Petition versus presumption; platitudes that wound
- What is the difference between petitioning God and presumptuously commanding outcomes in his name?
The hosts draw a line between petitioning God, asking as his people for him to step in, and presuming to wield his power, as with Moses striking the rock: calling on God to heal is biblically legitimate, telling is not. They argue empty reassurances like God's got this sound callous to the grieving and misrepresent God's heart, since Jesus never minimized suffering, weeping over Jerusalem and at Lazarus's death. Boova recounts being told God's got a plan at eighteen after his father's heart attack and how it felt like spit in his face. The alternative they propose is embodied love: texting neighbors before grocery runs and dropping supplies at doors.
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.