Prayer: Rebelling Against the Status Quo 

​”What then, is the nature of petitionary prayer? It is, in essence, rebellion— rebellion against the world in its fallenness, the absolute and undying refusal to accept as normal what is pervasively abnormal. It is, in this its negative aspect, the refusal of every agenda, every scheme, every interpretation that is at odds with the norm as originally established by God.”

”…we find it is easy to come to terms with the unjust and fallen world around us—even when it intrudes into Christian institutions. It is not always that we are unaware of what is happening, but simply that we feel completely impotent to change anything. That impotence leads us, however unwillingly, to strike a truce with what is wrong.
In other words, we have lost our anger, both at the level of social witness and before God in prayer. Fortunately, He has not lost His; for the wrath of God is His opposition to what is wrong, the means by which truth is put forever on the throne and error forever on the scaffold. Without God’s wrath, there would be no reason to live morally in the world and every reason not to. So the wrath of God, in this sense, is intimately connected with petitionary prayer that also seeks the ascendancy of truth in all instances and the corresponding banishment of evil.”

”Our praying, therefore, should look beyond the concerns of our private lives to include the wide horizon of all human life in which God is concerned. If the Gospel is for everyone, prayer cannot restrict itself to being local.
It is not beside the point, therefore, to see the world as a courtroom in which a “case” can still be made against what is wrong and for what is right. Our feebleness in prayer happens because we have lost sight of this, and until we regain it, we will not persist in our role as litigants. But there is every reason why we should regain our vision and utilize our opportunity, for the Judge before whom we appear is neither an atheist nor corrupt, but the glorious God and Father, our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you really think, then, that He will fail to “bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry to Him night and day? Will He keep putting them off?” “I tell you,” our Lord declares, “He will see that they get justice, and quickly” (Luke 18:7-8).”

From Prayer: Rebelling Against the Status Quo.

2 Responses to “ Prayer: Rebelling Against the Status Quo  ”

  1. Amen to all of that! When all is said and done, He is on the throne of HIStory.

    Why do the nations conspire
    and the peoples plot in vain?
    2 The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
    3 “Let us break their chains
    and throw off their shackles.”
    4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
    the Lord scoffs at them. Psalm 2:1-4

  2. […] is never the answer, love is. And love does the hard things. Pray for those who are so fundamentally confused, damaged and oppressed that they can even think of […]

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