Hey, Lou, don't you think we should have a prayer? We're all not savages like Cerrano.
One of the drawbacks of having any online activity is the propensity to run into random humans who want to engage you in conversations that can really beat you down.A professing Christian took offense to a quote I shared regarding prayer. I share this because (1) it's a good quote for our National Day of Prayer and (2) so you can feel may pain of how strange people come across in cyberspace.
GUNNY ...
"Prayer is weakness leaning on omnipotence." -- W. S. Bowd
OTHER EARTHLING ...
Gunny! Prayer is not weakness, have you ever tried it? God said to "prayer about everything" through prayer, we ask God to help and bless people in their situations and ourselves, and God works with those prayers for the people we pray for and for us too. Payer strengthens our faith in God, how can He help us if we don't ask in prayer?
GUNNY ...
I have tried it. What a peculiar question to ask, sir, and seemingly a rather unkind accusation.
The essence of prayer is a recognition of our weakness and God's strength. (cf. 1 Peter 5:5, 6-7).
We do not pray because we are strong, but because God is strong.
Truth be told, I really don't disagree with what you said in praise of prayer. Prayer strengthens our faith in God, but not our faith in ourselves. Proud people don't pray.
May we boast gladly in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9).
Soli Deo Gloria,
Gunny
posted by GUNNY @ 12:22
7 comments
7 Comments:
I wonder if "Other Earthling" associated "Prayer is weakness leaning on omnipotence." with "Religion is the opiate of the masses" and/or "Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers". I can certainly see how it would be possible to misconstrue the meaning.
Perhaps if you only had the first part of the quote, but God's omnipotence is the rationale for prayer, also magnifying our weakness by stark contrast.
Still, I think I feel ya. But, the context of Marx's statement doesn't bother me all that much.
I'm most put out by earthling's grammatical issues, but I tend to be A. R. about such things.
I thought about giving other [silly] earthling some [sic] action, but didn't want to appear to be kicking him in the shorts. I said all that to say this, I feel you, dawg.
It sounds like he may have been defending what he perceived to be an insult to prayer itself, based upon a wrong interpretation of the quote. His reading of the quote suggested that prayer itself was being called weak, when in actuality the implication is that prayer is a legitimate source of strength for people who, in and of themselves, are weak (which, of course, includes all of us).
Gunny, you put it really well. Sometimes I think people assume that prayer itself has some innate power of itself.
The fact is however, that we are weak and we pray to an omnipotent God exactly because of that weakness.
Major League
I think prayer to JoeBoo is weakness, and stupid because JoeBoo does not exist. If Cerrano had prayed to the Lord God Almighty through faith in Jesus our Lord, then perhaps the Lord would have helped him hit that curve ball.
For the record, I testify as both an eye and ear witness that the Rev Gunny has tried prayer, and not only tried it, but inhaled deeply. Actually, I suppose that I have probably witnessed this Gunny praying on about 93,000 occasions and counting.
Post a Comment
<< Home