by Frank Turk
My wife tells the story of how, as she and her brother and sister grew up, and they started to spend time out of the house and without direct parental supervision, her mom would always tell her, "If you don't like it, you call and Daddy will come get you." I am temped to give the invasively-curious a further anecdote on how this has informed my life as her husband and the father of her children. We'll save that for another day.
Yesterday Dan tweeted this:
My wife tells the story of how, as she and her brother and sister grew up, and they started to spend time out of the house and without direct parental supervision, her mom would always tell her, "If you don't like it, you call and Daddy will come get you." I am temped to give the invasively-curious a further anecdote on how this has informed my life as her husband and the father of her children. We'll save that for another day.
Yesterday Dan tweeted this:
It probably flew under your radar because you're not following Dan on Twitter even though Twitter takes great pains to remind you (as above) that you shouldn't miss any updates from Dan. That's your loss in general, but today we're going to point out why.
Dan has a spectacular book which almost everyone who has read raves about -- called The World-Tilting Gospel. You may have heard of it, though not through the normal channels of bloggers well-known for linking to free publisher giveaways and good discounts -- a sociological effect which, frankly, we have our best men working on with no reasonable explanation. And in it, he talks about a specific prayer which, I think, ought to speak to us as we think about Dan's Tweetflection on Isa 62:6-7. Here -- let me quote it out for you:
So in one sense, when the true Israel -- that is Jesus -- prays for God's will to be done, he is the watchman on the wall who gives God the Father no rest until he (God) makes Jerusalem a praise on the Earth. That is, Jesus is doing what God told Israel to do, and of course God does everything Jesus asks.
But think on this, my readers and blog-friends: if God has answered, and is answering, and will answer this prayer from Jesus, it means that God must, therefore, answer your prayers when they are for the same thing that Jesus is asking for here. When you pray for God to glorify the Son, to give over those who ought to be given, and to see that they will keep God's promise (that is: his word), God answers that prayer.
In that sense, when you call him, he will come get you. In fact: he wants you to call on him -- he wants you to remind him and even never let him have rest until he has done what he promised to do. He's your Father and not merely some stoic sky-judge who issues functionary decrees.
Be in the Lord's house with the Lord's people on the Lord's day this weekend, and see how many times he has already done this. It should be an encouragement to you.
16 comments:
Good to know that there is Someone who answers my need rather than my merit.
Thanks, Frank. This blog is an encouragement to me almost as much as being at my local church worshipping our great God and Savior with other believers. Not only for the encourgaing posts like thizs one, but to see men dedicated to contending earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
As long as we stay an "almost," we thank you for your kind words.
:-)
Funny thing, I bought the book a few days ago and just read this part yesterday. It's good to know that nothing catches God by surprise and that when we pray for Him to be glorified in our lives He gladly answers it!
Thanks, Brian. I really appreciate your getting the book, and pray it's a blessing and a help to you.
Frank,
If you ever become more than an "almost", y'all can feel free to aim me in the direction of a few posts on the importance of being a member at a local church. And by being a member, I don't mean just filling out a form.
WOW! This was a good one! Thanks Frank (and Dan)
"Dan has a spectacular book which almost everyone who has read raves about -- called The World-Tilting Gospel. You may have heard of it, though not through the normal channels of bloggers well-known for linking to free publisher giveaways and good discounts -- a sociological effect which, frankly, we have our best men working on with no reasonable explanation."
I think there is a reasonable explanation (reasonable as in "there is an explainable reason", not "there is good, reasoned, explanation). As a 'leaky canoner', I have been on the receiving end of Dan's sharp, no-nonsense, pugnacious, take no prisoners approach to dialogue. It's not fun. Combine that with his scriptural acumen, and his clear and at times brilliant writing, and it can be downright miserable.
Since the "bloggers well-known for linking to free publisher giveaways and good discounts" have also been on the receiving end of the above, I don't think it would be surprising if he wasn't high on the "let's promote this guy" lists.
I hope I am wrong. I hope that what I just said has nothing to do with it. But it is the obvious thing that comes to mind, considering the content of the book itself makes it something they should be trumpeting.
I have stuck around and been edified for years despite my position on da gifts because (a) being challenged by those wiser than me is good, even if not fun, and(b)why in the world would I miss out on the vast store of biblical wisdom offered here and on your individual sites just because you think I am dead wrong on an issue? Hopefully the content of the book will ultimately trump any personality issues in play. If that is indeed the reason.
Feel free to delete this post if you feel it is inappropriate.
Joey:
Off-topic. It's a side comment from me, and we're going to leave it at that. You're making a commentary on the hearts of men which are unfounded and unsubstantiated.
That's fair warning to anyone else who wants to turn my brand of pointed, black comedy into a rumor mill. Future comments trying to elaborate on something they have no first-hand knowledge of will get deleted.
Frank,
You are right of course. My bad.
Well, the Tweet flew under my radar because I was in the midst of what felt like a tsunami of things, none of which seemed at the time to have anything to do with the Kingdom, and I didn't really think on it.
So now you've explained on it, and I've spent the morning thinking on this piece of it....
...it means that God must, therefore, answer your prayers when they are for the same thing that Jesus is asking for here...
There is a sense in which twelve hour kid-wrangling marathons and relationship conflicts and work uncertainties all fit there, as long as we ask in the context of what Jesus asks. Which, in my case, isn't always what's being asked......
We do need to pray. We have not because we pray not. And sometimes when we pray to our Father our hearts are so self-focused; not not we can't be somewhat self-focused, because we always are.
We have a Father who loves us. And that love is way greater than our most genuine and sincere love we could ever have. It's an affectionate love, and a holy love.
Thanks for the good word.
"He's your Father and not merely some stoic sky-judge who issues functionary decrees."
Amen.
And our Savior is our Brother, and our Friend; as He surely is our Lord most of all.
Have a terrific Lord's Day! I absolutely love to worship our Lord, and hear His Word proclaimed. There's no better place to be than in the Temple of our Father.
@Frank:
Consider me among the invasively curious. I'd love to hear that anecdote.
Frank:
This is a good post and a good reminder to us to pray for God to bring about His glorious purposes in the redemption of a people unto Himself from every tribe, language, and nation—just as Jesus Christ did in the upper room, as the everlasting King of Israel, and our thrice-anointed Prophet, Priest, and King.
That being said, your implication in the post seems to be that God commanded Israel to pray for the fulfilment of His purposes in Isaiah 62:6-7; that Jesus Christ as the true Israel fulfilled that command; and that we should do the same, since if He prayed for it, we should pray for it, too.
I would humbly submit that when we pray in this way, it is we—you, he, she, I—who are directly answering His command to us, His already-redeemed people, for the redemption of the full number of His elect from the ends of the earth and its farthest corners, and their ingathering into the mountain of Yahweh:
"You who put Yahweh in remembrance, take no rest, and give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth."
So indeed we are to pray for the same things our King has prayed for, not only because the Son has prayed according to what the Father commanded, but also because we are directly commanded to do the very same thing.
No matter how one interprets it, however, it's a good exhortation and reminder to all of us, not least of all myself, who am so often so remiss in my prayers.
And to God alone—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—be all the praise and all the glory, from everlasting to everlasting.
I never miss a Sunday.
I almost always pray before I go, that I'm expecting something, and sure enough, without fail, God answers and meets that need.
Whether it's more grace, more power to make through another week, more comfort.
Saturdays and Sundays are the best days of the week for me.
Wow, Frank. Thanks for that great insight on Isaiah, and on Dan. It really means a lot to me.
Now I want to go get this book.
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