EXC Daily Office: But Does Not the Father Guide the Son?

So, Lord, I've been struck today as I continue to think about Deuteronomy 6 with the thoughts of passing on my passion (or lack of it) to my son. I've been reading today through my Google Reader, and there was a post about parents dealing with kids who are rebellious. One of the tips the author gave was that if you say something is important to you, you better show it, or your kids will pick up on it immediately and base their actions on your actions. Not your words.

That's why Deuteronomy is so interesting to me. Obviously, as my good friend Aaron Meares pointed out to me, the entire book of Deuteronomy is interested in how Your story gets passed through the generations. Deuteronomy 6 seems pivotal to me. "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. IMPRESS THEM ON YOUR CHILDREN."

Impress can sound like slavery, but I certainly take that more to mean "make an impression on your children." Our children should know what is important to us. Then the verses continue with talking about the Your decrees when we walk and when we sit, tying them to our heads and forearms, writing them on our gates and doorposts. Basically surrounding our lives and the lives of our offspring with Your words.

What I've been thinking is that there are a lot of action words in this segment: talking, walking, tying, writing. The words become a part of all of our actions. That is so important in doing Your will, even from the beginning, even when You are forming Your people.

So how do I make Your words part of my actions? It's an important question because it doesn't only affect me, it affects my son. The honest truth is that what I value will become apparant to him. In my actions, even as he just begins to speak, I must show him that I love him and I love You. As I talk, walk, sit, tie and write, let me become my Father, let me become like You.

EXC Daily Office: Not My Will But Yours Be Done

Reading through this blog is something that I rarely do. I know, You might think I'd want to kind of chronicle our relationship, what You've taught me, what I'm still struggling with, etc. Maybe I should do that more often in attempt to remember. Today, it was really important for me to just scroll through and look at some of the other Daily Office posts. I was especially struck by a post a wrote about humility bringing about hope. It still seems that I'm hoping that my strength and planning ability, or that of Exodus, will bring about change and transformation in the lives of others. As I read that post again, I see that You were trying to teach me that it is You who transforms the hearts and minds of a community, family, individual.

Again then, my prayer life must start from what my desires are and appeal to the true characteristics of Your nature. You truly are a Father, guiding us through significant life changes and challenges, not dictating but allowing us to choose the nature of our relationship, of our service, of many things. Bless our good choices. When we choose to be faithful, show us Your mercy. We we choose to be unfaithful, show us Your mercy, bring us back. But more than anything, teach me to pray:

Not my will but Yours be done.

I realize how much good intelligent music and lyrics make me think. Obviously, just a couple posts ago I used My Epic's "-" as inspiration to bring me closer to You. Today, I'm struck with mewithoutYou's "A Stick, a Carrot, & String." The part that really gets at what I'm praying about is this:

but does not the Father guide the Son?
not my will, but yours be done.
what else here to do?
what else me, but You?

What else is there in the Really Real Reality other than the will of our LORD? What else? Anybody have a good answer to this question? As I've been memorizing Deuteronomy 6, obviously a key part of that Scripture is what Jesus sites as the most important commandment: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Couple that with 1 John, where showing love to God is equated with obedience to him, and all the sudden I could reword the most important commandment as "Love God by obeying him, by carrying out His will."

Now of course, even as I sit here and type to You I'm aware of all the complications of Your will. First of all, how do we know what it is? Well, a simple and adequate answer You have given me time and time again. Your will is always seeking the good for whatever situation we find ourselves in. It certainly isn't an easy answer and it doesn't remove me from having to think. Let's just give an example here. A tennis player is about to walk into my room in 10 minutes. He's been dealing with a lot. I want to see how things are going. What's the good in this situation? Do I pray with him? Do I try to quote Scripture? Do I just shoot the breeze and build relationship? Do I talk to him about his own faults that are causing some of his problems? What will bring about the most good?

I want not my will but Yours. What I am remembering (just to bring this all back around to the beginning) is that I have to trust that the Spirit will guide and direct me to the good. I trust that You are great and that You will work in me and through me. I trust that Your will can be done in every situation. And so I have hope.

What else is there to do? What else me, but You?

EXC Daily Office: Far Be It From You

Genesis 18

LORD, this week we've begun to seek You and Your face for the sake of others.  So our readings are following that pattern.  Of course, we had to start with Abraham arguing You down about the city of Sodom and Gomorrah.  

It's a brilliant story, with Abraham being both ballsy and compassionate, two things that don't go together very often to make up a modern man.  In the flesh, he approaches You with a disagreement and an appeal to save a people that he really doesn't know well.  I mean, his nephew Lot is down near the people, but other than that, what is his investment in these people.

Which leads me to one observation: Abraham's prayer is compassionate first of all.  Despite the evil of the city, Abraham is looking for the people's good.  Several weeks ago, LORD, I wrote about the book of James, and how Godly wisdom begins with being pure.  Purity then, I remembered, is wanting the good of eveyone in every situation.  Abraham is a man of wisdom, his purity shown through his concern for the people of the evil city.

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I've been trying to finish this thought all day.  From the last paragraph to this one, 16 hours have passed.  Something or someone doesn't want me to finish this post.  There is something powerful that I am about to uncover, or something.  I'm not sure what is going on.

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Okay, so the next thing I was going onto in my thoughts, was that Abraham's prayer is not only for the good of the people, but it is based on Your very character.  I can safely say that I never blatantly pray based on Your character.  I usually just hope that You want to do what I want You to do.  But Abraham challenges You.  "Far be it from you..." to act differently than Your character.

How does Your character play into my prayer situations?  This might be a really good question to pose.  So, looking at the Exodus prayer list:

1. God of relationship and presence, far be it from You to withhold Your Spirit from our community as we seek You in discipline together.

2. LORD, You of Your trinitarian community, continually loving and giving, caring and providing; far be it from You to leave Kim lonely at camp, or to not provide for her in the transition from college to home.

And on and on... sorry, I don't want to reveal all of the problems and such of our community.

But as I continue praying, I have learned something else.  Sometimes, I feel cannot appeal to an aspect of Your character because the problem is obviously with me. But there is no such request really, even if I am at fault.  When I have a request that I should do something about, I should do something about it but I am also falling on Your mercy.

Your mercy is something that I just, I haven't contemplated enough.  I mean really, we come to You with some ridiculous requests at times.  And yet, you listen to us and often You provide.  Like a good parent, You take our requests seriously, even if there things that we can (and should) do ourselves.  I don't think that takes away our responsibility, but it You are working in areas that You don't need to be.  Problems we've gotten ourselves into.  Stresses that we take more seriously than we should.  Worries over things that we put in front of You.  And yet, in Your mercy, you listen.  And often provide.

Lord of mercy, far be it from You to put off our requests.  As we come to You this week, hear and act.  In the name of Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, amen.