experienced new life in Christ.  The ramifications of Paul’s expression of faith went well beyond him.  How we live our lives matter; how we demonstrate our faith makes an impact, especially as we practice genuine prayer and praise.  These have the power to release us – and others – from the prisons of doubt, depression, despair or sin we often find ourselves in.

Believe me, I have experienced first-hand the devastating medical prognosis, I have looked into the tunnel of despair, but I have found that prayer and praise have been my trustworthy companions leading me into the refuge of the Lord and there experience the freedom, hope, and joy that only He can give.

Cleansing His Temple

I don’t like clutter.  I don’t like papers stacked on my desk.  I don’t like dishes stacked on the kitchen counters.  I don’t like mail on the kitchen table.  I don’t like things out of place.  My wife thinks I’m “a bit” obsessive about this, but I just like a tidy environment around me.  I think that’s perfectly normal.  It helps me clear my “emotional space” so that I can focus on more important things.

I also think it’s important to clear my “spiritual space” – my heart – of clutter, both past and present that gets in the way of an unhindered, unobstructed relationship with Jesus.  In John’s gospel, Jesus says that He wants to take up residence, to dwell or abide, in me (John 15:4).  He wants my heart to be His home, and I want my home to be worthy of His royal presence.  So, over the last several months I have echoed David’s prayer.

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Ps 139:23-24)

In other words, “declutter my heart,” and it’s been a wonderful, liberating process.  I have had to let go of my doubts and regrets over my previous years of ministry and receive assurance of His faithfulness to use my efforts.  I have had to release my white-knuckled grip on my finances and rest on His promise of provision.  I have had to surrender my plans for my future and lean on His more perfect will.  I have had to submit relationships to His greater love.  But mostly, I have had to take myself off the throne of my heart and ask Him to be enthroned there – as He should be.  I have started to learn what it means to pray, “Not my will, but yours.”

What I found was a clutter-free space where I could worship unimpeded by guilt, fear, worry, shame or condemnation.  It was a heart free to relax in His presence and love.  It was a heart free to listen for His voice.  It was – and is – a heart content and satisfied.  I’m sure there is more cleaning up to do, but I trust Him to do it in His time.

In all four gospels we read the story of Jesus cleansing the Jerusalem Temple, driving out the animals and upending the moneychanger’s tables.  What struck me about this episode as told in Mark’s gospel is Jesus’ words, “And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers” (Mark 11:15-18).  His passion was to create a space where prayer can flow freely and without the clutter of worldly values, prayer that influences the course of nations and He didn’t want anything to distract from that goal.  In a similar, but less violent way, He wants my heart – His house – to be a house of prayer and worship without clutter to sidetrack His purposes for me or rob me of the joy He intends to share with me.

What about you?  Will you pray David’s prayer or my updated version to declutter your heart?  I can only promise you a heart content and joyful.

A Child’s Theology

It was one of the most profound theological statements – a prayer actually – I have heard and it came from the mouth of a six-year old girl.  It was during one of our worship services at church.  There was an “open mike” time for folks to come up and pray for the church, community or whatever was on their heart.  This young girl came up and said, “I love You God cause, um…cause You made me.”  I was in awe at the breadth of truth contained in that prayer.

First, it acknowledges what we too often forget – that we are creatures, created by God and for God.  It reminds us that we are dependent on Him for our life, our breath and our sustenance, for all that we have and all that we are.  And in that acknowledgement we are reminded that everything He created is good, including our present life – just as it is.

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. (Col 1:16)

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”  (Rev 4:11)

So we respond in praise, thanksgiving and love.  “I love You God, cause You made me.”

Yet, this is not simply a generic creation act.  No, this is a recognition that He made me…ME, the individual, unique me.  He knew my weight, height, hair color or lack of hair, my skills, my calling, my mission in this world and in His Kingdom.  And it is good. 

So we respond in praise, thanksgiving and love.  “I love You God, cause You made ME.”

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace (Gal. 1:15)

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.  (Jer. 1:5)

There is yet more depths to mine in this simple statement because we not only acknowledge that He created our physical life but He also created in us a spiritual life.  He caused us to be born again as a spiritual person who could know and love Him forever to enjoy His presence and His love. 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, (1 Peter 1:3-4)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:4-5)

So we respond in praise, thanksgiving and love.  “I love You God, cause You made me.”

It is that simple and that overwhelming.  It is theology at its best: true, profound and practical; an acknowledgement of God’s supremacy, goodness and grace. It is, in fact, a prayer of sincere humility and worship – all from a child wise beyond her years.  Would that my faith be that child-like.

TBT: Holiness Misunderstood

Today’s Throw-Back-Thursday’s post comes from November 16, 2012.

---

So when we think of a “holy” person, several images come to mind.  We may think of a man wearing a robe, looking dreamingly into space and saying wise and wonderful things that we don’t understand.  Or we may think of the exceptionally morally perfect person who never does anything wrong (or has any fun) with a shiny halo atop their head.   We may even bring to mind those really irritating “holier-than-thou” folks and wish they would just go away.  In all these cases, I think the concept of holiness is misunderstood.  It relies on an idea of holiness that is nothing more than doing everything right and never screwing up.  It seems to me that if we leave it there, we will be forever frustrated and discouraged.  But God would never tell us to “Be holy, because I am holy” as Peter relates in his letter (1 Peter 1:16) if it wasn’t possible.

I had a significant shift in my understanding of holiness when I read this definition in Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology: “God’s holiness means that he is separated from sin and devoted to seeking his own honor.”

So if holiness means being separated from sin and being devoted to God’s honor or glory, then this is something I can grasp.  I can understand separation and what that means practically in my life.  I can even grasp devotion and how I could pursue that.  But I still have the problem of willpower.  I can desire to be separated from sin, but sin still seems to attach itself to me.  It’s hard to shake and I am left defeated and decidedly “un-holy.”

Here is where the real breakthrough came:

And what God wants is for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time… For by that one offering he perfected forever all those whom he is making holy  (Hebrews 10:10,14, ESV)

Wait! Holiness comes through the sacrifice of Christ?  He is making us holy?  I don’t have to earn it or summon all the strength myself?  True.  I began to see the relational aspect of holiness.  It starts with understanding the extent and life transforming power of Christ’s sacrifice.  It means that I can actually pray to be made holy, because I know I am praying in God’s will.  It means I can have a conversation with Him about being separated from sin.  I can learn from Him what devotion to His glory means in my life.  It means I have a real advocate – a mentor – who wants to teach me and form in me holiness.  It means that because Christ is alive, holiness is possible.

In the words of a great old hymn, holiness is possible as I “turn my eyes upon Jesus” and “look full in his marvelous face,” because as I do “the things of this world grow strangely dim.”

I cannot tell you how encouraging that is.  It lifts the burden of self-effort and instead pulls me toward Him.  And the stumbles along the way do not become crushing defeats but opportunities to hear from Him more about separation and devotion.  So, yes, I am holy and am becoming holy.  I recognize that it is a journey but it can be a joyful journey because I know the destination and am sure to get there.  It’s a promise we can count on.

Pleading the Blood – Revisited

I believe there is a legitimate way to “Plead the Blood of Jesus” based on a good understanding of what the Scriptures teach and it is not to either force God’s hand to grant us our wishes or as a magical charm to ward off troubles. (See my previous post – or rant – about “Pleading the Blood…What?”)

We look to the Blood as an inspiration to worship.  When we consider and meditate on the horror of Jesus’ suffering on our behalf, and when we meditate on the depth of love that caused Him to endure the Cross, our only appropriate response is worship.  The Blood drives us to our knees.  The Blood humbles our pride and demands.  The Blood wraps our prayers in adoration.  When we plead the Blood in worship we recognize that our sin plunged the spear into His side and our rebellion nailed the spikes into His hands.  The blood that poured from those wounds completely and eternally took away all the guilt, shame and condemnation of that sin.  The Blood did what no human effort could accomplish.  The Blood was shed voluntarily even while we still rejected His overture of love.  That is why we worship and that is how we plead the Blood.  And every time we take Communion, every time we take the bread and the wine as an expression of worship, we plead the blood that cleanses our sin.

We plead the Blood to deflect and defeat the accusations of the devil.  When he throws our sin in our face and reminds us of what terrible Christians we are, we can say to him, “Yep, but the Blood of Jesus makes me whole, righteous, clean and guilt free.  Go away!”  When devil tries to convince us that we are worthless we can say to him, “That’s not true, the Blood of Jesus makes me infinitely valuable.  Go away!”  When the devil whispers to us that no one could possibly love us we can say to him, “That’s not true, the Blood of Jesus proves He loves me.  Go away!”  Any and every accusation, lie, condemnation, denunciation or allegation that the devil could level against us is dealt with by the Blood.  Remember that Jesus disarmed the devil at the Cross (Colossians 2:13-15).  The devil may bark at us but he has no bite and we can plead the Blood to remind him of that.  We are able to defeat his schemes by standing firm on the work of Christ, not our own merit.  We disable his weapons when we declare the power of the Blood. (Rev 12:11)

Finally, we plead the Blood every time we approach God as a good and loving Father.  It is only because of the Blood that we can be confident and secure in knowing He accepts us, receives us and is happy to spend time with us.  We are His pride and joy.  We are the apple of His eye.  We run into His arms not to demand some “legal” right but enjoy our Daddy.

Oh, my friends, this hardly does justice to all the wonders to be found in the Blood.  We can take each teaching found in Scripture concerning the Blood and spend a lifetime sounding its depths.  Let us not accepted the emaciated teaching that looks upon the Blood as a means to demand of God our wishes or that views it as a force field that protects our stuff.  Instead let us look to the Blood, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:15-19)

Dealing with Despair

Humans are generally terrible at dealing with difficulties, adversity, sorrow, trials or illness. We tend to whine, mope and feel sorry for ourselves when things don’t seem to be going our way. But God understands and He has placed in Scripture a fail-safe way for us to transcend difficult circumstances, rise above the adversity and refocus on what is truly important. He doesn’t ask us to grit our teeth and go on. He doesn’t ask us to pull ourselves up. He doesn’t even ask us to put on a smile and pretend it doesn’t hurt. In Psalm 13: 1-6, He gives us a template for dealing with difficult times.

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?    How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Like David, we are an impatient people! We could endure almost anything if we knew how long it would last, but not knowing the future leads us into despair and our entire perspective on life goes dark.

We accuse God of forgetting us. He doesn’t, of course, but it feels to us like he does. We accuse God of turning His back to us. “He has abandoned me (and we add the melodramatic) – FOREVER!” “Where are You?” we cry. So we “take counsel” in our souls. In other words, we get inside our own heads, park there and go around and round and round which only leads to more depression and anxiety. We are convinced that we have been left on our own and we start to try to figure out our own solutions.

But David knows better, even though he feels alone and abandoned he reaches out to the God he knows is there and the turnaround begins.  David starts to realize that He needs God’s wisdom and perspective. He understands that “taking counsel with himself”, staying inside his own head, will never get him out of his doldrums. He understands that without God’s insight, without God showing up, he will likely just give up either emotionally, physically or spiritually.

Here is where David shows us how to win the victory over despair. “But” is a powerful word. It is a declaration that we will not be held captive by our situation; a declaration that we are choosing a different reality, that we will not be defined by our circumstances. David makes the declaration that he will ground his life, not on his own feelings or self-counsel, but on the foundational, unmovable truths of God’s character. “But I have trusted in your steadfast love.”

This is God’s basic character – Love. I can trust that God will always be true to Himself in His dealings with me. I can expect that God will continue to act according to His Love towards me expressed in Christ Jesus. Trust is a choice, a deposit of faith into the treasury of God’s love. The present circumstances do not change who God is nor do they block the eternal flow of His love, mercy, goodness, compassion, patience toward me. I can bank on that.

And while trust is a function of the mind, rejoicing is an act of the heart. Rejoicing isn’t about being happy. It isn’t putting a good face on and going around saying “Praise the Lord.” Rejoicing is grounding our heart, our deep down core, firmly on God’s present and future deliverance. Not only can we be sure and rejoice in our eventual heavenly home, but we can know that God will not abandon us to the present troubles – He rescues us here and now.

When our focus is on God’s eternal Love and his saving work, we can’t help but express that outwardly through our mouths or body. Our whole being rises up and overflows in worship to Him. Some of might even sing out loud. We remember how He has dealt with us. We look at our lives and see His hand guiding our moments. We recognize that what we thought were seemingly insignificant moments or random happenings were actually His acting to bring us closer to Him.

And we are breathless, humbled and joyful.

This Psalm reflects the arc that our life takes as we live our lives through any troubles. We move from complaining and despair, to crying to God in prayer for help, to a reaffirmation of our relationship with the Father; a relationship not based on trusting our own strength or wisdom, not based on our own goodness or righteousness but a relationship wholly grounded on His love and grace. As we move through the difficulties of life, if we will remember to Trust, Rejoice and Sing, we will be able to say with absolute confidence: It is well with my soul.

The Other Eleven

Some stories in the Bible are so familiar that it is easy just to skim over them and not really think that there is much else to learn. For me, one of those stories is when Peter walks on water. It is found in the Gospel of Matthew:

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. (Matthew 14:22-32)

 So picture this scene in your mind. The disciples are in a boat struggling with a storm that came up suddenly. Then, out of the crashing waves and foamy sea, a figure appears, coming towards them. Any reasonable person would do what the disciples did – panic! Clearly this is some sort of supernatural entity, a ghost, in other words. What else could it be? Real people do not just walk on water. So they scream, call Jesus a ghost and cower in fear.

Most sermons that I’ve heard on this passage focus on Peter. Peter gets out of the boat!  Peter walks on water. Peter starts to sink. Jesus rescues Peter. Peter, Peter, Peter, blah, blah, blah. Let me just say that I am NOT Peter. I am still in the boat with the other eleven watching Peter’s adventure. I can imagine the thoughts and feelings running through their minds. “I’m not going out there! Maybe I should have? Is Jesus going to be mad at me, disappointed with me for not stepping out? I should have recognized Him? How could I not have recognized Him? What kind of idiot am I? What kind of disciple am I? I’m a failure. I missed a chance to show Jesus my faith in Him.” On and on it goes believing they’d “missed it.”

And yet we do the same thing. We are so quick to beat ourselves up when we think we don’t have enough faith, or we aren’t “doing enough” for Jesus. We so easily disqualify ourselves and we throw up our hands and give up. Well here’s the rest of the story. After Peter and Jesus get into the boat, “those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God’” (Matt 14:33). The other eleven worshiped Him. They made Him the focus of their hearts and minds and did not wallow in self-pity. They recognized who He was and responded appropriately.

And let me remind you of one other thing. The other eleven in that boat were still sent out by Jesus to preach the Kingdom. The other eleven saw the resurrected Christ. The other eleven received the power of the Holy Spirit. The other eleven went out from Jerusalem and changed the world. They didn’t miss anything.

So, I want to encourage you today as you read this. If you are thinking that you’ve missed “God’s plan for your life.” (Play dramatic music here). If you think your faith isn’t strong enough or you’re too afraid or you can’t see how God could ever use you, remember that regardless of our weaknesses, our screw-ups, our lack of faith, Jesus is still the Son of God. That never changes. Just worship Him. He still loves you very much and hasn’t given up on you. You and the other eleven are in the same boat.

Critical Mass Prayer

In physics, critical mass refers to the minimum amount of material needed to start and maintain a nuclear reaction. In general, it also refers to the minimum amount of “something” – people, money, petitions – to gain momentum and achieve a desired effect. In other words, if I gather enough “somethings” then I can accomplish what I need.

This is perfectly illustrated in the Dr. Seuss book, Horton Hears A Who. Horton the elephant, with his big ears can hear the tiny Whos that live on a speck of dust, but no one else hears them and they think Horton is crazy. In order to make themselves be heard, the Whos start making as much noise and shouting as possible, but they are not heard until the tiniest baby Who lets out a small “Yap.” That Yap when added to all the other noise is just enough – critical mass – to break into Horton’s world and be heard. Horton was right! The Who world does exist!

It seems to me that Christians sometimes treat prayer in the same way. I need to generate a critical mass of people praying before God hears and responds to my prayer request. It is not enough for me to pray individually, but I need a bunch of people. It’s as if we don’t think God will take us seriously until we meet this elusive critical mass of prayer.

But clearly, this not Biblically correct. The Bible is full of stories of individual men and women who prayed by themselves and God answered them. We are even encouraged to “go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6). So why do we think that we need to marshal more and more prayer support to get the answers we want or need? Why do we ask others to pray for us? Why do we send our prayer requests in to a prayer chain or intercessor group?

I don’t think the purpose of corporate prayer is about convincing God that we are really, really serious, or because we are too insignificant individually to be heard. I think the point of corporate prayer is to spread the fame of the Lord as far and as wide as possible. Let me explain. The more people are praying, the more people will see (or hear about) the answered prayer and the more praise God will get. His fame as a good and faithful Father will spread – as it should. Sure, WE benefit from an answer to prayer, but He receives the glory and worship He deserves. Look at how Psalm 145 puts it:

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. (Psalm 145:1-7)

People will be talking to each other and to other generations about the works to God and He will be greatly praised.

So go ahead and enter your secret prayer room to pray to your Father in secret but when you are done get on the phone, text, social media and enlist an army of prayer supporters so that you can all speak of His wondrous works and awesome deeds. And generate a critical mass of praise!