Tension in supplication

I love that Christians lead the way in adoption and attempt to come along side those making the tough choice to carry a child they will not be raising. There are any number of beautiful reasons to adopt.

One thing I have noticed, however, is that it can often lead to odd prayer requests.

Here is what I mean.

Under any normal circumstance, we would (as Christians) assert that a mother and a father should step up and take care of their responsibilities. We would urge them to love their children and sacrifice their own wants and time and energies to raise the child they have been given. This is ideally speaking of course.

I understand there are any number of circumstances where this ideal is note achieved.

However, I have a hard time praying that the father of a child potentially up for adoption would forego any paternal instincts and walk away from his child. I know this is easier for the prospective adoptive parents and possible for the child. It may even be that this is the "best" possible outcome given the less-than-ideal circumstances.

It just feels weird to me. It is hard to ask God to harden the heart of a dad or mom toward their child that they might sign the papers more quickly, even if the prospective adoptive parents are Christian brothers and sisters (who may be unable to have children on their own for whatever reason God has determined for them).

I do not presume to have any answers or hard-and-fast opinions on the matter that are well-gounded, Biblically-grounded, and a point of division.

I am merely hoping to raise this as a question of interest. Has anyone else ever been conflicted by this phenomena? Is it right to pray that a teen mom or dad would voluntarily close their heart to their child? Not just give them up, but give up on them? It is a weird thing to pray? Is it possible that somewhere another group of Christians are praying for that prospective adoptive mother to reconsider and raise her child?

Be Thou My Vision

Listen HERE.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Do you Take Notes?

I was reading through the Bible today and read these words...

Romans 11:22

Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Have you ever taken note of this? We know from earlier in this epistle the purpose of God's kindness. We know from this chapter as well that God's wrath and severity are for those who do not believe and break faith.

The watershed that is the Cross of Christ is so paramount that it is simulataneously a robust demonstration of God's kindness and severity.

Our God is a consuming fire. Our LORD is a long-suffering, patient, Holy, loving, Father.

Note this.

Perfect, Patient, Glor'ous

The LORD in child did seek to dwell
And knit together in a womb
The chosen seed of Israel
Came down a babe aimed toward a tomb
By Holy Spirit was conceived
The Word of God veiled in our flesh
The true and promised Son of Eve
One born to die to disarm death

Refrain:
For unto us a Child is born
This perfect, patient, glor’ous morn
The Child though slain now lives and reigns
This perfect, patient, glor’ous day

Ancient of Days a babe became
The boundless God in skin was bound
As meek and mild came He to save
The timeless Lord in time was found
A toddler by Whom worlds were kept
A child in Whom no sin was birthed
A lad from Whom existence lept
Who walked on land; Who made the earth

Refrain

A Man immortal rent His life
And shed all glory to Him owed
That by His death no more shall die
The sinless LORD with thorns was crowned
Upon a tree razed by our sweat
A Savior died, Good News to all
By God’s design, by Jesus’ death
The second Adam felled the Fall

Refrain

That day unlike all passed before
A Savior born, Good News to all
That God with us our flesh has worn
And righteous found our toil He calmed
That day unlike all passed before
When Child o’er Whom His Father wept
Became our sin, and wrath He bore
For pierced and crushed paid He our debt

Refrain

~ an original poem/hymn by Todd Henry Van Voorst

All roads lead to Romans

What if I were to tell you that God chooses some people and not others. That He picks on the basis of His own wisdom and not on the basis of our merit, work, value, desire, sincerity, or usefulness.

I would guess you would say something like THIS.

Paul anticipated this backlash to his assertion and addressed it in the same context of the text of Romans 9.

This is a difficult text and not to be handled lightly or by the light-hearted. I know your knee-jerk reaction is to immediately assume he can't mean what it sounds like he means. Smarter people than me have debated this passage and the implications thereof since Paul wrote it.

It is clear from Scripture, that a lot of what Paul was given by the Spirit to articulate is difficult to flesh out in our minds and many will use this as opportunity to distort the Truth.

I am not a Biblical scholar by any means. This is a difficult assertion. It challenges many of our assumptions (particularly as westerners lustfully yoked to independence and "you can be whatever you are willing to work to achieve.").

But it is worth noting that the Spirit inspired Paul to write it and addresses the very reaction one would expect to hearing it.

Sometimes things are not what they seem. Sometimes we want things to be other than what they seem. Sometimes things are exactly what they seem.

Paul foresaw by the Spirit the reaction to this bold assertion of the extent of God's sovereignty HERE & HERE.

Is God sovereign? Really sovereign? Can He really do what he wants? Does His sovereignty make you uncomfortable? Is God subject to the court of public opinion? If not the public's opinion, what about yours?

You have the internet and the links to Romans 9 above. How do you read?

Consignment

I was reading the Bible and came across this statement:

Romans 11:32

For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

God's desire is to have mercy. He enjoys it. The verse above states specifically that He desires to have mercy on all. In order to do this, He consigns all of them to disobedience.

"No one's perfect after all."
"Everyone makes mistakes."

These maxims are true. No one of us is perfect. We all do fall short. But that is not a license to aim for imperfection and strive to mistake.

God does not love our disobedience, but perhaps it is good that it exists in that it provides the opportunity for Him to provide mercy. This is not me saying that evil is good or even implying it. Evil is not good. Whatever God desires and designs is good. We do not get to determine good and then hold God to it. God does what He wants and what He wants is good (even if it offends our better judgments).

From Barnes' notes on the Bible:

"The word translated here "consigned" sunekleise, is rendered in the margin "shut them all up together." It is properly used in reference to those who are shut up in prison, or to those in a city who are shut up by a besieging army."

We are all imprisoned because of our disbelief. In the words of "And Can It Be That I Should Gain."

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

God is a God of mercy because we are a people who deserve imprisonment. It is not God's desire that we be imprisoned, but it is His love and justice to imprison rebels and then in mercy, show them grace.

Before The Throne

Listen HERE.

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on his hands,
My name is written on his heart;
I know that while in heaven he stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace!
One in himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by his blood
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God

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