Watching for the Kingfisher

Prayer is like watching for the
Kingfisher. All you can do is
Be where he is likely to appear, and
Wait.
Often, nothing much happens;
There is space, silence and
Expectancy.
No visible sign, only the
Knowledge that he's been there,
And may come again.
Seeing or not seeing cease to matter.
You have been prepared.
But sometimes, when you've almost
Stopped expecting it,
A flash of brightness
Gives encouragement.

- Ann Lewin, Watching for the Kingfisher

you think, i thought, who confirm?

in military training, straw men are used to simulate the enemy. or in the case of bcct/bac, tyre men (think the michelin man). to this end, straw men provide useful (albeit not entirely realistic) opposition.

in philosophy, a straw man refers to an argument which misrepresents a particular position. destroying a straw man is fallacious because it only destroys the misrepresentation of a position and not the actual position.

a hedonist may allege that God is against all forms of pleasure (God isn't against all forms of pleasure), then proceed to show that God is wrong. in reality, without showing how God is against all forms of pleasure (again, God isn't against all forms of pleasure), all the hedonist has done is to show how something (not God) which is against all forms of pleasure is wrong. he has not shown (nor will he ever be able to show) that God is wrong. therefore, destroying a straw man doesn't prove anything.

ironically, philosophers take care to ensure their positions are not being misrepresented while setting up straw men of their own, calling them "thought experiments". what if God created a rock so big that He couldn't move it? what if? what? you think, i thought, who confirm?

instead,

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)

to be sure, philosophers are not the only group of people who ask "what if". writers, historians and even theologians may also ask such questions. nevertheless, the will of God is not about "what ifs", but "what is".

Psalm 93 (NIV)

The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.

The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea - the LORD on high is mighty.

Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O LORD.

not "what if", but "what is"

God reigns. God is robed in majesty. God is armed with strength. God has firmly established the world and His throne. God is from all eternity. God is mighty, mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea. God's statutes stand firm. God's holiness adorns His house for endless days.

not "what if", but "because"

"So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.""" - Genesis 3:14-15 (NIV)

what if the serpent had not deceived eve in the garden of eden? the point is not what would have happened if the serpent had not deceived eve in the garden of eden. the point is that the serpent did deceive eve in the garden of eden and as a result, sin entered the world.

"Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!" - Romans 11:11-12 (NIV)

what if the Jews had not strayed from their calling? the point is not what would have happened if the Jews had not strayed from their calling. the point is that the Jews did stray from their calling and as a result, 'there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him' (Romans 10:12, NIV).

what if the bible isn't true? it's true, it's true.

free will

i had an interesting conversation last night with one of my flatmates (who's not a christian) on free will. what is the nature of free will?

if our actions are determined by something (apart from ourselves), free will does not exist. for example, if faith is the gift of God (it is not), then we are not free to choose. we either have the ability to believe or we just don't.

however, if our actions are not determined by anything (including ourselves), free will also does not exist. if our actions are not determined by anything, we are not free to determine our actions (because our actions are not determined by anything). everything happens by chance and life is meaningless.

finally, if our actions are determined by ourselves (in and of ourselves), free will still does not exist. we cannot freely will to give ourselves free will, because we do not have the free will (prior to giving ourselves free will) to give ourselves free will.

our actions are not determined by something apart from ourselves (eg. God) or by ourselves in and of ourselves, but simply determined in accordance with God's good, pleasing and perfect will.

prayer and proving the will of God

this is in a sense the continuation of another previous post on history, human agency and the will of God.

if no one resists God's will, then why do we still need to believe? what difference does it make? this is the danger of holding on to the extreme that God's foreknowledge is independent of our faith.

on the other hand, if we can resist God's will, then why do we still need to believe? why don't we just save ourselves? this is the danger of holding on to the other extreme that God's foreknowledge is dependent on our faith.

God's foreknowledge is not independent of our faith or dependent on our faith, but simply in accordance with our faith.

proving the will of God

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." - Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)

this verse nicely captures the dynamic of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. proving the will of God is not for God's sake, far from it. God acts from eternity and is not bound by time or space. above all, God does not alter His eternal decree.

rather, proving the will of God is for your own sake (even as your proving of the will of God is in accordance with God's foreknowledge - everything is).

"You will certainly carry out God's purpose, however you act, but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John." - C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

so what's the difference?

if no one resists God's will, then why do we still need to pray? what difference does it make? that's like asking - if no one resists God's will, then why do we still need to believe?

"Prayer is the means by which God's infinite wisdom, infinite power and perfect purpose are brought together to accomplish His will. You can't be saved without believing, you can't be sanctified without obeying, and you can't enjoy the goodness of God in this life without participating in His unfolding purpose through your prayers and through your service to Him." - John MacArthur, Pray Boldly

prefaced with prayer

"One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles." - Luke 6:12-13 (NIV)

"Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."" - Matthew 26:36-39 (NIV)

every move in the life of Christ Himself is prefaced with prayer, from the choosing of the twelve apostles to the final hour before His arrest.

by prayer and petition, in accordance with God's purpose

"In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: "Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.

"'This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.'" So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down." - Isaiah 38:1-8 (NIV)

the point is not whether God delivered Hezekiah only because he prayed, or whether God would have delivered Hezekiah if he had not prayed. the point is that Hezekiah did pray and God did deliver him.

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." - 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)

our prayers are not independent of God's purpose or dependent on God's purpose, but simply in accordance with God's purpose.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

let's pray.

housemates, relationships and the will of God

i've been thinking about each of them separately, but it's intriguing to see how they all come together. to be sure (and as a caveat), there are clear differences* between choosing housemates, entering a relationship and discovering the will of God. nevertheless, the process of finding housemates and a house for the next academic year has led me to think about such things and how they flesh themselves out.

*for example, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (do not be yoked with unbelievers) does not extend to choosing housemates. there is nothing wrong with living with unbelievers in so far as 'whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, [you] do it all for the glory of God [and] do not cause anyone to stumble' (1 Corinthians 10:31-32, NIV).

to move or not to move, that is the question (like in a game of chess)

as an international student, i have the option of staying on campus for all 3 years of my course. at the same time, i've been thinking about moving off campus for the greater freedom it brings (albeit being a bit further from classes). of course, moving off campus doesn't happen overnight; first you have to find housemates, then you have to find a house.

i've been praying about it (my housemates have also been praying about it, even before some of us met each other) and God has graciously provided great housemates and a great house. i'll be staying with 3 other christians (all of whom are british) in a nice house (which was actually offered to us by a graduating senior in my small group) quite close to campus. we're really looking forward to living together next year and using our house for the glory of God.

this is not to say that we will definitely be staying together in that particular house next year (although that certainly looks to be the case). God gives and God takes away, but we have the confidence that 'if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. and if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him' (1 John 5:14-15, NIV).

God will provide the right thing at the right time; why forfeit His blessings by going for the right thing at the wrong time or the wrong thing at the right time (to say nothing of the wrong thing at the wrong time)?

there is nothing wrong with staying on campus or moving off campus. for that matter, there is nothing wrong with having christian housemates or not having christian housemates. at the end of the day, keeping God's commands and discovering His will is what counts.

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other." - John 15:9-17 (NIV)

whatever your move is, remain in Christ!

our hearts our hopes our aims are one (happy founder's day!)

The freedom of Jesus is not the arbitrary choice of one amongst innumerable possibilities; it consists on the contrary precisely in the complete simplicity of His action, which is never confronted by a plurality of possibilities, conflicts or alternatives, but always only by one thing.

This one thing Jesus calls the will of God. He says that to do this will is His meat. This will of God is His life. He lives and acts not by the knowledge of good and evil but by the will of God. There is only one will of God. In it the origin is recovered; in it there is established the freedom and the simplicity of all action.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics

The "one" will God has for us consists of a commitment to put Him first in everything. then, when we make specific decisions concerning the future, we can be confident that what we choose becomes God's will for our lives.

- Jerry Sittser, The Will of God as a Way of Life

single and free

"Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts.

Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you - although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to." - 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 (NIV)

bearing in mind 1 Corinthians 7 (marriage), there is nothing wrong with getting married or staying single. there is nothing wrong with being in a (long-distance) relationship or not being in a (long-distance) relationship. however, the only reason why i should be in a relationship is if it's according to God's will. indeed, the only reason why i should be doing anything at all is if it's according to God's will.

as john macarthur (one of the last people you might expect) affirms, 'don't worry about finding the right person, worry about being the right person. and if you're the right person, then the person God has for you will recognise you'. if you're the right person, you will have the right desires for the right person and the right person will have the right desires for you. this does not rule out the possibility of staying single and free in Christ.

holding on and letting go

before you're able to hold on to something, you must be able to let go of everything. even when you're holding on to something and it's thus far according to [your proving of] God's will (be it housemates, relationships or anything else), you must still be able to let go of it if things change* and it's no longer according to [your proving of] God's will.

*from your perspective, not from God's (God does not alter His eternal decree)

if you love something, let it go.
if it comes back, it's yours.
if it doesn't, it never was.

if you love something in Christ, let it go in Christ.
if it comes back in Christ, it's yours in Christ.
if it doesn't [come back] in Christ, it never was [yours] in Christ.*

*it might be in Christ, just not yours in Christ.