His, Of Course

         I originally wrote that all posts under the label of Amateur Apologetics would be my thoughts on biblical matters. Before I begin, some clarification about the title is needed.

        I have never been to seminary, bible school, or any other place where I would have been taught how to apply logic and reasoning to defend the Christian faith. In that sense, I am indeed an amateur apologetist. However, I am using the word amateur in the title as it was used in the late nineteenth century, as someone who does something as a hobby rather than as a job. As with any hobby, one is a little shaky when they first start something and I expect that I'll make mistakes. But by God's grace I will get better as I learn more.

       That said, I saw something on the way to work that made me think.

        I work at my school library and to get there I have to walk by this church which I won't name for privacy reasons. By this church is a large billboard with changing slides indicating what services are offered--e.g. morning services, a nursery, who teaches what sermon, etc.--probably with the intent to give a taste of what prospective church-seekers will find there. Normally, while too technical for me, I wouldn't have a problem with this practice. What bothered me, however, was that one of their slides said something to the effect that this church was "praying that God would allow us our desires and satisfy all our plans."

       I disagree with this banner for a couple of reasons.

       First, we must remember that Jesus taught us to pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10), not our own. It must have been important for Jesus' disciples to realize  fulfilling God's desires comes before fulfilling our own, since it is listed before asking for preservation, forgiveness, and freedom from temptation in the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6: 9 - 15). Since Christians are called to prayer every day, and since we are instructed to pray in that way, we'd be reminded of the idea on a regular basis.

        It's worth noting that Jesus must have been serious about the distinction of whose will needs fulfilling, since he prayed that God's will be done, and not his own moments before he was betrayed and killed (Matthew 26:39). If the man who knew no sin prays that God's will be done and not his own, should we do less?

        I understand that this church does not imply that our needs and desires come before God's. Their intent is most likely to be encouraging and uplifting, which I have no issue with. My concern is when, in our encouragement, we use words that might mislead our brothers and sisters in their thinking. Therefore, my advice to this church would be to alter their slide just a bit. Why not have it read "May God use you in a way to glorify him and fulfill his will on earth as it is in Heaven"? After all, it should be our delight to do God's will (Psalm 40:8) and what could be more encouraging than the knowledge that someone is praying that for us?

       A closing thought: whose ends are you out to accomplish in your life? His, or yours?