Can Prayer Change Reality?

There is a joke about an atheist who decided to open a nightclub directly across from a Church building.  The Believers were in an uproar.
They held nightly, outdoor prayer sessions begging God not to allow the club to open.

The man scoffed and went right ahead with his plans.  However, in a shocking turn of events, two weeks before the grand opening, lightning struck the club, and it burned to the ground.

The club owner sued the little group of Believers on the grounds that their prayers destroyed his club.  The group of Believers, on the other hand, denied responsibility, saying there was no direct connection between their prayers and the lightning striking the club.   

The judge reviewed the case and remarked,” Wow! Seems we have a nightclub owner who believes in the power of prayer and an entire congregation that doesn’t.”

Does prayer really make a difference?  Or is it pragmatic, diplomatic, and human efforts that determine the course of reality?  Is it the businessman’s acumen and good sense that makes him wealthy, or his prayer and God’s subsequent blessing?       
                      
                                               Is it Both?                    

 I love the story of Esther.  She was a survivor.  She teaches us that while practical actions are necessary to succeed in any endeavor, spiritual efforts have the real impact in awarding  God’s blessings.

 Haman and his people who were Agagites, have a long history of hating the Jews.  They were bent on exterminating the Mordechai and all his people.  Both peoples were taken into captivity by the Persians. Although Haman had influence with the king, Esther became his queen. Haman used his influence with king to try to eliminate all Jews in Persia.

Esther knew she had to act.  While she did indeed plan on trying the diplomatic route, she had other thoughts on her agenda as well.  She asked Mordechai, her adopted father and all Jews, to arrange a public fast for three days.  She felt that the dire situation called for fasting and imploring God to save His people.

She included herself and those around her also to do the same.   I’m sure the beautiful Esther must have looked worn and haggard after fasting and praying for three days. 

If her plan was to persuade her husband, King Ahasuerus, to save her nation, wouldn’t it be a better plan to look her best?  Rather than focus on repentance and fasting, shouldn’t she have taken a more pragmatic and polished approach?  Shouldn’t she have tried her best to find favor in the king’s eyes?  Of course, we know that she did have a plan.  One that would save her people.

But Esther was aware of the truth. She knew that the cause of the decree against the Jews was spiritual in nature.   While it was necessary to take practical action, she also knew that it was important for Divine intervention to prevent Haman from carrying out his plan of extermination.   

Esther intended to diplomatically convince the king to save the Jews, but it was her heartfelt prayer that was the catalyst for her success.  She followed up with a plan and the Jewish people were saved

For Us:  Prayer, followed by a plan of action.   Can’t go wrong with that!

          The Big Repeat/Doing Teshuvah

Most of us don’t celebrate Rosh HaShanah. It starts on September 16^th this year.   In Hebrew it means “Head of the Year”.  In other words, this is a New Year to Jews.  Following the blowing of the shofar, (those funny looking Ram’s horns) there is a big celebration.  However, this leads up to Yom Kippur. 

 There are 10 days between Rosh HaShanah and Yon Kippur called the Days of Awe.  This is when the observant Jews and Messianic Believers focus on repentance and asking forgiveness from anyone whom they have insulted or injured in anyway. Getting themselves right with God. Focusing on the wrongs they have done. We have our Messiah Jeshua/Jesus who has taken our sins and offered Himself as our repentance.  But where does that leave us? 

In Hebrew the word for repentance is teshuvah.  It’s a good word and as in most Hebrew words it has many meanings but mainly regretting and repenting of past mistakes.  As Believers, this is what we need in our lives every day. 

But after we knowingly make a mistake and repeat the same transgression again what should we do?  For example, I resolve not to speak badly of others, but after a short while I am back to my old bad habit.  Does this mean that my teshuvah was insincere? 

If we are faced with the same temptations but truly and sincerely refrain from acting on them, we have rightfully come to terms with repentance!!  But what if I repeat the error?  It is possible to have very genuine feelings of teshuvah but still mess up again. 

We’re all humans, subject to highs and lows.  We often repeat our mistakes.  It’s time for us to rethink if we are truly sincere in our repentance.  But there is more that just asking God to forgive us. 

Teshuvah, on its most basic level, consists of three ingredients: a) Remorse for the bad that was done. b) Resolving never to do the offensive act again. c) Connecting with the person or persons with whom we seek forgiveness. 

 With those thoughts in mind, you and I must examine ourselves in the light of what Jeshua teaches us.  See Matthew 18:21 as well as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Forgiveness/Repentance go hand in hand!

In seeking forgiveness and repentance, Jeshua told us to lay our gifts on the “altar” but first go to the person we have offended and seek forgiveness.

   That’s Teshuvah.

How to Find Meaning.

When we face life’s problems we are often confused where to find a meaning in our lives.  What is this business called life and how are we to live it? 

According to Freud, the primary drive of man is the pursuit of pleasure. 
Nietzsche contends it is power.  But Viktor Frankl, believes the primary goal of man is not pleasure or power, but a search for meaning. 

Viktor Frankl was a German Jew taken to various concentration camps.  He suffered for three years during the Holocaust and endured the murder of his entire family and pregnant wife.  He himself was a survivor but was witness to the atrocities that man endured while being tormented and enslaved in Germany’s worst concentration camps.  He observed that those men who lost faith or saw only the hopelessness of their life were the first to die.  Those who looked beyond the walls of their prison saw hope in the future that at some point they would be rescued were the survivors.

From his observation, Frankl wrote this little book called The Search for Meaning. When I pulled it from my library shelf, I decided to write this blog centered on his writings. 

So, if a human beings’ primary drive is the search for meaning, where do we look?  If it’s not in the Himalayas, the ashram, the shrink’s couch, the self-help section of the bookstore, the office, the lab, the studio, the field or even the sanctuary, then where?

When Moses was speaking his final words to the Hebrews before God took him, he tells us where to look. “it is not in heaven, nor is it across the sea. Rather, the matter is very near to you, in your mouth and your heart to perform it.”

What is this matter ‘that is near and dear that we are to perform? “

It’s the very words of our Messiah speaking to the scribe who came to Him.  “Rabbi, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”    

Jeshua’s reply” You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And the second is like it “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”  

And that is the challenge for us.  To walk in His ways and observing his commandments which Jesus/Jeshua clarified for us. 

When our hearts beat with the knowledge of this truth within us, then as Moses said……the “matter” is in our mouths.  It drives our speech and our actions.  It’s who we are at our core. It’s who we should be or to become. 
1.  What are three things you are looking for in your life? 
           Where have you been looking?

           2. Will external things make us happy or give us real peace? 

           3. Look within yourself.  Focus on the strength, abilities, talents
               and gifts that you have been given. Do all to help your fellow man. Seek God and His righteousness and all these things will be given you. Now how will you use these gifts?

                                      Then……………

                    You will find the true meaning of life!

                                It’s Never too Late

There is an old Jewish Rabbi who said…..”Repent one day before your death”  One of his disciples asked him does a man know on which day he will die”?  The old Rabbi answered him…….”So that being the case, you should repent today, for perhaps tomorrow you will die.  Everyday is a good day to repent.” 

None  of us knows the day we will die……. we leave that up to God.  But when considering that none of us know the answer to our death, we must be mindful that each day could be our last.  It’s a question you must ask yourself. 

Ok if today is my last day on earth I will have the Nachos Grande (with sour cream of course) an order of mozzarella cheese sticks and a pineapple mojito.  Veggie burger on a lettuce wrap? I don’t think so.

In other words, “Seize the day!” doesn’t necessarily lead me to the right place. 

Instead of pretending that today was the last day of your life, what if you were to realize, instead………. that it’s the first day of the rest of your life?  What if you could make use of each day as a gift? 

When an upset intrudes into my life, I ask myself whether this state of affairs will exist or matter at the end of my life?? I probably won’t even remember something that is bothering me now might indeed give me the healthy perspective  I need to make better choices about how to cope with future problems. 

Could projecting ourselves into the future shape better decisions for what we do today?  Perhaps we should all sit down and write a letter to our future selves.  Perhaps a simple letter written to yourself and where you want to be in 20 years or if you are like me…..perhaps five!

Can you craft a better vision for yourself?  What truly matters in life? 

Try writing your own obituary.  How do you want to be remembered?  What do you want your loved ones to say about you and to have learned from you?  What do you want to leave as your legacy?

  And then work your way backward to today and make choices that are designed to get you there.  It’s never too late to do the right things. 

You’re always one decision away from a totally different life.   Do something today your future self will thank you for:  it’s easier than you think.

1.  When writing your own obituary, how did that make you feel? Do you feel you have lived up to your full potential?  Have you lived in peace with others?  Have you done worthy things to help others feel good about themselves and shown them love and support?  How do you feel about your own life? 

2.  Think about a mistake you have made.  How did that affect you now?  Has it changed your perspective on life and doing things differently.

3.  What is something you are worried about now? Is it something fixable? Will it be something that stays with you in the future?  How will this affect your life 10 years from now?

It’s never to be late to change your life.  Its never too late to be the person you know that God wants you to be. 

It’s never too late!!