Will Someone Please Explain to Me Why It's Snowing
04/04/07 06:16 AM Filed in: Stories
I woke up late today.
It seemed to be a common theme. Jenna and Joey did,
as did the parents. My alarm initially went off at
6:30, but I stumbled out of bed and switched it to
7:00, subconsciously, of course. I woke up a bit
later and rolled over, glanced at the clock, at
noticed it said 6:59. Suddenly I panicked and jumped
out of bed and smacked my alarm off. No, I didn't
panic because I was late or anything. I just hate the
beeping noise it makes, and whenever I can wake up
before my alarm, my day just gets off on the right
foot.
I grabbed my Mae shirt and some jeans from the dryer and headed for the bathroom for a warm shower. After I was all clean, dressed, and smelling good, I went to the table for breakfast. The parents were just getting to the table as well. I ate my bowl of Wheat Chex, mostly in silence (I'm not a morning person 90% of the time). It was 7:30. I usually leave the house at 7:30. Somehow I wasn't in a rush. Perhaps because it was -3 degrees outside with the windchill, and it was snowing.
The munching stopped and Dad reached for his Bible. Usually I miss the morning reading because either I eat really fast and go to school, or Dad's already gone before I get to the breakfast table. Everybody was running slow this morning, so I actually got to sit in on it, which was good, because I didn't hadn't had time to read my own Bible yet.
Dad has this thing where he really likes "Our Daily Bread." I do too. It's quick and to the point, and usually a pretty good point at that.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. " — John 14:12-14
I think most of the time we take these passages out of context. Or we think of them as the "God for Me" verses, because they're all about what God can do for me, if I ask him for it. And I think most of the time we miss the bigger point, and we just say, "God's supposed to give us anything we ask for!" But I think the verse lays out some conditions, first of all. "He who believes in me," "In My name," "That the Father may be glorified in the Son."
Now it's not quite so easy. I mean, if you look at it, it's not really what God can do for us. It's what we should do for God so that the Father may be glorified. So we aren't even getting any of it (or we shouldn't)!
God's not saying, "Ask for stuff and I'll give it to you." I think the part that says, "The works that I do, he will do also" is pretty convicting. He's straight up saying, "If you believe in me, you'll do what I do." I don't know about you, but I do plenty of things I know God wouldn't do, or even be pleased with. "And greater works than these he will do." I don't know about that one. How are we supposed to do greater works than God?
We like to think of these passages for our bettering, and don't get me wrong, they are. But "our" bettering isn't always "God's" bettering, if you follow. If we truly abide in Christ, we won't ask for anything but what Jesus would ask for. But since we are inherently sinful, that can never happen. God's not saying he'll give us whatever we want, I think he's saying he'll give us anything that Christ would ask for.
On the flip side, he's also not saying he won't give us what we want. Sometimes I think we pray so hard for one thing, because we're sure if we just have that one thing, everything will be better, and that has to be God's plan for us, right?! Let's just throw an example out there that I'm sure nobody's ever done: A guy or a girl. Somehow we think that with our finite minds, we know what's really best for us. So we pursue one thing with all our heart. Not God's will, but our will. Maybe we're sure it's God's will though. So we pray constantly for it. Guess what, God may actually give that to you. He may give it to you saying, "I will give you what you ask for. You could have had something better, but you're so bent on having this one, here you go. That way next time you'll learn to ask in My name."
I think too often we pray for our wants and "needs", when in reality we should be praying for God's will to be done, just like in the Lord's prayer. "Our Father ... YOUR will be done." Don't get me wrong, God wants us to talk to him about our struggles, aspirations, dreams, little wishes, big wishes, and all that. But I think, even when praying for something we desire with all our heart, we need to finish it with, "... This is what my human nature wants, God. But my heart wants your will to be done, because your plan for me is perfect and is the best, and even if I don't see it all right now, I want your plan for my life to be fulfilled.”
In the words of my good brother-in-law, Stephen, "Jesus said to the Pharisees that they would have what they wanted, which was reward on earth, and that would be all they got." God has the best idea for your life, and it's fulfilled in Heaven. That's why we can't always see it. That's where our faith comes in.
I grabbed my Mae shirt and some jeans from the dryer and headed for the bathroom for a warm shower. After I was all clean, dressed, and smelling good, I went to the table for breakfast. The parents were just getting to the table as well. I ate my bowl of Wheat Chex, mostly in silence (I'm not a morning person 90% of the time). It was 7:30. I usually leave the house at 7:30. Somehow I wasn't in a rush. Perhaps because it was -3 degrees outside with the windchill, and it was snowing.
The munching stopped and Dad reached for his Bible. Usually I miss the morning reading because either I eat really fast and go to school, or Dad's already gone before I get to the breakfast table. Everybody was running slow this morning, so I actually got to sit in on it, which was good, because I didn't hadn't had time to read my own Bible yet.
Dad has this thing where he really likes "Our Daily Bread." I do too. It's quick and to the point, and usually a pretty good point at that.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. " — John 14:12-14
I think most of the time we take these passages out of context. Or we think of them as the "God for Me" verses, because they're all about what God can do for me, if I ask him for it. And I think most of the time we miss the bigger point, and we just say, "God's supposed to give us anything we ask for!" But I think the verse lays out some conditions, first of all. "He who believes in me," "In My name," "That the Father may be glorified in the Son."
Now it's not quite so easy. I mean, if you look at it, it's not really what God can do for us. It's what we should do for God so that the Father may be glorified. So we aren't even getting any of it (or we shouldn't)!
God's not saying, "Ask for stuff and I'll give it to you." I think the part that says, "The works that I do, he will do also" is pretty convicting. He's straight up saying, "If you believe in me, you'll do what I do." I don't know about you, but I do plenty of things I know God wouldn't do, or even be pleased with. "And greater works than these he will do." I don't know about that one. How are we supposed to do greater works than God?
We like to think of these passages for our bettering, and don't get me wrong, they are. But "our" bettering isn't always "God's" bettering, if you follow. If we truly abide in Christ, we won't ask for anything but what Jesus would ask for. But since we are inherently sinful, that can never happen. God's not saying he'll give us whatever we want, I think he's saying he'll give us anything that Christ would ask for.
On the flip side, he's also not saying he won't give us what we want. Sometimes I think we pray so hard for one thing, because we're sure if we just have that one thing, everything will be better, and that has to be God's plan for us, right?! Let's just throw an example out there that I'm sure nobody's ever done: A guy or a girl. Somehow we think that with our finite minds, we know what's really best for us. So we pursue one thing with all our heart. Not God's will, but our will. Maybe we're sure it's God's will though. So we pray constantly for it. Guess what, God may actually give that to you. He may give it to you saying, "I will give you what you ask for. You could have had something better, but you're so bent on having this one, here you go. That way next time you'll learn to ask in My name."
I think too often we pray for our wants and "needs", when in reality we should be praying for God's will to be done, just like in the Lord's prayer. "Our Father ... YOUR will be done." Don't get me wrong, God wants us to talk to him about our struggles, aspirations, dreams, little wishes, big wishes, and all that. But I think, even when praying for something we desire with all our heart, we need to finish it with, "... This is what my human nature wants, God. But my heart wants your will to be done, because your plan for me is perfect and is the best, and even if I don't see it all right now, I want your plan for my life to be fulfilled.”
In the words of my good brother-in-law, Stephen, "Jesus said to the Pharisees that they would have what they wanted, which was reward on earth, and that would be all they got." God has the best idea for your life, and it's fulfilled in Heaven. That's why we can't always see it. That's where our faith comes in.