Recently, I was wondering about prayer. Some things seem to get answered, but others do not. Why is this? How do we know when we are praying in accordance with God’s will? Then, as I was thinking, suddenly, a weird Bible verse came to mind. It appears twice in the book of Judges.
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judg. 17:6, Judg. 21:25)
That verse bookmarks arguably the most offensive account in the Bible. It features, a Levite, an uncaring father, a concubine being raped to death, a genocide of retaliation, another genocide against a village that refused to participate, and finally a mass kidnapping with forced marriages. It makes me ask: “Why is this in the Holy Bible? What can we learn from it? And most of all, why did it come to my attention while I was pondering how to pray?”
As I wrestled with this, I recalled a time earlier in my life. I had just sold my computer business and was having trouble finding work. I applied for teaching positions at a number of Christian universities, but nothing was forthcoming. We were quickly running through our savings. Something had to be done and I was determined to do it.
After some prayer, the solution seemed clear cut. I put our home up for sale, we moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, and I launched another small business. These steps were all my doing. I say this because I don’t really recall being open to considering other options. It was obvious what had to be done, and I was convinced that I had everything under control. Well, things did not go well. Nine disastrous months followed. My kids were not accepted in their new schools. My younger son got hooked on drugs when he started hanging out with the rebellious kids. My older son was doubly unhappy because he had to leave his high school friends in his senior year. On top of all of this, the new business was not doing very well. I now know that God walked with us through it all, but he didn’t seem to be doing anything. I was in control, not him.
What was the upshot of this? After six months, in March, one of the Christian universities managed to track me down. They wanted to know if I was still interested. An interview was arranged which led to a job offer. And so, my second career as a college professor began. If I only had the patience to stay put. Everything would have worked out without any of the turmoil. God’s timing trumped my impatience.
You might ask, “How much did you pray before making your decision?” My answer: “Every day.” As I reflect back though, things were not so black and white. I prayed with my mind already made up. Finances were bad. We had to move. Of course, God would agree. How could he not? When I talked to him, I was the only one speaking. I confess. I still have this problem. I talk. I might even ask something. Then after a short pause, the patience is gone. I start talking again. Who wants to wait for an impression, or maybe even a reply? Besides, what if the answer is something crazy? I certainly wouldn’t want that. With an attitude like this, God’s is likely going to say: “Since you’ve got your mind made up, do what you want.” I seem to remember my mom telling me this kind of thing from time to time as I was growing up.
Another verse comes to mind. Others like this show up in many places throughout the book of Proverbs:
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. (Prov. 12:15)
This, I think, is the real point of the biblical account in Judges that I mentioned above. It is a lesson that we all have to learn. When we go it on our own, there is no limit to how bad things might become. This is especially true if we compromise our ethics for the sake of expedience. The woman’s father should have listened to his daughter. The Levite should not have turned her over to the mob, who in turn should not have gotten drunk and acted so terribly. Genocide is never an answer and neither is kidnapping. Were these really God’s people? It is hard to see how. Events can scale downward with no bottom when we turn away from goodness.
I could object. I didn’t compromise my values when we moved to Pennsylvania. That, however, is not an excuse. I did do what was right in my own eyes. God faithfully walked with my family through the whole experience. Nevertheless, because it was my idea, he didn’t do anything. He simply waited till things unraveled. In the end, the opportunity that he had in mind came through anyway, just when it was supposed to.
What have I learned? Be patient. Listen in prayer. Seek council from friends who might have valid independent perspectives. Read scripture and give the Spirit a chance. She will bring subtle insights to light as we are led into all truth. If we can learn to do these things, just maybe we can be confident that we are praying in accordance with God’s will. Going it alone takes us over a rocky and treacherous path. It is not worth it.
Thanks for listening,secondlooknow.com
Yes, how well I remember those days….how often I have done this myself.
God is faithful, just the same.
It’s a hard lesson learned.
I stopped on the first line wondering if there’s some way to know when a weird Bible verse is incoming, so I can duck. Hang on. I hope to return shortly.
OK.
I’m glad I listened to the rest of it.
Now I’m going away to ponder a bit.
Thank you, Dan.