What do you think this sparrow thought of me as I held him in my hand this past summer? Was I mean or oppressive? Did I intend to hurt the him? Not at all! I took this picture this summer after I rescued this bird from having enthusiasticly eaten his way inside of a bird feeder. While I had I had this sparrow gently tucked in my hand for a moment, he may have thought of me as his opressor, but actually I was his savior from his own errors. I use this as an analogy because a lot of what we think of God, and thus hear from him, depends on our perspective of him and our relationship with him. Charles Stanley, in his series Listening to God, outlines what determines what we hear when we do listen to him.

What Determines What We Hear?
Psalm 81:7-16

Three primary things:

1. Our relationship with Him. (Example: A lost person will hear God speak to salvation issues.)

The relationship is twofold:

a. Salvation: true salvation is once and for all
b. Identification: my daily, ongoing relationship

2. Our understanding of who He is:

When we go to God, what type of father do we hear?

a. A loving father genuinely interested
b. A demanding father with too high of standards who is ashamed of you?

What kind of friend do we hear?

a. Intimate friend
b. Distant friend

What kind of teacher?

a. Patient teacher
b. Criticizing, condemning, uncompromising, scolding.

What kind of guide?

a. Gentile guide
b. Strict, intolerant

What kind of counselor?

a. Understanding, listening, accepting, loving, unconditional
b. Condemnation, guilt, rejection

What type of provider?

a. Generous, takes delight in prospering his children, wants to bless.
b. Reluctant, stingy, calculating.

What type of supporter?

a. Faithful til the end, reliable, dependable, consistent
b. Inconsistent

3. Our attitude toward him?

a. Wrong: Proud, egotistical, arrogant? We wont hear him.
b. Right:

i. Submissive to his will regardless.
ii. Trusting when these three things are right, we will hear the truth.

Bob Buford is a Texas cable entrepreneur turned social entrepreneur. He wrote the famous book "Halftime," founded Leadership Network in Dallas, TX and blogs at www.activeenergy.net, which I recommend. I've had several chances to spend time with Bob in Charlotte and Dallas and have gained from each opportunity. Recently he's been writing about rise of social entrepreneurs, many of them forsaking high pay in exchange for high significance. I thought I'd let Bob know how praytel.net fits into the revolution. Here's my reply:

Bob,

I worked on an acquisition for fourteen months-- a sure thing that ended up falling apart when details surfaced. I took some time afterward to ask the Lord what next? I came away convinced that prayer was what matters, for prayer is the means God has ordained to move him.

If we pray and move God how many X is that? There's a bewildering amount of symptoms in the world. A problem here, another there. This new revolution seeks to strike at these problems, and rightly so. Thoreau wrote in 1854 that "There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root." The closer to the root of the world's problems that these revolutionaries strike, the more powerful will be their movement.

So would not God (or rather, the lack of him) be at the root of these problems? I say so, and that if we wish to "strike at the root" of evil, we must begin with prayer. Why is it then that I would rather exhaust myself with "branch hacking effort" (low - X work), when we are called to pray, which moves God (infinite - X work)? Let's face it though, most of our prayers are non-existent or anemic. We get busy hacking branches, we get distracted, we forget, we get sleepy, we are unorganized. I've always been more effective when praying with others (like with friend and entrepreneur Michael S. of Florida). For now, my part in the revolution, my X, is to get people to reengage prayer. With a small team of other revolutionaries I've developed praytel.net, which is nearing beta stage. It will call people daily at a phone of their choice at a time of their choice and and deliver prayer prompts and prayer space to coach them through fresh, relevant, topics to pray about. They can leave prayer requests which will be routed to others, and others' requests will be routed to them. Ministries or individuals can sign up. It's my small part to gain leverage in the big revolution.

Best,
Ted Budd

Again, I give credit to a series Charles Stanley preached several years ago titled Listening to God. Here are my notes... and thank you for reading because I certainly appreciate the review. Comments below are appreciated.

How do I know that God is doing the talking?
How can we distinguish the voices?

If you are a believer, walking in the Spirit, it should be very easy for you to determine the voice of God.

1. Consistent with the Word of God, while not out of context.
2. Does it conflict with human reason. Usually God’s plan will conflict with natural way of doing things. And are often not rational and reasonable.
   1. Turn the other cheek
   2. Go two miles
   3. Sacrifice of Isaac (which would now contradict his Word)
3. Does it clash with the gratification of fleshly desires? God seeks to satisfy the yearning of the Spirit.
4. Will this challenge my faith? God is always up to challenging our faith.
5. Does this decision call for courage? Often, not always, what is spoken will require it.
   

   Example:
   Go back to Scripture. Imagine Jesus telling his disciples what's about to happen in regards to himself

   • Suffer
   • Killed
   • Rise from Dead

   Does this fit with the above Criteria? Yes. Each of the above criteria were true in the life of Christ.

6. Is it careless regarding it’s effect toward other people, crude toward others, or overly independent. Does it require a rushed or snap decision?
7. Consider the future consequences of what you do? Satan says “forget the future! You only live once! Eat, drink & be merry.” God will sometimes lead us to get advice, BUT we must check out the lifestyle of those we get advice from. Does not mean ignore it. BUT remember criteria 1-6 above.
8. Does it contribute to my spiritual growth or hinder?
9. A calmness develops in my spirit.

I don't doubt God, his goodness, or his leading. However, I often doubt my level of clarity in perceiving his Word and his subsequent leading though prayer. We all could probably list Christians who have done foolish things with the best of intent, thinking they were doing what the Lord wanted them too. Perhaps we'd even call some of those actions, not faith-filled, but a little weird sometimes. Several years ago pastor Charles Stanley preached a series on Listening to God. The subject is a fascination of mine in hopes that whatever I learn helps improve my accuracy, clarity, and confidence in listening to him. My following few blogs will post some of my notes from the series. These are great for me to review and I hope you enjoy them.

Ten Ways God Gets Our Attention

1. A restless spirit. (Esther 6) Restlessness brewing in one’s own spirit. Stop and ask God if He is trying to say something. It is often a gentle way He tells us need to change directions or that we are headed in the wrong direction.
2. Speaking to us through someone else. (I Samuel: Eli directed Samuel to hear the Lord)
3. Blessing us in an unusual way. (Romans 2:4) Spiritual, financially, vocational. 
4. Unanswered prayer. (II Sam 12) Sometimes there is something in our life that needs to be dealt with.  Closed doors don’t always mean it isn’t God’s will.
5. Disappointment.  (Numbers 14) How do we respond to it?
6. Something unusual happens. Look for the handiwork of God in everyday circumstances and events. (Exodus 3:1) Moses was a strong-willed man who had to be broken.
7. Failure & humiliation. (Joshua 7) At promised land first responsibility is to conquer Jericho. God did it. Israel got cocky with Ai, which was smaller, and were subsequently humiliated, due to arrogance, theft of booty. There's a difference between failing and being a failure.
8. Dries up our finances. (Judges 6) Israelites cried to the Lord only after they lost everything. Then he blessed them.
9. Tragedy. (Numbers 21). Mentioned in John 3. II Chronicles 32:22 (blessing… then illness due to pride).
10. Healing & Sickness.

This past Sunday, October 4, 2009, Christine Wicker reported on the statistical findings of her spiritual survey of America in Parade Magazine. Christine is the author of several books including "The Fall of the Evangelical Nations." While her aggregate findings are interesting, I want to focus on what she reported on about prayer:

• 77% pray outside of religious services
• In previous eras Americans were on their knees nightly, convinced that they had to prayer because a higher power demanded it. That conviction has largely evaporated.
• 51% of respondents said they pray daily
• 15% pray because God expects them too
• 67% pray because it brings them comfort and hope
• What do they ask for in prayer?
  • 72% pray for the well-being of others
  • 60% pray for forgiveness
  • 27% pray for personal success
  • 21% pray for money or other material things

My thoughts? I'm glad the majority of us are still praying, but think we need to dig deeper into the question, "To whom are we praying?" If we dug a little deeper the numbers might reveal even less people praying to the true God. God clearly defines himself and his character in the Scriptures. If the 1,051 survey respondents for the Parade survey have in mind someone other than the self-described God of the Scriptures then, are they not praying entirely to someone else, a god, (small "g"), in fact? That is where the argument of the "wheel and spoke," where all religions are like spokes leading to the God-hub, fall apart. People easily and inarticulately ask "Aren't we all praying to the same god?" The answer is no. Allah is not the God. Buddha is not God. The pantheon of Hindu god's are not God. I'd imagine even some modern, somewhat evangelical images of God are not god, inasmuch as they deviate from the God of the Scriptures. That is where we must be careful. Not all broad nor popular opinions of who God is, and thus, to whom one is praying is valid. Related to this, in Matthew 7:13-23 Christ says:    

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

My point here is this. Let's not measure whether or not our prayer activity is valid or worthwhile by the statistical measurements reports such as the one this past week in Parade. Going with popular opinion could be like choosing wide gate and broad road that Jesus spoke of. Instead let's look to another, higher standard, the Word of God, which has lasted though revolutions and generations, and consistently proven itself true, though often considered passé or out of favor. It is within this word of God, that an accurate picture of God, and the right means to pray to him are found.

In the parade article Christine Wicker also commented that her findings pointed to a whole new category: 24% of respondents put themselves into a whole new category: "Spiritual, but not religious." Bob Buford, business entrepreneur turned social entrepreneur, friend of the late Peter Drucker, and founder of Leadership Network in Dallas, Texas, commented on this trend in his blog at ActiveEnergy.Net in February of last year. I have met with Bob several times, respect him greatly, have heard him discuss similar trends, and think you will find his comments below worth noting. After revisiting Bob's comments, my intuition says the church is in for a major reconfiguring over the next two decades. Good thing we have a God who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

"Just for Me" Media - February 2008
Bob Buford

A recent study of 20,000 member Willow Creek Community Church in the Chicago suburbs and several other megachurches brought to light some surprising results. Among its findings for these: 

• Involvement in church activities does not predict or drive spiritual growth. “Church activity alone made no direct impact on growing the heart.” 
• The church is most important in the early stages of spiritual growth. Its role then shifts from being the primary influence to a secondary influence. 
• More than 25% of those surveyed described themselves as “stalled” and “dissatisfied” with the role of the church in their spiritual growth. “The higher the level of commitment to Christ – the more likely it is that satisfaction with the church will be lukewarm.”

No doubt being in a small group helps, but our experience with over 200 highly capable Halftimers is that very few find the answers for their success to significance desire inside a church. They are looking for high challenge, high impact work. They want to make a difference in the Second Half of their lives. They want to do this work on their own terms. The research shows that at this spiritually mature stage of their lives, they don’t want to be recycled back to the learning and growing stages. They have “been there, done that.” 

Spiritually mature people want to be put to work doing what they do best. They are seeking to reignite their long muffled passions. In a piece posted this week (2.19.08) at USAToday.com, my friend, sociologist Michael Lindsay commented on his findings in a massive research project of hundreds of prominent evangelicals. Here’s what he said: 

“When most of us think of devout evangelicals, we think of people who attend church regularly and are active in their local congregations. Yet many of the most prominent evangelicals do neither. They regularly attend Bible studies and religious gatherings, including last week’s National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, but many can’t be found in the pews on Sunday. 

“I spent the past five years interviewing some of the country’s top leaders – two U.S. presidents (George H.W. Bush and Carter), 100 CEOs and senior business executives, Hollywood icons, celebrated artists and world-class athletes. All were chosen because of their widely known faith. Yet I was shocked to find that more than half – 60% -- had low levels of commitment to their denominations and congregations. Some were members in name only; others had actively disengaged from church life.” 

This is not good news, folks – not good news for the churches and, even worse, not good news for the country.  Independent Sector Gallup Research shows dramatically higher rates of both charitable giving and volunteerism (to all nonprofits, not just churches) by church attendees when compared to non-attendees. What we have here is a danger to our civilization as a whole. 

My conclusion: people want to be engaged in meaningful work that fits their individual strengths and their sense of calling. Callings are always specific, unique and highly individual. God does not seem to call organizations. People may find their work in organizations (most of them not church organizations), but their life task, their vocation, their calling is a one-at-a-time, “just for me” affair.

Now that's a provocative headline! It's true. Yesterday I got whipped by the man in the video who a few years ago was a pound for pound world record holder. His name is Travis Mash and I have the privilege of having him as my fitness trainer. I am not sure whether it motivates him or not but I have a standing $50 "barf bonus" offer. If he works me so hard that I b…., well, you know, then he get's a cash bonus. It's more joke than reality, but if it ever happens I'll sure pay up.

Travis is a fantastic trainer, but I could do most of what he makes me do on my own in the gym. In fact, with a little self-discipline and creativity, I could do in my garage or living room, most of what I do in the gym. Follow me here, I am developing an analogy to prayer. Do you see that I am repeating the phrase "I could do"? I realize I could do a lot of good things on my own, but I don't do them. There is a gap between the knowing I should do something, and actually getting it done. We all have these gaps with some issues in our lives, be it exercise, writing thank you notes, eating right, or spending less that one earns. Some (read "I have done this") try to overcome these knowing-doing gaps with frustrated bursts of self-discipline or infomercial derived motivation. May I ask, how long does that last? We know the answer. Not long. So how do we over come the knowing-doing gap? The answer lies in two things: who we are, and what we have. First, we are created by God as interdependent beings. Simply put, we need other people. Second, because we are interdependent, we must trade what we have for what we don't have. Here's how this plays out with Travis. I know I need to exercise, but don't have the discipline in that area, so I look to Travis for someone who has strength where I am weak. Secondly, I have some discretionary dollars that I can choose to spend to further my goals and close my knowing-doing gaps, so I give some of those dollars to Travis to buy his talent where I lack. Now that I have made the trade, I must activate the trade by placing him on my calendar so that I won't waste my investment.

This relates to prayer in the same way. Let's say, like exercise, we know we should pray, but seem to get distracted, interrupted, or just plain forget what to pray for, until the next time we feel guilty for not doing it. Let's look for somebody with a strength or the willingness to help (a friend who who also wants to pray) and take what we have (time) . We swap by praying for each other, but it costs both of us time, though well spent, so we put each other on each other's calendars. Now we can call each other or show up at a good place to pray on a regular basis. I've done this and it works, but it can get a bit tedious when either of the partners enters into a busy season with work, family or life in general. Sometimes it's hard to schedule even the most reliable of people. This is the problem PrayTel was created to solve. It is not PrayTel's purpose to convince people to pray. We think you are already there. Our job at PrayTel is to help you close the knowing-doing gap on prayer. We do this by making a trade with you, just like we can with a fitness trainer or prayer partner in the examples above. We provide you with a daily call delivered to a phone of your choice at a time of your choice. You pay a small monthly fee, (less than I pay for single hour of fitness training). We provide the relevant content to pray and a moment to pray for it, followed by more content and more moments to pray. At the end you can leave a prayer request to be routed to another user, while another's request is routed to you. You could ignore our calls. You could hang up. Our bet is that our subscribers won't, because they know how important it is to connect with God to pray. We could pray without PrayTel and we hope that we all have been. We also know that these are busy and distracting times, so in these times we are here to help close the knowing-doing gap on prayer.

With his permission, here's what a friend of mine in Santa Monica wrote in response to my "Friend or Foe" post in response to Obama:

"Hey Ted, nice post! I'm impressed at your nuanced understanding of current foreign affairs. Props to ya!

Though at the end I'd have preferred you asking folks to pray more for a spirit of co-operation among each other regardless of party, deep scrutiny of all our news sources in the hopes to find unslanted facts (as you've clearly put effort into), and the patience to endure dissent without vilifying our neighbors.

I realize your prayers for deeper Christianity assume that to be the natural result and I do respect your inclusive, generous version of faith. But I think praying for a President to become more deeply religious is less useful to the current national rift than petitioning the faithful to put their faith in the "best intentions" of their brothers on the other side of the issues so this rabid casting of stones declines.

Granted, I'm an atheist, but I believe that when prayer has struck me as most effective, It's been when people pray to understand their brothers point of view. Something the "stereo-typical right-wingers" haven't been doing, which is why...judging from your writing...I'd never put you in that category.

You're an articulate voice in a wild time. I'll look forward to reading more of your postings." 

Wow, David. I'm honored at your feedback and for the kind words. Thank you! I want to think about two things my friend mentioned above:

"I do respect your inclusive, generous version of faith."
I think I might be getting too much credit here. Ha ha. As I was meditating this week on the book of Romans, I read that  "if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)  So in that respect, yes, I follow an inclusive religion. An analogy would be if I held a big fall harvest festival and invited everyone,  However, I simply required that admission to my party would only be granted by bringing a canned good for the local food bank. No canned good, no entrance. Simple rule. Clear, up front instruction. Those who showed up with money, perishable vegetables, used clothing, etcetera, would be turned away, or, in other words, excluded. The God of the Bible is exclusive in the same way. In John 14:6 Jesus answers, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." His manner of salvation is exclusively through Christ. It's not politically correct to believe this, just biblically correct. While God desires all men (generically used to mean "people") to be saved, inevitably since we have been granted free will, some will not respond to God's invitation. (God desires to be loved. Therefore if we were forced to obey him, would our love then be sincere? Of course not.) So my faith then, is inclusive, in that all are invited, but the Christian faith then becomes exclusive when some try to come via some other way than God's son's payment for our wrongdoing.

"praying for a President to become more deeply religious is less useful to the current national rift than petitioning the faithful to put their faith in the "best intentions" of their brothers"
Ok, so should I quote the Bible or another authority, like Randy Travis? "Mama, the road to hell is paved with good intentions." (That's meant to be funny, sort of). David, giving another the benefit of the doubt is important. I'll save the political side of any further comments for another blog site. PrayTel is dedicated to encouraging prayer. As we seek others to help others pray I am again reminded of Romans 8:26-27 which says "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will." In other words if we pray sincerely in the Spirit, but are wrong in our direction or wording of prayer, the Holy Spirit will grant us a "course correction" or rather will interpret and act upon what really should have been prayed. He, however, does want to see us involved in the humble act of prayer, which in so doing gives glory and proper respect to the God who deserves it.

My wife usually cuts my hair. When we got married fifteen years ago it was a budget necessity that she do so. Now, it's more habit than requirement. Last week I made an exception and visited a local barber, who I graduated with from high school. Not only was I long overdue for a hair cut, I also needed an update on local politics. With one stop and fifteen dollars my barber friend took care of both of these needs. As we discussed the county divide over building a second high school I just couldn't keep my mind from wandering to the weightier global issues that President Obama faces. He faces both domestic and foreign, economic and military concerns, all of which need deep Solomon-like wisdom. I am a regular reader of Strator Global Inteligence's commentary on world events and this is their take on the rising military crises President Obama faces:

Image Source by Scott Olson

Every president is tested in foreign policy, sometimes by design and sometimes by circumstance. Frequently, this happens at the beginning of his term as a result of some problem left by his predecessor, a strategy adopted in the campaign or a deliberate action by an antagonist. How this happens isn’t important. What is important is that Obama’s test is here. Obama at least publicly approached the presidency as if many of the problems the United States faced were due to misunderstandings about or the thoughtlessness of the United States. Whether this was correct is less important than that it left Obama appearing eager to accommodate his adversaries rather than confront them.

No one has a clear idea of Obama’s threshold for action. In Afghanistan, the Taliban takes the view that the British and Russians left, and that the Americans will leave, too. We strongly doubt that the force level proposed by McChrystal will be enough to change their minds. Moreover, U.S forces are limited, with many still engaged in Iraq. In any case, it isn’t clear what force level would suffice to force the Taliban to negotiate or capitulate — and we strongly doubt that there is a level practical to contemplate.

In Iran, Ahmadinejad clearly perceives that challenging Obama is low-risk and high reward. If he can finally demonstrate that the United States is unwilling to take military action regardless of provocations, his own domestic situation improves dramatically, his relationship with the Russians deepens, and most important, his regional influence — and menace — surges. If Obama accepts Iranian nukes without serious sanctions or military actions, the American position in the Islamic world will decline dramatically. The Arab states in the region rely on the United States to protect them from Iran, so U.S. acquiescence in the face of Iranian nuclear weapons would reshape U.S. relations in the region far more than a hundred Cairo speeches.

There are four permutations Obama might choose in response to the dual crisis. He could attack Iran and increase forces in Afghanistan, but he might well wind up stuck in a long-term war in Afghanistan. He could avoid that long-term war by withdrawing from Afghanistan and also ignore Iran’s program, but that would leave many regimes reliant on the United States for defense against Iran in the lurch. He could increase forces in Afghanistan and ignore Iran — probably yielding the worst of all possible outcomes, namely, a long-term Afghan war and an Iran with a nuclear program if not nuclear weapons.

On pure logic, history or politics aside, the best course is to strike Iran and withdraw from Afghanistan. That would demonstrate will in the face of a significant challenge while perhaps reshaping Iran and certainly avoiding a drawn-out war in Afghanistan. Of course, it is easy for those who lack power and responsibility — and the need to govern — to provide logical choices. But the forces closing in on Obama are substantial, and there are many competing considerations in play.

Presidents eventually arrive at the point where something must be done, and where doing nothing is very much doing something. At this point, decisions can no longer be postponed, and each choice involves significant risk. Obama has reached that point, and significantly, in his case, he faces a double choice. And any decision he makes will reverberate.

Where will he get the wisdom needed to make these decisions? Many of us look to friends and past experience for it, but in his case it likely it won't be sufficient to tackle what he faces. He must look beyond. He must look to the ultimate source of wisdom, God himself. James 1:2-8 (NIV) addresses both trials and the need for and source of wisdom:

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

So, let's pray for our president as he, on our behalf, faces these trials. Specifically, let's pray the following:

1. These trials leads him to a true or deeper faith in the one true God, though his son Christ.
2. That he would grow in perseverance and maturity in Christ.
3. That he would regularly ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom on all matters.
4. That he would select only advisors who exhibit true wisdom, and deselect those who don't
5. That he would exhibit personal and political stability in a manner that glorifies God and his son Christ, and would execute accordingly and decisively.

Emily Belz of World Magazine (www.worldmag.com) writes: "The Web site for the prayer event is designed in red, white, and blue, and features an American flag and a call to prayer playing in the background. The slogan, “Our time has come” is on display along with a promise of 50,000 in attendance—a turnout that was not realized. Busloads of people were probably “stuck in traffic,” said Saadiq. Scores of Capitol police officers dotted the west lawn, more than usually appear at rallies. The officers were expecting to be dealing with a larger crowd.

Muslim blogger Sheila Musaji of The American Muslim commented that the event was “not well thought out.” Very little information was provided about the event itself, she said, adding that the terminology like “our time has come” could be “misleading,” and that it was planned too close to the anniversary of 9/11.

Several Christians showed up to protest the prayer—shouting through bullhorns about the evils of Islam. One man stood on a street corner yelling verses from Isaiah. Other quieter demonstrators handed out copies of Romans and John translated into Arabic. “Are you against the Muslims?” asked one man. “No, we’re for Jesus,” replied the man handing out Bibles."

Commentary: So, should we fear the rising Islamic movement in America? I am reminded of the book of Habakuk, a minor prophet in the Old Testament who prophesied to Judah around the year 607 BC. Judah had strayed from God and were now getting ready to get punished by the Babylonians. Both nations were off course. Judah was supposed to, by default as God's chosen people, to follow God faithfully. They didn't. The Babylonians were supposed to follow the one true God too. They didn't either. In God's sovereignty, he would use one (Babylon) to punish the other (Judah), but would also hold the punisher accountable for its moral corruption and violence: Verse 1:5-6 reads “Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.  I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own.

The analogy? America and the West, for centuries, has operated out of a Christian construct, but has continued to accelerate it's drift from God. Perhaps God, in his love, is raising up a people to punish us for this drift.

So, should we fear Islam? No, we should fear God and seek him and by his strength, repent of our personal and moral drift and pursue his holy standards. God is sovereign over all events, even over the groundswell of other religions and nations. Habakuk concludes "The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."

Associated Press/Photo by Evan Vucci

Have you ever seen the movie Bruce Almighty? Bruce steps in for God for a while and is overwhelmed by all the incoming prayers. Is that really the way God receives all of mankind's prayers? Listen to his perspective on eternity and time. Perhaps it will encourage you to know how God views time and how that influences his hearing of our prayers. Enjoy!