First of all, I want to thank my dear friend Michelle, for sparking my thoughts in this direction. We had a very lively and positive discussion yesterday that I think got a lot of people thinking, which is AWESOME!!!
Michelle said a great statement at the end of one of her responses yesterday:
"Stop praying and start doing!!!"
I couldn't agree more with this statement, in fact I want to spend my time today focusing on that because we also see that very statement come from God in Exodus. Now of course as I always do, I want to say a disclaimer, I'm in no way, shape or form a Biblical scholar or even that bright for what it's worth, these are just my thoughts and opinions and I'm very open to the fact that they could be wrong:)
In Exodus, we read about Moses finally leading the people out of Egypt after 400 years of slavery, and after a few days or weeks, we're really not sure-we find them camped out on the coast of the Red Sea. If you remember the story, Pharoah changes his mind again and unleashes his entire army to chase after them and to slaughter them, and that's where God intervenes, but there is a verse in Chapter 14, that a lot of us overlook, and that we do not see portrayed by Charlton Heston, Burt Lancaster or any other Moses we've seen on the silverscreen.
Exodus 14:15; The the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on!"
God is literally saying, you have cried out to me enough, you have prayed to me enough, it's time to stop praying and start doing, get moving. There are three or four translations, that literally say "Stop Praying, and go!"
I love this passage because I believe that it speaks volumes about who we are called to be as Christ Followers! Is God saying that prayer is bad? NO WAY! Prayer is a means of communication with God, as well as a daily chance to just converse and build a relationship, but at some point YOU have to act in faith!
Too many people I know sit in a reactionary mode to God. They pray for what they want, or sometimes they even pray for God's will to be done, but they NEVER ACTIVELY SEEK IT OUT!!! Jesus said, "I have come so that you may have life and life to the fullest." That's really hard to experience when all you do is exist in a way that waits for everything to be done for you. God also created these brains and bodies for us to use them. We need to actively engage them in a way that is constatnly seeking truth and trying to find out what we are being called to in this world.
I guess what I'm saying is that at some point you have to get off the bench and join in the game if you want to experience all that God has to offer. Now, that being said, do not expect God to give you all these desires that you want such as wealth or fame. What I can say is, "Expect the unexpected."
Michelle, I want to thank you for sparking a thought that has been a huge growth for me in the past few months already. I know we believe different things, but I also know that I love you to death and value your friendship and opinions:) Thanks!!!
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You have no idea how timely this is. I've been explaining this to a friend who is in a very bad situation. I've been trying to help her realize that sitting at home and praying is good, but it's not enough. She needs to act and stand up and fight for what God wants for her.
ReplyDeleteWe can't sit by and pray and pray and expect that God will drop a job in our laps, we have to seek out a job and apply and be proactive in making sure that we get what God has in store for us. Just as much as we can't sit on the bench and expect to score a goal.
I love this! Thanks Michelle for bringing it up and Travis for saying it. I will share it with my friend.
Chrisi, thanks TONS!!! For your invaluable input on the previous blogs:) It's been nice learning more about you and your beliefs. Keep responding because I love reading them and feeling challenged by them:)
ReplyDeleteGlad I could be of assistance:) Thanks to everyone for sharing their personal stories in the comments on the last post. I can honestly say that this is the most friendly group of Christians I have come across in a while.
ReplyDeleteI guess for me the most frustrating part of this whole religion thing is that I don't get it. I usually try to see things from the other side's point of view and while I may not agree I can at least appreciate where they are coming from. Like I personally support a woman's right to choose, but I get it that some people consider abortion murder and to them it's a bigger issue. That just doesn't happen for me with religion in a way that makes sense to me. I guess the fundamental difference here is a huge one and I have to accept that it will probably never make sense to me, but I still enjoy the discussion anyway.
Michelle, it's great you are willing to talk to us. I don't know that any of us will fully understand all of it, not until we die. I think there are things we can understand and things we can't or won't for some reason or another. God is very HUGE and even for us Christians, can be difficult to wrap our minds around. I suppose that's why we call it "faith."
ReplyDeleteIt's great to have you here, I always enjoy hearing the other side too. Sometimes I don't understand thoughts and feelings until someone like yourself is willing to share. It really helps me grasp concepts that aren't in my personal belief system. It's really helped me in learning that we are all on this earth together and we aren't supposed to be "divided" even though we believe differently. So many people are at "war" with those that don't. It's fine to disagree, to discuss, but ultimately we are to love each other. Thanks again!
Wow!!! Can I just say that I love getting so many different perspectives on the world in which we live. Michelle, Chrisi, thanks for your thoughts, and honestly, keep them coming, I love growing personally and gaining perspective. It can only make us stronger in who or what we believe. And Chrisi, right on, I think the biggest agreement that we can all agree on is that were in this together regardless of beliefs and we can love each other and respect each other without believing the same things:) Michelle, totally off subject, My wife told me to let you know that she thinks Miles is ADORABLE!!! Just thought you'd want to hear bragging about your awesome baby boy:)
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