Ben's software-vendor analogy: dictating to God vs asking what He wants
Ben (announcing 'Ben's attempt number two') tells a work story: evaluating software, one vendor would build exactly to his 40 requirements, while another, without seeing the requirements, delivered everything he needed plus fifty things he hadn't thought of — far better than 'exactly what I asked for.' That's the difference, he says, between dictating to God ('here's what I'm going to do, bless this') and putting it in his hands ('you solve them how they get solved, and let me see where you step in'). Abraham wanted his promised son in nine months, not after 25 years of formation; the Bible is impressive precisely because it is full of God's plans fulfilled through people, not people's plans fulfilled by God. Jesus says he is the living bread for eternity, not just the bread in your hands right now.
More on Prayer
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'When God is silent': what counts as hearing from the Lord?
- What does it mean to 'hear from the Lord,' and how often should we expect it?
Mike brings a question from his Bible study, whose paragraph heading was 'when God is silent': the author wrote that he experienced God's silence for a couple of weeks and freaked out, and Ben expected a relatable years-long drought story — 'Oh, two weeks.
From No. 603 · Found Out
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'What would I fight God on?': buildings, pews, and the zero-fruit youth group
- What would I fight God on — and would my heart go along with following him?
Ben shares what he ran into in the last couple weeks: 'what would I fight God on even if I knew it was him?'
From No. 603 · Found Out
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Is modern Christianity biased toward a personality type?
- Is modern Christianity (its sermons and worship music) biased toward a certain personality type?
A host asks whether what churches teach, focus on, and sing is biased toward a certain personality type — prompted by emotive worship lyrics (the 'sloppy wet kiss' line in a…
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Should following Jesus feel more comfortable as time goes on?
- Should following Jesus feel more comfortable as time goes on?
A host asks whether following Jesus should feel more comfortable as time goes on — noting the low-level tension many feel around am-I-doing-enough and the stigma that contentment equals laziness.