As I was on my way home the other day, I over heard the conversation of a couple of schoolgirls on the LRT. Initially it was about school (as with all students), then it gradually led to co-curriculum (what else is there in the life of a student?). They were discussing the activities they were involved in, and the conversation was something like this:
Girl 1: Hey, how's your Buddhist Society?
Girl 2: It's fine...
Girl 1: What do you guys do in the Buddhist Society? Is it fun? Do you like... meditate all the
time?
Girl 2: (chuckles) No! It is actually quite fun.
Then they rattled on and on about some chants which were supposed to be chanted on certain occasions for certain specific requests. After a while, she took out some cards from her bag, on which were printed the chants she was telling her friends.
Girl 1: Look, here are some of the chants... This is for... and this is for... (passes the cards
around)
Girl 3: Are they effective?
Girl 1 & 2: Yea... of course they are!
Upon hearing this, I started to pay even more attention to their conversation. What she said really sparked my interest. Effective? What does she mean by 'effective'? Well, I guess it means that when they say the 'prayers', the gods will answer at once and give them all that they ask for. When they ask for straight As, an 'effective' god will give them straight As and so on. In corporate terms, they want to see results.
Makes me wonder about us Christians. Are we like that sometimes? When we pray and ask God for something, we expect Him to answer us immediately, and not just give us any answer, but give us a "yes" to whatever we are asking for. How different are we, then, from the others? We often distinguish ourselves from others by saying that Christianity is not just a religion, it is a relationship with God. But I think it is time we consider how we treat this relationship.
Chinese especially, like to pray to gods (and ghosts too), to ask for health and wealth. We label a god as 'real' when we get what we asked for. If we don't get it, we say the god is 'ineffective'. How interesting..... Many after converting to Christianity, still carry this mindset along. We pray when we are facing a problem, asking God to provide a solution. We want to see the result when our prayer is being answered. When the answer is not the one we are expecting, we question God, or when He is silent, we start doubting His existence. What difference is there to a cork used to stop the hole in a barrel? What happened to all the talk on 'faith'?
It is time we start to consider how we are treating our God. Is this a relationship or is this a religion like any other? I am sure when we ask our parents for anything, we do not expect them to always answer us in the way we want them to. Yes, it is desirable to get the answer we want, but it is not always the case. They may say no because they have a better answer for us, or they may just tell us to wait. It is also the case with God.
And mind you people, praying to God is not a stopgap measure for your problems. I have seen my friend putting a picture of her god on the table while sitting for an exam. It does not help you get straight As, dear. No matter of what religion you are, such an act of desperation in a time of desperation is not cherished. Praying, just like chit-chatting, is an acticvity of pleasure for me. It is more of an outlet for me to pour out my heart's deepest worries than as a remedy to my problems.
So, dear friends, do not treat God like a plaster to stop the bleeding or to take Him as a stopgap measure for your problems. Treat Him as a friend to whom you can pour out your heart and your soul.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
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4 comments:
Yea, we shouldn't only rely on God but we should also rely on our own strength in times of desperation, such as our exams. Praying is never a stopgap measure to our problems.
We have to be patient and we cannot expect God to keep on giving us an answer immediately. There are times where God would say no to our requests and we have to learn to accept it.
well...for me, we are supposed to rely FULLY on God. We are not to rely on our own strength at all. It doesn't mean we juz sit back and wait passively for God to do stuff. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 says,
"You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today."
Even the strength to do our daily tasks (exams, work, etc)come from God. therefore, whatver we do, we still rely on God since even the ability to do these things come from Him.
prayer simply means talking with God. futhermore, its a gift and a grace of God. without Jesus' atoning work on the cross, we can't even enter God's presence,what more talk with Him! In addition, He is not only our friend but He is also our heavenly and sovereign Father.
God is sovereign. That means He can do what He sees fit and His decision or plan is not dependent on us at all. so, what happens after we pray really depends on how God wants to answer. be prepared for a surprise! ;)
Soli Deo Gloria!!
Hi, guys! thanks for taking the time to read my post. hmm... interesting views you guys have. well, I think what I meant in my post is that, we shouldn't just pray and hope that God will do everything for us when we sit and shake our legs. As my Dad says, "You do your best and God will do the rest." However, this certainly does not mean you should trust God any less. Pray and trust God to carry out the best for you, but at the same time, you should also do whatever is in your power. Don't get me wrong, guys, I'm not saying that you should reduce your reliance on God, because you'll never know what amazing things He can do when you place your trust wholly in Him!
To God be the Glory!
ah..yes yes. very true. the point i am making is this: even the 'whatever in our power' comes from God. therefore, our reliance must rest soley and only on Him no matter what. i dun hv to put Proverbs 3:5-6 here. i think u all know what it says. notice words like 'all' meaning totalilty.
Soli Deo Gloria!
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