Barbara's Banter

It’s never too early to teach our children about a loving God and prayer. Children can be taught that prayer is a little talk with God. God wants us to know him. He is interested is how we feel. We can tell him anything.

Children can learn that there are many different kinds of prayers. Here are a few…

Praise Prayers: Praise is something nice we say about someone. So we can tell God that we think he is nice. We can say, “God, I love you. I love how you made the sky, birds, flowers and trees. “

I’m Sorry Prayers: These prayers let God know when we’ve messed up. So we can say, “I’m sorry I lied. I’m sorry I got in a fight with my sister. Please help me not to do those things.”

Grace Prayers: This is when we thank God for our food.

Asking Prayers: This is when we need God’s help with something. God is not like Santa Clause. We don’t give him a list of everything we want because we’ve been good. We can also ask for things other people need. We can say, “Lord, please help me be a nicer person. Please help my sick Nana. Please let my daddy get a job.” We can ask God anything. God answers our prayers. God is like a loving parent so sometimes his answer is yes, sometimes no, sometimes maybe, and sometimes it’s wait awhile.

Good Night Lord Prayers: A little prayer we stay before we go to bed.

Although we want our children to learn to talk to God from the heart, there is nothing wrong with memorizing a few little prayers to get them started. Grace prayers and good night prayers are a good place to start.

Thank Prayers: This is when we let God know we are thankful for all he does for us. We can keep a list of all the things we are thankful for and tell God. Some ideas about what to be thankful for would be: our parents, a sunny day, our grandparents, our friends, our brothers and sisters, and so on.

Here’s a popular grace prayer…

God is great
God is good
Let us thank Him
For our food
By His hands
We are fed
Thank you God
For daily bread

It always irritated me that “good” and “food” didn’t rhyme, but I’m a little OCD. It gets the message across and is far better than…

Look out mouth
Look out gums
Look out stomach
Here it comes

Many start with this little good night prayer, which I think is horrendous…

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I shall die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.

There’s nothing quite like thinking about death to get a good night’s sleep – especially for a child! 

I highly recommend a modified version like one of the following.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
May angels watch me through the night,
And keep me safe till morning’s light.

Or…

Thank you Lord for another day,
The chance to learn, the chance to play.
Now as I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

Or make one up… Or we could have our children make one up. They are very clever! And we are never too young to start praying.

The definition of despair is to lose all hope. Hope is vital to the Christian walk. Hope is what keeps us going when trials surround us. If our eyes are cast down in despair we see only our weary feet trudging slowly along. Hope has our eyes look upward toward Jesus. It changes our perspective.

Yet there are times in life when we feel like saying, “God, where are you?” We question if God is really there and wonder if he’s aware of our situation. This feeling is one even the most righteous of men have had at times in their lives. Let’s look at three examples.

Habakkuk
Habakkuk was a prophet, a messenger from God. God’s people had problems with their dedication and Habakkuk was given the task of telling them to return to God. Well, no one was interested in his message. Habakkuk was frustrated with God’s people, with life, and with God. Finally enough was enough! Habakkuk lost it and let God know exactly how he felt. “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?” (Habakkuk 1:1-6)

How many of us have felt this way? We ask God, “How long do I have to wait? Why are letting this happen to me? Where are you?”

God responded to Habakkuk and told him to be patient, to wait and see! God was doing a whole bunch of stuff behind the scenes that Habakkuk wasn’t aware of. (Habakkuk 1:5-11) Things are not always what they appear to be on the surface. God is aware of everything and has not forgotten us or his promises to us.

Job
Job is another example. He tried his best to remain loyal and trust God even after his ten children died, his wealth was lost, and his skin was rotting. Yet he kept his faith saying, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) Also, “Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10)

But finally Job reached his breaking point and lost it. He said, “I cry out to you but you do not answer? You have become cruel to me.” In other words, “Where are you, God? Don’t you even care what I’m going through?”

God didn’t say, “Oh I’m sorry, Job. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to consider your dire situation.” His response was, “Listen Job, who are you to question me? Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” (Job 38:4) God goes on to explain why he is God and Job is not. (Job 38 – 41)

God doesn’t do this to prove he is great and Job is nothing. God was telling Job not to lose sight of who God is. God is God and perfectly capable of controlling everything. But more than that, God wasn’t trying to teach Job as much he was trying to open his eyes, so he could see from a different perspective. And we know Job got the message because he said, “I have heard you, but now I see you.” (Job 42:5) That’s some deep spiritual stuff.

David
David was a man after God’s own heart but he wasn’t beyond frustration. He was anointed king of Israel but Saul wasn’t going to relinquish the throne. David had to stay in hiding. Even after Saul died David had turmoil. There were battles to be won. There was the whole adultery thing with Bathsheba and God allowing their first born son to die. There were times David felt that God was distant and said, “How long will you forget me God? How long will you hide your face from me? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?” (Psalm 13:1-2)

However, David seemed to have the ability to pray himself out of despair by focusing on who God is. He goes on to say, “I trust in your mercy. My heart rejoices in your salvation.” (Psalm 13:5-6)  David was the master of positive “self talk” by focusing on God.  Look at Psalm 42:5-8 which basically says, “Why are you down cast, O my soul? Remember God’s greatness! Hope in God! Praise God!

Here’s the deal on despair. We can’t afford to rely on our feelings. Feelings are misleading. We must focus on what we know. Sure we can tell God how we feel, but let’s also tell him what we know. “Lord, I know you are here with me. I know you care deeply about what I’m going through. I don’t always know what you are doing but I know you are doing something. I know you are great. I know you are merciful. I know you love me. I know you will work this big mess out so you can be glorified.”

Remember, the opposite of despair is hope. Hope from a spiritual perspective is not just wishful thinking, it is assurance. So no matter how bad our situation is, we can be assured of this – we have Christ in us which is our hope (assurance) of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

Living in a “quick-fix” society, we would all prefer God to instantly, magically fix our dire circumstances. But God is not always in the “quick-fix” game. Prayer is not the easy way out. We don’t look to God to do for us what we are too lazy to do for ourselves. Sometimes God offers quick delivery and sometimes he doesn’t.

Sometimes we want that quick fix so badly that we don’t even ask God, we tell him what to do and how to do it. Remember that prayer is asking God to do “his thing,” not getting him to do “our thing.” God’s timing may not be as quick as we would like but his timing is always perfect.

Indeed God is capable of immediately easing our pain or difficulties, but he doesn’t always touch us with a magic wand where it hurts to make it better – like kissing a “boo-boo.” Although he might sprinkle a little fairy dust of stamina, encouragement, perseverance or peace of mind over us – so we can make it through the hard times. God may not provide escape from difficult circumstances, but he might give us the strength we need to face, conquer, and endure them.

Sometimes God isn’t as concerned about our circumstances as he is about our reaction to them or what we can learn from them. Sometimes God offers pieces of solutions – bit by bit. Maybe he will plant a seed coming from something we read, a phrase, the lyrics to a song we’re listening to, something someone says off handedly and these things start us on the road to finding a solution to our dilemma. God is more interested in our spiritual growth than making us feel good.

Here’s a little poem to illustrate…

I asked for strength,
And God gave me difficulties to make me strong;

I asked for wisdom,
And God gave me problems to learn to solve;

I asked for prosperity,
And God gave me brain and brawn to work;

I asked for courage,
And God gave me dangers to overcome;

I asked for patience.
God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.

I asked for love,
And God gave me people to help;

I asked for favors,
And God gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted;
I received everything I needed.

Prayer is turning control of our lives over to God. Prayer is trusting God. God answers all our prayers! His answers may not always come as quickly as we would like, but they are guaranteed to be the answers we need. We can be thankful God knows the difference between what we want and what we need. Quick does not mean better.

We were created to be in a relationship with God. Prayer is our avenue of developing that relationship. A deep, meaningful relationship cannot form unless we have constant contact. Prayer provides that contact – a continual dialog with God.

Prayer can have many components: praise (1 Chronicles 29:10-13), adoration (Ephesians 3:14-21), thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:20), supplication (Matthew 7:7, Philippians 4:6), confession (Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:9), and so on. Unfortunately, some of us just focus on supplication and trying to get what we want.

Those who pray with an “I wonder what God can do for me today” attitude miss the mark completely. Prayer is not a means to get what we want. Give-me, give-me, give-me prayers sound too much like a three year old wanting another toy. Or it reminds us of the adult child who only comes to his parents when he wants money. There is no love. There is no heartfelt relationship. It’s just some whiney little kid wanting more, more, more.

There is a biblical analogy of us being God’s children. Hopefully, if our children have a bad case of the “give-me’s” we would have the good sense not to give in to their demands. Sometimes what they ask for would not be good for them. (James 4:3) Parents have to determine what will or will not be good for their children. Rarely does a child ask for a second helping of broccoli. Candy – yes! Broccoli – no!

Just because God encourages us to petition, ask, and make requests of him, doesn’t mean he gives us everything we want. True, God is omnipotent and has the power to give us everything we want, but he is not our personal Santa Claus anxious to fulfill everything on our wish list – even if we have been nice instead of naughty. Believe it or not, we are not the center of God’s universe. He loves us, but he loves the other guy just as much. And he loves all of us too much to give what we want all the time because it would not be good for us.

However, occasionally God will give in to our requests so we can learn a lesson. Remember the old adage: be careful what you wish for, it may come true. The same applies to prayer. Sometimes God says, “Okay. Have it your way.” Such was the case when the Israelites wanted a king to rule over them so they could be like other nations. That was not God’s preference but he gave them what they wanted. King Saul did all right for a while but trouble followed. (1 Samuel 8:6-9)

Another example happened after God brought the Israelites through the Red Sea and delivered them from the hand of Pharoah. They sang God’s praises. (Psalm 106:8-12) But soon they forgot all God did for them. They lusted in the wilderness and tested God in the desert. God gave them their requests, but sent leanness into their soul. (Psalm 106:13-15) What we want can sometimes lead to spiritual emptiness.

So be cautious with those give-me, give-me, give-me prayers. We cannot afford to look at God only in terms of what he can do for us. After all, look at what he has already done for us. He’s given us life, offered us grace, forgiven our sins, extended mercy, provided constant companionship, guidance, love. The list is endless.

Perhaps we should ask God to give us what he knows we need, not what we think we need. Our idea of wants and needs get blurred. Perhaps we should stop telling God what to do and ask him what he wants us to do. Perhaps instead of asking God to serve us, we could ask what we could do to serve him and others.

Of course, those kinds of prayers take a great deal of trust in God. However, if we don’t have a lot of trust perhaps we could ask God to give us a little more. That would almost be like a child asking for a second helping of broccoli. No parent would turn him down.

Many of us want God to answer our prayers but we don’t want to take the time to build a relationship with him. Do any of the following approaches sound familiar?

Is God our spare tire? Do we only pray when we have an emergency? The phrase “God should be our steering wheel, not our spare tire” rings true. We should consider God a necessary part of our daily journey. Not AAA!

Is God our “when all else fails” guy? Perhaps we are at the end of our rope. We have tried everything else and the only recourse we have left is to pray? God needs to be kept in our loop, updated on how we feel about what’s going on in our lives. We can’t wait until we want to throw up our hands and quit, then say, “Oh wait! When all else fails let’s try prayer.”

Do we see God only in church? Some never pray until they are in church…and they only go to church on Easter and Christmas. That’s a long time between prayers. So basically they are just keeping in touch, not building a relationship.

Is God our genie in the magic lamp? If we rub him the right way – poof – our wish comes true.

Is God the mountain top guru of understanding? Do we think God understands that we don’t have time to pray? Well, actually, God understands that we don’t take the time to pray. There is s distinct difference.

Is God the lucky gambler? We pray spasmodically and God rolls the dice. If the dice tally up to three or a seven we win and God gives us what we want – too bad for us if we get boxcars. Do we think life is a crap shoot?

Is God our big sugar daddy or Santa Claus in the sky? Do we think God is ready and willing to give us everything we ask for and everything we want? “Oh, Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz.”

Is God the “I’m Okay, You’re Okay” guy? In other words, God knows we are basically good. We don’t cheat, steal, lie, or commit adultery so why pray? So just think positive thoughts and everything will be okay.

Is God our “let’s make a deal” guy? Do we bargain with God saying, “If you do this for me, I’ll do that for you?” That won’t work, because although we humans may have good intentions we are incapable of keeping our end of the bargain. We are always making promises we don’t seem to be able to keep.

I remember one time my husband was bringing a group of kids to our house for a youth activity. It was getting late and I was getting worried. I prayed, “Oh Lord, just bring him home safe and sound, and I won’t be upset that he didn’t call.” The minute he walked in the door I lost it and said, “Why didn’t you call? I’ve been worried sick.” So much for making bargains! God did his part, though. My husband and all the kids were safe and sound.

These approaches will not enhance our prayer life. In fact, they won’t even give us much of a prayer life. To build a relationship with God we must talk with him lots. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Prayer helps God know us and it helps us know God. And as we get to know God we realize he’s not our spare tire, genie in a lamp, big sugar daddy in the sky, lucky gambler, bargain hunter or guru.

So how should we approach prayer? We come to God as we would our dearest friend. Not because God has the power to give us everything we want, but because he loves us, cares for us, and wants only the best for us.

Many complicate the prayer process. They feel we must say the right words, at certain times of day, at specific places, and in the perfect position or God will not listen to us.

Opinions on these issues abound. Should our hands be open, closed or lifted up to God? Are righteous prayers only done in Hebrew and Latin? What about repeating Christian mantras? Should our eyes be open, closed, or lifted up to God? Should we pray silently or out loud? Should we pray at church, at home, out in nature, and on the freeway coming home from work? Should all prayers start with “Our Father who art in heaven” and end with “amen”? Should we pray in the morning when we get up, during our lunch hour, or at night when we go to bed? Is there a magic formula that can assure God will give us what we want, if we do everything exactly right?

Truthfully, these things are not important to God. They are peripheral issues, matters of personal preference. What makes one person feel closer to God will not do the same for another. The danger is judging others who do not do it the way we think it should be done. Also a Pharisaical approach takes the heart out of heartfelt prayers. Prayer becomes more of a ritual than a heart to heart talk with God. God is looking for that personal connection with us.

Some get very fixated on having a perfect posture for prayer. There are no rules in the Bible about this either, but we find lots of examples of…

• Sitting (1 Chronicles 17:16-27)
• Kneeling in prayer (1 Kings 8:54, Psalm 95:6, Luke 22:41, Acts 9:40, etc.) Bowing (Ephesians 3:14,
• Genesis 24:26, Exodus 34:8, Psalm 72:11, Nehemiah 8:6, etc.)
• Falling prostrate, on their faces (Matthew 26:39, 2 Chronicles 20:18, Joshua 7:6, Ezra 10:1 etc.)
• Bowing heads (Exodus 4:31, Genesis 24:26, etc.)
• Spreading hands/lifting hands (1 Kings 8:22, Psalm 28:2, Psalm 63:4, 1 Timothy 2:8, etc.)
• Standing (Luke 18:13, Mark 11:25, Luke 18:13, 1 Kings 8:55, 1 Samuel 1:26, etc.)
• Walking (2 Kings 4:35)

All these opinions remind me of a poem I read years ago. It contains a great deal of wisdom on the proper way to pray.

The Prayer of Cyrus Brown
By Sam Walter Foss

“The proper way for a man to pray,”
Said Deacon Lemuel Keyes,
“And the only proper attitude
Is down upon his knees.”

“No, I should say the way to pray,”
Said Reverend Doctor Wise,
“Is standing straight with outstretched arms
And rapt and upturned eyes.”

“Oh, no, no, no,” said Elder Snow,
“Such posture is too proud:
A man should pray with eyes fast closed
And head contritely bowed.”

“It seems to me his hands should be
Austerely clasped in front.
With both thumbs pointing toward the ground,”
Said Reverend Doctor Blunt.

“Las’ year I fell in Hodgkin’s well
Head first,” said Cyrus Brown,
“With both my heels a-stickin’ up,
My head a-pointing down;

“An’ I made a prayer right then an’ there –
Best prayer I ever said,
The prayingest prayer I ever prayed,
A-standing on my head.”

  The proper way to pray is from the heart. If we pray from the heart, God will hear us.

If we have ever wondered about how to pray, we are in good company. Even the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. (Luke 11:1) In previous blogs we mentioned this was an unusual request since the Jews were not strangers to the concept of prayer. Unfortunately the Pharisees had turned prayer into a ritualistic stumbling block for many through public display. Their goal was not to have heartfelt communication with God but be seen by men. They wanted to exalt themselves, not God.

The disciples realized this and wanted Jesus’ help in learning how to pray. So Jesus told them prayer was not a complicated process. They didn’t need to pray publically. They could pray in private. They didn’t need eloquence, meaningless repetition, or excess verbiage. (Matthew 6:1-7) Their prayers needed to come from the heart.

Then Jesus gave them an example of a prayer which we call The Lord’s Prayer. (Luke 11:3-4; Matthew 6:9-14)

This prayer is not really something to memorize and recite per se. It really can’t be our prayer all the time because it’s not in our words. This is a model of a prayer containing elements we want to incorporate into our prayers – things like worship, trust, submission, petition, forgiveness, etc. We must learn to put these concepts into our own words, from our hearts, reflecting our personal journey with God.

Later Jesus gave an example of a heartfelt prayer in a parable. (Luke 18:9-14) Two men went to the temple to pray. One was a respected, righteous, church leader – a Pharisee. The other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee thanked God that he was not a con-man, thief, extortionist, criminal, adulterer, or unjust. He boasted that he tithed, fasted, and wasn’t like the tax collector he could see out of the corner of his eye.

The tax collector stood at a distance. He dared not lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed, “O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.” Yet, it was this humble, sincere prayer that touched God’s heart.

Remember that prayer is heartfelt communication with God. When we pray from the heart, God listens.

Prayer is heartfelt communication with God. It’s like a having a conversation with a very close friend. When we talk to our dearest friends we don’t always talk about the same thing. We don’t always use the same words or same tone of voice. We are not always in the same frame of mind. Our interaction depends on what we have going on in our lives at a certain time.

Prayer is much the same way. What we pray about and how we pray may depend on our circumstances. So God had given us Biblical examples of many different kinds of prayers. Here are just a few in no particular order.

Adoration: We bow before God for his greatness and love. He loves us and we should love him. All that is in heaven and on earth is God’s, and he loves us so much he’s willing to share it with us. (Ephesians 3:14-21, 1 Chronicles 29:10-13)

Praise: When Jesus was born the shepherds and the angels praised God. (Luke 2:12-14) When the blind man was healed the people praised God. (Luke 18:42, 43) All blessings flow from God and God should be praised. (Ephesians 1:3)

Worship: Worship is akin to praise. We worship God not just for what he has done, but for who he is. Only God is worthy of our praise. He is holy, good, kind, merciful, loving, righteous, and we should be letting him know that we know it! (Hebrews 13:15)

Thanksgiving/Gratitude/Appreciation: Giving God thanks is a major part of the Christian life. Even when we are asking God for something we should be thanking him for what he has done, is doing, and will do. (Philippians 4:6, Psalm 136) We should be giving thanks always – in good times and bad. There is always something we can find to be thankful for. (Ephesians 5:20)

Confession/Repentance: When we’ve blown it, we go to God and acknowledge it. He already knows but it’s nice to let him know that we know, and we’re sorry. When the prophet Nathan pointed out David’s misconduct with Bathsheba, David humbly accepted responsibility. (Psalm 51) Those who confess their sins will have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

Grace: Praying a blessing over a meal before we eat and thanking God for the food. (Matthew 26:26)

Intercession: We pray for others. Sometimes we ask people to pray for us; sometimes we are asked to pray for others; sometimes we realize someone needs God’s help so we pray for them. (Philippians 2:3-4) We are commanded to pray for one another. (1 Timothy 2:1, James 5:14) Jesus set an example by praying on behalf of his disciples and followers. (John 17:9-24)

Forgiveness: When we have been hurt or offended by others, prayers of forgiveness release the hold those hurts and offenses have on us. We let go and let God deal with it. (Mark 11:25-26)

Corporate Prayer: We gather together to pray. (Matthew 18:20) After Jesus was crucified, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven the disciples met together all the time to pray. In fact the early church devoted itself to prayer. (Acts 1:14, Acts 2:42)

Benediction: This is a prayer of blessing on others, usually at the end of a service. (Numbers 23:22-26)

Consecration: Sometimes prayer sets people apart to do a specific job. Perhaps a church will pray a blessing over a particular person given a new ministry responsibility or those going on a missionary trip. (Acts 13:1-3)

Supplication/Petition: We take our requests to God. We don’t need to worry. (Philippians 4:6, Matthew 11:9-12) God can deliver us from our fears. (Psalm 34:4) He can ease our frustration and distress. (Psalm 28, Psalm 18:6) He can supply all our needs. (Philippians 4:19)

More could be listed but this gives us an overview. Prayers come in all shapes and sizes. One prayer could contain many aspects of this list. Some categories stand alone; some overlap. (1 Timothy 2:1)

However, there should never be a lack of ways to pray or things to pray about. If we have trouble praying we can just read some of the Psalms out loud. They are filled with adoration and praise to God. There is no better way to get started with a healthy prayer life than acknowledging God’s greatness!

As a journalist I have lots of little compartments and files on various subjects. The hope is I will eventually write an article on all those topics. One can always hope. The info I’ve gathered and tucked away on prayer overflows. Even trying to organize it is overwhelming. So I’ve decided to do a blog series on prayer. The next few blogs will be devoted to some of this info I’ve collected. Spoiler alert: There may not be a natural flow from one blog to another. So those highly organized readers looking for that type of blend should beware. It’s just going to consist of a myriad of stuff (poems, sayings, thoughts, one-liners, my articles, etc.) on prayer, a vital tool that keeps us connected to God. Let’s get started…

The Bible is full of exhortations to pray. Jesus spent a great deal of time in prayer. (Matthew 14:23, Mark 6:46, Luke 6:12, Luke 9:28, etc.) If Jesus who was the Son of God felt a need to pray, how much more should we feel that need? We would be wise to follow his example. (1 Peter 2:21)

It’s interesting to note that the disciples did not ask Jesus to teach them to preach; they asked him to teach them to pray. (Luke 11:1) This is especially interesting considering the Jews were not strangers to the concept of prayer. In fact, the Pharisees thought they knew how to do it perfectly. They were diligent with the mechanics of prayer, making it a ritualistic exercise the common man could never hope to achieve.

However, the disciples discovered from hanging around with Jesus that something was missing in this kind of prayer. There was no sincerity or “heart” in those prayers. For true prayer is a heart to heart conversation with God. There is no need to make prayer a complicated process. It is merely heartfelt communication with God. God yearns for us to talk freely and spontaneously with Him – in our own words. We don’t need eloquence, meaningless repetition, or excess verbiage. (Matthew 6:7)

Jesus encouraged his followers to pray. (Luke 18:1) Paul went so far as to say, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Why? Perhaps there can be more to prayer than just communication…

Prayer is a conduit to building a relationship with the living God. We can’t build a relationship with someone we don’t spend time with.

Our heartfelt prayers acknowledge God’s greatness and our desire to have him lovingly rule our lives. Prayer shows our dependence on God. Prayer shows our love for God. Prayer shows our reverence for God. Prayer puts our trust in God.

Prayer changes us. As we pray we draw near to God and he draws near to us. (James 4:8) We are humbled by God’s presence. He is great and we are not. In God’s presence we are less anxious. In God’s presence there is strength, peace and calm. (Philippians 4:7) Our perspective on life changes as his thoughts become our thoughts.

Martin Luther said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible that to be alive without breathing.”

Much more could be said, but hopefully this is enough to get us started thinking about what prayer is and why we need to do it.

The Bible is full of contradictory concepts. We have the virgin birth which many would consider an oxymoron. We have the long awaited Messiah, Jesus Christ, coming to earth as a baby not a warrior. After he convinces everyone he is the Savior, he is crucified and dies. Then he is resurrected and goes off to heaven. God just doesn’t seem to do things in what we humans would call a logical way.

There are other things God mentions that may seem illogical to us:

1. Jesus is the beginning and the end. (Revelation 1:8)
2. God became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14)
3. If we want to get, we must give (Ecclesiastes 11:1; Luke 6:38)
4. We must forgive others even if they don’t forgive us. (Matthew 6:15)
5. If we want to live forever, we must die. (Matthew 16:25)
6. Freedom means serving others. (Galatians 5:13)
7. God uses the foolish to confound the wise. (I Corinthians 1:27)
8. To be exalted, we must humble ourselves. (Matthew 18:14; 1 Peter 5:6)
9. God loved the world so much he sent his son to die for it. (John 3:16,17)

On the surface this list may seem like a contradiction of concepts. Therefore they are difficult for people to understand. Which surprises me because people are perfectly willing to accept the latest oxymora that comes along. We accept virtual reality, local long distance, genuine imitations, authentic reproductions, paid volunteers, and non dairy creamer. However, just like oxymora are used for special effects, God uses Biblical phraseology in the same way. It deepens our understanding of salvation and enhances our relationship with God.

We may think God is illogical but our ways are not God’s ways. Our thought process is not God’s thought process.

In a world where we celebrate Labor Day by not doing any work, it should be easier to accept the concept that Jesus lived and died but can really be alive!