PRAYING TO GOD OR PRAISING GOD?

In Augustine’s confessional search for God, he asks God to grant him a special insight.

“Grant me, Lord, to know and understand whether a man is first to pray to you for help or praise you, and whether he must know you before he can call you to his aid.” (Confessions, I.1.2)

Perhaps in our own Christian life and daily walk with God we, too, have struggled with this same question. And, perhaps it comes out this way for us: When I get up in the morning, what is the first thing I should do—pray for God’s help for the day, or begin in praise?

Augustine answers in own question this way: “Those who look for the Lord will cry out in praise to him.”Perhaps, then, it is not an either or choice, rather, seeking God’s help and praising God can be intertwined together.

The notion of knowing God and seeking Him is a concern for writers of the New Testament for their first Christian readers. For example, listen to the writer of the book of Hebrews:  “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

I think it is clear that faith in God and knowing God comes before praying and praising God. This makes sense because it means that earnest seeking after God and  a personal knowing of God precedes some kind of faithful response to God because of the relationship.

Seeking earnestly after God and believing that He  exists seems to be a hurdle for many. But our faithful life lived in covenant relationship with God is nurtured by prayer and praise only after we have earnestly sought after God and completed invested our destiny in believing that God exists.

Think how each day is transformed from something mundane into an exciting spiritual journey when we are earnestly seeking God because we vigorously and exuberantly believe in Him! May our daily walk then be lived in the context of prayer and praise as we respond to God’s care and compassion.

In Christian love, Curtis

THE ONLY WAY WE CAN BE AT REST (3)

You may remember last week that we reflected again on the famous opening quote of Augustine’s timeless classic, Confessions.   In Book I, chapter 1, paragraph 1 there is the following famous insight about human beings: “The thought of You (O God) stirs man so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you” (Saint Augustine’s Confessions,  translated by R.S. Pine-Coffin. 1961; 1983 reprint; New York, NY: Penguin Book Classics; page 21).

             The phrase we want to focus on this week is: “because you made us for yourself.” In one short phrase Augustine has encapsulated rather succinctly the purpose for human beings. God made us for Himself. This implies at the following: covenant, calling, partakers of the divine nature, and love.

            We are in covenant relationship with God through Christ. God made us for his own glory, and we participate in that glory when we surrender to Jesus Christ. This is why conversion is so powerful. It is relinquishing self to God.

            We are called and chosen by God. This gives us our identity. God initiated this calling, and when we respond we are only returning to Him who made us.

            We are partakers of the divine nature. Because God made us for himself, we are not surprised that New Testament writers remind us that we participate and partake of the divine nature. Our very soul yearns for the God who made us.

            We are loved and beloved. The first  reminds us that we are the object of God’s love, and the second reminds us that we stand every moment in the state of being beloved. That is who we are.

“Because you made us for yourself”---This has been the great failing of historic Christianity—religious movements and activities tend be self-centered and not God-centered. If we take Augustine’s statement seriously, then everything changes for the glory of God!      

 In Christian love, Curtis

THE ONLY WAY WE CAN BE AT REST (2)

You may remember last week that we reflected on the famous opening quote of Augustine’s timeless classic, Confessions.   In Book I, chapter 1, paragraph 1 there is the following famous insight about human beings:“The thought of You (O God) stirs man so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you” (Saint Augustine’s Confessions,  translated by R.S. Pine-Coffin. 1961; 1983 reprint; New York, NY: Penguin Book Classics; page 21).

             In addition to the thought of God stirring us deeply, the second thing that Augustine raises in this insight about human beings is what makes us content. What does it mean to be “content,” and how does this idea fit into the Christian life? “Content” means a deep, inner feeling of satisfaction. It carries the idea of one’s being free from turmoil, anxiety and angst because of fulfillment.

            Augustine hits the nail on the head when he maintains that contentment is based on and expressed by human beings praising God. This is because the words we use to praise God have a two-fold effect: honoring God and shaping the one who utters those words of praise. In short, words of praise shape a contented heart!

            We cannot be content unless we praise God. The implications of this reality are enormous. Perhaps this is why we find so many people today discontented: praise is not a part of their life, either personally or communally. This praise can take the form of hymns/songs, prayers, doxology, and quiet contemplation in the presence of God. Do we intentionally make praise a part of life, and are we thereby contented people?

In Christian love, Curtis

THE ONLY WAY WE CAN BE AT REST (1)

Augustine’s Confessions is a journey into a Christian leader’s journal of struggle, openness and brokenness. This timeless classic is the first example of a Christian leader (after the Apostle Paul) of opening up his heart to his readers. It is a profound example of humility and a genuine search for God. In Book I, chapter 1, paragraph 1 there is the following famous insight about human beings:“The thought of You (O God) stirs man so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you” (Saint Augustine’s Confessions,  translated by R.S. Pine-Coffin. 1961; 1983 reprint; New York, NY: Penguin Book Classics; page 21).

            I am struck by Augustine’s initial phrase…”The thought of You (O God)…” It makes me want to ask, “What kind of thoughts about God stir us deeply?” Over the years, without really being aware of it, my own experience, study and relationship with God has been slowly but surely answering that question intuitively. Right now, here are some of the thoughts about God that stir me so deeply. What about you?

1.      The awesome creative power of God.

2.      The unfailing love of God.

3.      God’s covenant commitment to me no matter what.

4.      The absolute trust I can place in His care for me.

5.      His comfort as a loving Heavenly Father.

6.      His image planted within me (Imago Dei).

7.      His utter forgetfulness when he forgives my sins!

8.      His being as the very source of truth and reality

9.      Everything beautiful (tob, Hebrew) and good as part of his original design on the earth

10.  His desire to be sought after and found

11.  His absolute opposition to anything evil

12.  His sovereign rule and power over the universe

13.  The relinquishing of his son for sinful humanity

14.  The incarnation

15.  Three beings in one (Godhead/Trinity)

16.  Mystery of God’s plan unveiled in Jesus

17.  His eternal presence in heaven

No doubt you can add to this list. But each one of these areas raises the hair on the back of my neck as I contemplate the very existence of God. I pray that I will never get to the point in my life where these cease to stir my heart deeply! 

In Christian love, Curtis