Ahoy and welcome to the weekend. As always I hope this blog finds you well and leaves you encouraged. This week we continued our perpetual study with 1st Timothy Ch. 2.
We experience hard times, people in our lives experience hard times, and even our country experiences hard times. What are we to do in the midst of all the turmoil? What can we do? Paul's answer to his apprentice Timothy is to pray. If you are like me you have a lukewarm response to that guidance. Prayer sounds good in theory to me but at times feels more like a lack of action and it's left me wanting something decisive to drive on. But maybe I've had the wrong perspective on prayer. In the blog today we'll explore what Paul is getting at and how this isn't a call to sit on our hands, rather a recognition of where and what we can impact.
“The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.”
We all want change for the better right? And I think if you asked each of us individually we could provide some actions that would make ours and those in our immediate vicinity's lives better. However, when you step back to see the 2nd and 3rd order effects, our actions may not seem so immediately attractive. The truth is we only grasp a fraction of the world around us. That fraction will typically increase with age and wisdom, but I submit we never achieve full realization.
As a Mechanical Engineering student I was oft tasked to optimize the efficiency of various systems. The challenging aspect is that a change in one variable affects all the other pieces as well. Therefore to optimize efficiency you would have to enter a long system of equations into computing software. Done correctly, the program yields a solution, however any error in your equations would render the entire system unsolvable and send you back to your start point. I think our world is not dissimilar. However, as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, we are never able to factor in all the effects. Their totality is beyond our comprehension.
It's not however beyond God's comprehension. And I think that is why Paul is so adamantly urging Timothy here to first pray. God actually sees it all and can effectively guide us through this seemingly ambiguous world. Without the right perspective, we can easily find ourselves trudging down a direction that doesn't produce our intended effects. The act of prayer alone is an expression of humility in that it is an admission of wisdom beyond yourself.
Note also that Paul is not saying 'only pray', but 'first pray.' There is still plenty of action to be taken and we should not be stymied by uncertainty. There will never be absolute clarity but if we continue to scrutinize our efforts and remain open to correction, we can find ourselves continuing down the right path. We should pray and then be about the work we have been tasked to achieve. For we are called to fully experience this life, to make an impact, and not remain mere spectators.
Our practical takeaway is this: 1. Realize you don't know/understand everything, 2. In humility pray and seek guidance, 3. Start your actions, and 4. repeat the process to remain on the right course.
I hope this renews your vigor for prayer and ultimately makes this world a better place. Share with a friend and don't forget to like and leave a comment.
-the contrary disciple.