Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. God has timing for everything. Today is always a good day simply because the One who ordains this day to us is good. Our God may not be nice. He will put us through difficult trials or pruning that we hate. We complained to God when things did not come our way. We hate running into dead-end street. We hate being trapped in desperation and destitutions. We hate to be out of control. We question the existence of God when He does not answer our prayers according to what we want. Yes. Our God is not nice, but He is always good and faithful to those who abide in His love.
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor 1:20-22). The end result of the act of worship is that our lives are turned around. We come to God with a history of nay-saying, of rejecting and being rejected. At the throne of God we are immersed in God’s yes, a yes that silences all our noes and calls forth an answering yes in us. God, not the ego, is the center. God is not someone around whom we make calculating qualifications, a little yes here, a little no there. In worship we “listen to the voice of Being” and become answers to it. The self is no longer the hub of reality, as sin seduces us into supposing.
We are trained from infancy to relate to the world in an exploratory, exploitive way, refusing and grabbing, pushing and pulling, fretting and deceiving. As knower and user the ego is a predator. But in worship we cease being predators, who by stealth approach everyone as prey that we can pull into our center; we respond to the center. We are privileged listeners and respondents who offer ourselves to God, who creates and redeems. Amen! Amen is recurrent and emphatic among God’s people. It is robust and exuberant. There is nothing trembling, cautious, or timid in it. It is an answering word, purged of all negatives.
Eugene Peterson is a prolific writer. It is not easy sometimes to follow his trace of thought. He likes to dig deep into simple or ordinary things in life. I will not look at my ego as a predator trying to explore and exploit the world of knowledge or the mind of other human being. But when he put such light on our ego, it dawns on me a reality that we are egocentric. We look for things or human beings to meet our needs, whether it is psychological, physical, emotional or intellectual. We look for things that are pleasing to our sights, tastes and desires. But in worship, we surrender ourselves or our ego to the altar, and wholeheartedly say Yes to God in whatever He wants from us. Unless we say Yes to God, we are still seeking out things for our ego, including our ministry.
Have mercy on us O Lord! We are so used to see things from an egocentric perspective but not Theocentric or Christocentric perspective. We don’t see what God wants us to see or hear what God wants us to hear. Once again, I am reminded by what our Lord said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (John 5:19). The more I focus on God, the more I become sensitive to what God is doing around me. Enjoy your Sabbath and time with your family in this coming weekend.
Love you in Him,
Lawrence
Friday, April 9, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Devotional 080410
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. The Nature proclaims His glory. Indeed, the beauty of Nature describes the beauty of God’s attributes. What a creative God He is! In no way we can fully fathom His creativity. We can only discover His greatness and creativity a little bit more each day. Our lives on earth are preparation to spend eternity with Him in discovering the greatness of our God, who also cares enough to listen to our insignificant prayers.
(Rev. 8:1): God listens. Everything we say, every groan, every murmur, and every stammering attempt at prayer: all this is listened to. All heaven quiets down. The loud angel voices, the piercing trumpet messages, the thundering throne songs are stilled while God listens “Hush, hush, whisper who dares? Loretta Fung is saying her prayers.” The prayer of the faithful must be heard: the spontaneous hallelujahs, the solemn amens, the desperate “Why hast Thou forsaken me?” the agonized “Take this cup from me,” the tempered “Nevertheless not my will but your will,” the faithfully spoken, “Our Father who art in heaven,” the joyful “Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created.”
All the psalms, said and sung for centuries in voices energetic, subdued, angry, and serene are now heard – heard personally, carefully, accurately. God silences the elders and the angels. Not one of our words is lost in a wind tunnel of gossips or drowned in a cataract of the world’s noise. “The distinctive feature of early Christian prayer is the certainty of being heard.” We are listened to. We realize dignity. Dramatic changes take place in these moments of silence. The world rights itself. We perceive reality from the vantage point of God’s saving work and not from the chaos of desperate confusion. We acquire hope from our living God who cares and listens. Remember. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all – all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help (Hebrews 4:15-16, The Message).
God is listening to our prayers. We may be too busy to interact with God, but He is always ready to listen. We may be too lazy to read His word, but He is always ready to give us guidance and grace. This is the teaching of the Bible. This is the reassurance of the Holy Spirit who utters His words to our soul, “you are my child, whom I love; with whom I am well pleased” (borrow from Matthew 3:17). Our obedience to be is as important as our obedience to do. God wants us to be His beloved children who desire to do His will by entering into union with Him on a daily basis, just as He is in union with His Son and the Holy Spirit. It’s time to take a prayer break in seeking Him through contemplative prayer – watch, listen, read and then pray.
Love you because He first loves us,
Lawrence
Good morning. The Nature proclaims His glory. Indeed, the beauty of Nature describes the beauty of God’s attributes. What a creative God He is! In no way we can fully fathom His creativity. We can only discover His greatness and creativity a little bit more each day. Our lives on earth are preparation to spend eternity with Him in discovering the greatness of our God, who also cares enough to listen to our insignificant prayers.
(Rev. 8:1): God listens. Everything we say, every groan, every murmur, and every stammering attempt at prayer: all this is listened to. All heaven quiets down. The loud angel voices, the piercing trumpet messages, the thundering throne songs are stilled while God listens “Hush, hush, whisper who dares? Loretta Fung is saying her prayers.” The prayer of the faithful must be heard: the spontaneous hallelujahs, the solemn amens, the desperate “Why hast Thou forsaken me?” the agonized “Take this cup from me,” the tempered “Nevertheless not my will but your will,” the faithfully spoken, “Our Father who art in heaven,” the joyful “Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created.”
All the psalms, said and sung for centuries in voices energetic, subdued, angry, and serene are now heard – heard personally, carefully, accurately. God silences the elders and the angels. Not one of our words is lost in a wind tunnel of gossips or drowned in a cataract of the world’s noise. “The distinctive feature of early Christian prayer is the certainty of being heard.” We are listened to. We realize dignity. Dramatic changes take place in these moments of silence. The world rights itself. We perceive reality from the vantage point of God’s saving work and not from the chaos of desperate confusion. We acquire hope from our living God who cares and listens. Remember. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all – all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help (Hebrews 4:15-16, The Message).
God is listening to our prayers. We may be too busy to interact with God, but He is always ready to listen. We may be too lazy to read His word, but He is always ready to give us guidance and grace. This is the teaching of the Bible. This is the reassurance of the Holy Spirit who utters His words to our soul, “you are my child, whom I love; with whom I am well pleased” (borrow from Matthew 3:17). Our obedience to be is as important as our obedience to do. God wants us to be His beloved children who desire to do His will by entering into union with Him on a daily basis, just as He is in union with His Son and the Holy Spirit. It’s time to take a prayer break in seeking Him through contemplative prayer – watch, listen, read and then pray.
Love you because He first loves us,
Lawrence
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Devotional 070410
Dear brothers and sisters,
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen (Revelation 1:4-6).
Our staff have been studying the book of Revelation in our Prayer meeting in the last couples of week. God revealed to Apostle John the glory and cruelty of the last days before His glorious return. Throughout the prolonged suffering of mankind during those horrible days, God hopes to give humanity the opportunity to repent but they don’t. It was similar to the ten plagues that came to Egypt before Pharaoh set the Israelites free from bondage. But at the end, Pharaoh still remained stubborn in his rebellion. Therefore, God had to destroy his entire army at the merciless Red Sea. Unfortunately, humanity in the Judgment Day will repeat the same mistake as Pharaoh did. Pray that the Book of Revelation calls people to repentance before the horrible judgment pours down from heaven one day.
The everyday data of a typical week are assembled on the pages of the Revelation: political terrors and liturgical mysteries, painful separations and unanswered prayers, glorious hymns and unfulfilled prophecies, felt glories and brutal cruelties, heartrending deaths and unquenchable hopes. All this is the experience of persons who decide to live by faith in Christ. Apostle John’s Revelation choreographs all this is in a ballet of images. The repeated use of the number seven, a number that communicated a sense of wholeness to the ancient and biblical mind, sets up rhythm of wholeness in the imagination. The “Lord’s Day” is the first day of resurrection in which the fallen creation enters a new week of redemption.
The pagan would assigned each day of the week to the care of a god or goddess. Each divinity made its own unpredictable demands and dispensed good or ill randomly. The pagan deities were at odds with each other, struggling and quarreling. The week was a mixture of scheming and intrigue. The Christian, in contrast, discovered all time under the lordship of Christ. Time is redeemed. God shapes creation; Christ redeems creation. The first day is the headwaters of the ever rolling stream of time. The Lord’s Day is the source for the succeeding days. All the events and experiences of the week flow out of the typical patterns of creation and redemption.
Each day we live by God’s grace because of the Lord’s Day that started on His resurrection. We count God’s blessing with thanksgiving simply because we are a new creation in His grace. Ever since we turned toward God through the cross, each day is a new day and wonderful day because He has special purpose installed for us to live for. We look forward to what this day may bring, regardless of how the environment may change. God is good. And He is good all the time. Amen?
Love you in Christ,
Lawrence
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen (Revelation 1:4-6).
Our staff have been studying the book of Revelation in our Prayer meeting in the last couples of week. God revealed to Apostle John the glory and cruelty of the last days before His glorious return. Throughout the prolonged suffering of mankind during those horrible days, God hopes to give humanity the opportunity to repent but they don’t. It was similar to the ten plagues that came to Egypt before Pharaoh set the Israelites free from bondage. But at the end, Pharaoh still remained stubborn in his rebellion. Therefore, God had to destroy his entire army at the merciless Red Sea. Unfortunately, humanity in the Judgment Day will repeat the same mistake as Pharaoh did. Pray that the Book of Revelation calls people to repentance before the horrible judgment pours down from heaven one day.
The everyday data of a typical week are assembled on the pages of the Revelation: political terrors and liturgical mysteries, painful separations and unanswered prayers, glorious hymns and unfulfilled prophecies, felt glories and brutal cruelties, heartrending deaths and unquenchable hopes. All this is the experience of persons who decide to live by faith in Christ. Apostle John’s Revelation choreographs all this is in a ballet of images. The repeated use of the number seven, a number that communicated a sense of wholeness to the ancient and biblical mind, sets up rhythm of wholeness in the imagination. The “Lord’s Day” is the first day of resurrection in which the fallen creation enters a new week of redemption.
The pagan would assigned each day of the week to the care of a god or goddess. Each divinity made its own unpredictable demands and dispensed good or ill randomly. The pagan deities were at odds with each other, struggling and quarreling. The week was a mixture of scheming and intrigue. The Christian, in contrast, discovered all time under the lordship of Christ. Time is redeemed. God shapes creation; Christ redeems creation. The first day is the headwaters of the ever rolling stream of time. The Lord’s Day is the source for the succeeding days. All the events and experiences of the week flow out of the typical patterns of creation and redemption.
Each day we live by God’s grace because of the Lord’s Day that started on His resurrection. We count God’s blessing with thanksgiving simply because we are a new creation in His grace. Ever since we turned toward God through the cross, each day is a new day and wonderful day because He has special purpose installed for us to live for. We look forward to what this day may bring, regardless of how the environment may change. God is good. And He is good all the time. Amen?
Love you in Christ,
Lawrence
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Devotional 050410
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. I hope this devotional sharing comes at your “prayer” break! You need to pause for prayer from time to time, a time to connect with your loving God who breathes you with His own presence. He intends to impact your neighbors/coworkers through you. Drink from His love so that you can share His love with others. A starving and thirty person does not want to share, because he or she is so wrapped up with his or her own needs. On a contrary, a person who has abundant supply of love will not hesitate to share it with others. Bless your coworkers by doing a prayer walk, and give them a silent but joyful presence of God through you while you are taking your coffee/prayer break.
I like Eugene Peterson’s devotional here, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest” (Matthew 11:28-29 The Message). The suggestion to do something is nearly always inappropriate, for persons who come for spiritual direction are troubled over some disorder or dissatisfaction in being, not doing. They need a friend who will pay attention to who they are, not a project manager who will order additional busywork. Precipitate actions are usually avoidances. They distract for the time being and provide temporary (and welcome) relief. The attraction for “giving a physic and letting blood” is nearly irresistible in a highly ambiguous situation. The sense of definition provided by clear-out action provides tremendous satisfaction. But there is no growth in the spirit, no development into maturity.
Pastors are particularly endangered in this area because of the compulsive activism, both cultural and ecclesiastical, in which we are immersed simply by being alive at this time in history. It takes cautious and persistent watching to avoid falling into the activist trap.
It is God with whom we have to do. People go for long stretches of time without being aware of that, thinking it is money, or sex, or work, or children, or parents, or a political cause, or an athletic competition, or learning with which they must deal. Any one or a combination of these subjects can absorb them and a for a time give them the meaning and purpose that human beings seem to require. But then there is a slow stretch of boredom. Or a disaster. Or a sudden collapse of meaning. They want more. They want God. When person searches for meaning and direction, asking questions and testing out statements, we must not be diverted into anything other or lesser. Meditate on what Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:33).
You don’t need to prove yourself to be capable, smart, useful and worthy for God’s love. He loves you unconditionally. Jesus came to make you the target of His love. He loves us more than we can imagine. It is busyness that put us in doubt of his love because we have no time to rest and enjoy His love. Our culture convinces us to search for more and more “stuff” to fill our empty soul. But at the end of the day, we know it does not work. We find meaning and fulfillment by returning to Him who calls us “His beloved children.” We find the assurance of His worth within us that make us whole. You are holy because you are made whole in Christ.
Love you because of our being in Him,
Lawrence
Good morning. I hope this devotional sharing comes at your “prayer” break! You need to pause for prayer from time to time, a time to connect with your loving God who breathes you with His own presence. He intends to impact your neighbors/coworkers through you. Drink from His love so that you can share His love with others. A starving and thirty person does not want to share, because he or she is so wrapped up with his or her own needs. On a contrary, a person who has abundant supply of love will not hesitate to share it with others. Bless your coworkers by doing a prayer walk, and give them a silent but joyful presence of God through you while you are taking your coffee/prayer break.
I like Eugene Peterson’s devotional here, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest” (Matthew 11:28-29 The Message). The suggestion to do something is nearly always inappropriate, for persons who come for spiritual direction are troubled over some disorder or dissatisfaction in being, not doing. They need a friend who will pay attention to who they are, not a project manager who will order additional busywork. Precipitate actions are usually avoidances. They distract for the time being and provide temporary (and welcome) relief. The attraction for “giving a physic and letting blood” is nearly irresistible in a highly ambiguous situation. The sense of definition provided by clear-out action provides tremendous satisfaction. But there is no growth in the spirit, no development into maturity.
Pastors are particularly endangered in this area because of the compulsive activism, both cultural and ecclesiastical, in which we are immersed simply by being alive at this time in history. It takes cautious and persistent watching to avoid falling into the activist trap.
It is God with whom we have to do. People go for long stretches of time without being aware of that, thinking it is money, or sex, or work, or children, or parents, or a political cause, or an athletic competition, or learning with which they must deal. Any one or a combination of these subjects can absorb them and a for a time give them the meaning and purpose that human beings seem to require. But then there is a slow stretch of boredom. Or a disaster. Or a sudden collapse of meaning. They want more. They want God. When person searches for meaning and direction, asking questions and testing out statements, we must not be diverted into anything other or lesser. Meditate on what Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:33).
You don’t need to prove yourself to be capable, smart, useful and worthy for God’s love. He loves you unconditionally. Jesus came to make you the target of His love. He loves us more than we can imagine. It is busyness that put us in doubt of his love because we have no time to rest and enjoy His love. Our culture convinces us to search for more and more “stuff” to fill our empty soul. But at the end of the day, we know it does not work. We find meaning and fulfillment by returning to Him who calls us “His beloved children.” We find the assurance of His worth within us that make us whole. You are holy because you are made whole in Christ.
Love you because of our being in Him,
Lawrence
Monday, April 5, 2010
Devotional 040410
Dear brothers and sisters,Good morning. Did you have a happy celebration of the resurrection of Christ (proper description of Easter) yesterday? I had a wonderful worship at Anaheim’s stadium with the congregation from Saddleback Baptist Church. About 20,000 people participated in the worship celebration, many accepted Christ and many received baptism at the parking lot of the stadium right after worship. It was an awesome day of witnessing God’s grace at work in our midst. And then, we experience a significant earthquake ((7.2 at Baja) in the afternoon. We were sitting by the pool in a friend’s house, and the quake created a big wave in the pool (it was like spilling a cup of water) for a couple of seconds. Wow…what an amazing day we had in counting God’s mercy and grace in our midst!
Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:1-2). Spiritual direction or discernment is usually perceived as prerogative of the ordained ministry. Some of the best spiritual directors are simply friends. Some of the most famous spiritual directors have been laypersons. But the fact that anybody can do it and it can occur at any time and place must not be constructed to mean that it can be done casually or indifferently. It needs to be practiced out of a life immersed in the pursuit of holiness.
What is required is that we bring the same disciplined prayer and discerning attentiveness into the commonplaces that we bring to the preparation of lectures and sermon, sharing crises of illness and death, celebrating birth and marriages, launching campaigns and stirring up visions. It means putting the full spotlight of prayerful concern on the parts of life that get no other spotlights put on them. Being a spiritual director is bringing the same care and skill and intensity to the ordinary, boring, uneventful parts of our lives that we readily give to the eventful conversation and proclamations.
Spiritual direction is like a lost art in Christian church. We will refer people to counseling or psychological evaluation, but we seldom refer people to seek spiritual direction. Yes, we will ask for appointment to see a pastor for some crisis in life. We seldom talk to a pastor about our direction of life; we prefer to talk to a friend instead. Yes, spiritual direction could take place at any time and any place. It should happen as part of Body life. We should minister unto one another in seeking to do the will of God. The pre-requisite, however, is to find someone who constantly immerses in the Word of God and in the pursuit of Holiness. Unfortunately this is not a norm in Christian church.
Holiness is not a perfect life without weaknesses, but a life that seeks to honor God and fulfill His agenda on earth. Pharisees were perfect in obeying all ceremonial laws in life – it was their resolve or commitment to accomplish religious purity in life. But our Lord Jesus rebuked them of their hypocrisy. Holiness is a life that immerses into the agenda of God and loving Him wholeheartedly. Tey recognize their imperfection and seek regeneration daily by God’s help. Since they are so focused on God, they can quickly discern the unpleasing elements in life. Just like the way a banker discern counterfeit money is by focusing more on the genuine ones, let’s spend more time on the Word of God as a means to discern His presence and guidance for our lives as well as for others.
Love you in accordance to His Word,
Lawrence
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Easter Worship at Anaheim Stadium
Enjoying lunch at a sister's home when earthquake rocked the pool and fellowship time 
Loretta and I enjoyed worship with our daughter and son-in-law at their church's service
Baptism at the parking lot of the stadium
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Devotional 010410
Dear brothers and sisters
Good morning. He is risen! Indeed our Lord is alive today!!! May Easter once again remind you of the foundation of your faith in Him! If our Lord was not raised from the dead, your faith is futile and you are to be pitied more than all men (1 Cor 15:19b). Loretta and I will visit our daughter and son-in-law in Southern California tomorrow. We look forward to spending the Easter weekend with them. If you don’t hear from me again, I wish you and your family to have a meaningful and blessed Easter celebration.
Jesus said, “Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?” (Mark 8:35-37 Message) America is in conspicuous need of unselfing. Concerned observers using the diagnostic disciplines of psychology, sociology, economics and theology lay the blame for the deterioration of our public life and the disintegration of our personal lives at the door of the self; we have a self problem and that problem is responsible for everything else that is going wrong…
In Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s extensively reported and now famous sermon to America, delivered in 1978 at Harvard University, he said, “We have placed too much hope in politics and social reforms. Only to find out that we were being deprived of our most precious possession: our spiritual life. It is trampled by the party mob in the East, by the commercial one in the West.” What the journalists did not report – not a single expert has mentioned it – is that a significant number of people are actually doing something about Solzhenitsyn’s concern… The work is prayer.
Remember. Prayer is the action that gets us in touch with and develops the most comprehensive relationships – self, God, community, creation, government, culture. We are born into a web of relationships and continue in it throughout our lifetimes. But we often don’t feel like it. We feel isolated, cut off, fragmented, out of touch. We do not tolerate such isolation very well and move out to overcome it: we call up a neighbor, join a club, write a letter, and get married. The disparate attempts accumulate. The self is less isolated. Society is less fragmented. The facts add up. But if we do not pray, they do not add up to enough: in prayer and only in prayer are we able to enter the complexity and depth of the dynamic and interrelated whole. A failure to pray is not a harmless omission; it is a positive violation of both self and the society. “Pray for us. We have no doubts about what we're doing or why, but it's hard going and we need your prayers. All we care about is living well before God. Pray that we may be together soon” (Hebrews 13:18-19 Message).
We may feel like it is a spiritual overtone to change the world through prayer. We underestimate the power of prayer. To most Christians, prayer is nothing but a religious practice of good faith or good wishes for others. We don’t necessary believe prayer can really change things. Prayer may give us positive energy and will power to deal with the unknown future. Prayer does not replace our effort or hard work to make things happen. But this is not the way people prayed in the Bible and in church history. They sincerely believe that prayer can change history and the world. Do you? As we are entering into the holy week of Easter, let’s re-affirm our faith in the ONE who can raise death to life. And He is the ONE who does not only call us to pray but to pray for us in the heavenly realm each day (Rom 8:26). He prays. He saves. He leads. He changes the world…
Love you through prayer,
Lawrence
Good morning. He is risen! Indeed our Lord is alive today!!! May Easter once again remind you of the foundation of your faith in Him! If our Lord was not raised from the dead, your faith is futile and you are to be pitied more than all men (1 Cor 15:19b). Loretta and I will visit our daughter and son-in-law in Southern California tomorrow. We look forward to spending the Easter weekend with them. If you don’t hear from me again, I wish you and your family to have a meaningful and blessed Easter celebration.
Jesus said, “Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?” (Mark 8:35-37 Message) America is in conspicuous need of unselfing. Concerned observers using the diagnostic disciplines of psychology, sociology, economics and theology lay the blame for the deterioration of our public life and the disintegration of our personal lives at the door of the self; we have a self problem and that problem is responsible for everything else that is going wrong…
In Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s extensively reported and now famous sermon to America, delivered in 1978 at Harvard University, he said, “We have placed too much hope in politics and social reforms. Only to find out that we were being deprived of our most precious possession: our spiritual life. It is trampled by the party mob in the East, by the commercial one in the West.” What the journalists did not report – not a single expert has mentioned it – is that a significant number of people are actually doing something about Solzhenitsyn’s concern… The work is prayer.
Remember. Prayer is the action that gets us in touch with and develops the most comprehensive relationships – self, God, community, creation, government, culture. We are born into a web of relationships and continue in it throughout our lifetimes. But we often don’t feel like it. We feel isolated, cut off, fragmented, out of touch. We do not tolerate such isolation very well and move out to overcome it: we call up a neighbor, join a club, write a letter, and get married. The disparate attempts accumulate. The self is less isolated. Society is less fragmented. The facts add up. But if we do not pray, they do not add up to enough: in prayer and only in prayer are we able to enter the complexity and depth of the dynamic and interrelated whole. A failure to pray is not a harmless omission; it is a positive violation of both self and the society. “Pray for us. We have no doubts about what we're doing or why, but it's hard going and we need your prayers. All we care about is living well before God. Pray that we may be together soon” (Hebrews 13:18-19 Message).
We may feel like it is a spiritual overtone to change the world through prayer. We underestimate the power of prayer. To most Christians, prayer is nothing but a religious practice of good faith or good wishes for others. We don’t necessary believe prayer can really change things. Prayer may give us positive energy and will power to deal with the unknown future. Prayer does not replace our effort or hard work to make things happen. But this is not the way people prayed in the Bible and in church history. They sincerely believe that prayer can change history and the world. Do you? As we are entering into the holy week of Easter, let’s re-affirm our faith in the ONE who can raise death to life. And He is the ONE who does not only call us to pray but to pray for us in the heavenly realm each day (Rom 8:26). He prays. He saves. He leads. He changes the world…
Love you through prayer,
Lawrence
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