Luke Skywalker Day

I totally had a crush on Mark Hamill when I was a wee lass. I was a weird wee lass.


Here is a theory about prayer. I believe that God answers prayer, just as much as I can answer any question. If you ask me what is the focal note of the alto clef, I'll tell you it's the C on the fourth line from the bottom. If you ask me for the square root of pi, I'll ask you to hang on a moment. If you ask me to turn into a Scotsman, I'll say that is impossible for me. If you ask me how a camera works I will tell you that I do not know and if you ask me to give you all the money and worldly possessions I have at present and henceforth I will say, no.

God has the right - in fact, He has all the rights and we should have none - to answer prayers whichever way He deems fit. Now, if God deems something fit, you'd better believe that's the best way to go. [This is a theory within the metatheory: the reason we try to appeal God's answers to prayer sometimes is that we do not believe or recognize that He is acting in our best interest because we do not know what our best interests are. Men on Earth are not very good at taking care of themselves. Too often do we treat ourselves poorly, on purpose or by accident and having someone else take care of us properly can make us uncomfortable and/or skeptical.]

God has the power and God listens well which means that, as soon as we ask for something, it can be done in His name. Why then, are there some things that we think need "more" prayer? Why would we need to have a longer prayer time or to pray more often within a span of time? Me, I know that continual prayer, in advance of something important, works. I have no other better way to say it: it works. But why? That's like the bit in Matthew 18 about Jesus promising to be in the midst when two or three are gathered in His name. Why won't He be there with only one present in his name?

My conclusion of yesterday: with every prayer we prepare ourselves more - it has nothing to do with convincing God. I have often thought that we need to prove to God that we are serious about the prayer (and maybe that's part of it) but I think the real point is to refine our motives. Eventually, we should be at a place where our motives align with God's and we can have peace. The more we pray, the more we understand what is important, the less we focus on ourselves, the more we realize our need of God, etc. It has nothing to do with His part of the bargain; it's all about us being prepared to hear His second answer (seeing as the first one must have been Wait).


Here is another cool theory about the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Mattew 18:10-4): While trying to figure out how a shepherd who cares so much about his flock would let one of those in his care separate from the group. Also, I was wondering how he could leave so many to get one since one in the hand is worth two in the bush. Then I realized that the key to understanding this parable is in the nature of the sheep, not the shepherd. The Shepherd is just as good as I expect Him to be; constant as ever. The sheep however, are mere beasts, interested in grazing and slumber. (1) It's not like the shepherd turned away or fell asleep and the sheep wandered off without him knowing. He must have been aware and allowed the sheep to leave out of respect for free will. (2) These sheep are not akin to wild birds, hunted. These sheep, when in hand, are forever in hand because they have made that choice. The ninety-nine will stay because they love the shepherd and they have no desire to wander. This is why pursuing the one that is lost cannot mean that the shepherd cares more about it than he does the others. From a business point of view, that one must be worth more than the 99 to be a sensible pursuit. In reality, the two cannot be compared: it's the difference between apples and oranges or lost and found. The ninety-nine will not also scatter themselves among the hills as soon as the shepherd turns his back. They will stay and (I should hope but not sensibly expect) rejoice when the one returns.
I'm done.