Prayer: With each day You bring us into newness of life O Lord. With each day You show us Your glory through the sunrises and the sunshine. Stir up our hearts O Lord that we can share Your newness of life and renewed life to others this day. Through our love of You, may we continually serve You until our hearts and souls are with You in glory. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bad stuff happens. At our Church book club the other day, discussion reigned over bad stuff that happens. The writer of the book stated that bad stuff happens because it is all in God’s plan. One of the book club members stated that the writer must be out to lunch. In the book club member’s understanding, bad stuff happens because it happens. Another book club member then said, “But what about predestination? Bad stuff is bound to happen in our lives but God has this all worked out in His plan for our lives”. Another book club member chimed in with “but my divorce was just bad stuff… it wasn’t God’s ultimate plan in action. The divorce was just bad stuff.” While we could have argued in a theological debate between bad stuff happens in our life because it happens and bad stuff is part of God’s plan for our lives, what are we forgetting?
We forget that God has given us freedom of choice. We make decisions in our life that can change our lives dramatically. Most Science Fiction stories takes the concept of freedom of choice and makes it into a compelling story. In Dr Who, one of the characters is driving to work and turns left instead of right. This causes her whole life to change. We see this change in an alternate time line that shows what would happen if the character had turned right instead of left. The latest X-Men movie is based on a single gun shot, or not, that changes the course of history. So what about our lives. Because we have freedom of choice, we often make bad choices. And we make bad choices because we forget to involve God in our choices. If we are deciding upon a choice or decision, we need to take this choice/decision in prayer to God and ask that God help us with the best choice so that the love of God is continually shared.
Lifting up a life choice or decision to God in prayer is not easy. Any choice or decision should take time to be made. The choice that must be made or the decision that must be kept must be created through prayer and reflection. It is in our openness to God that we continue on the path of love and ability to share the Word of God.
This is why a lot of Christian traditions have prayers from the moment we open our eyes each day. Our life must be a life of prayer and seeking God’s will for us. Oh yeah, bad stuff still happens and takes the wind out of our sails, but we know we have our faith in God to lean on when bad stuff gets beyond our control.
Prayer: Great God, You are with us each step we take today. Help us to make good choices and good decisions that will bring the love of You into our hearts and minds and souls so that we can continue to spread the Good News of Jesus to those we meet this day. But in all things O God, may Your will be done. In Christ Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
