I had a quick conversation with a friend last night about something that I really struggle with when it comes to prayer requests, our faith, and the personal decisions we all make. For some reason I started thinking about this in the shower this morning and on the way to work, and felt like I should share my thoughts.
Have you ever been asked to pray for someone who struggling with a situation…but that from your perspective, they caused themselves because of a decision they made yet don’t realize it? For example, you’re at church and someone asks for prayer for all their health issues while in between words they are mowing down their third Twinkie of the morning? Or, someone you know is under a lot of pressure financially yet they never worked hard, never took school or work experience seriously, yet own a bigger house and a nicer car then you? The point is, I started thinking about how I should react to these situations when the challenges facing people are a direct result of the decisions they made…and, when I am inevitably faced with my own same challenges, how should I respond?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized the parallels between this situation and the gift of salvation. We consistently make decisions that separate us from fellowship with our Creator (i.e. sin). However, that’s what makes the wonderful gift of salvation so special. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Even though we err all the time, Jesus still loved us enough to pay the ultimate price for our misgivings even though the “wages of sin is death”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that all bad decisions in life are sin. Many times they are though, or at least they born out of sinful nature (materialism, lust, laziness, selfishness, etc). My point is, if I’m trying to emulate the character of Christ, I should probably put my own pride and self-righteousness aside when encountering these prayer requests in the future. “Lest any man should boast”, who am I (from Christ’s perspective) to lift my nose when someone makes a decision that causes them and/or their family trials? My reaction should be more like Christ, even if my natural reaction is frustration.
That brings me to the other side of this issue. The Bible is very clear that men “reap what they sow”. Even though we may be saved, sin still has a consequence. Paralleling that with our earthly decisions, I believe that making decisions in day-to-day life also have consequences. The next time I ask for prayer, or pray myself, I am first going to stop and really think about what personal decisions I have made that may have contributed to my current situation. Looking at the bigger picture, how can I honestly ask for the problems I’m going through to be taken away by God when a decision of mine has caused the problem (or made it worse then it needed to be) in the first place? The point is, I believe we all neglect to look at our side many times. Just as we deserve eternal separation from God for our sin, we also deserve the consequences of the practical decisions we make here on Earth. A more fitting prayer would be, in humility, to come to the Lord knowing that we are reaping what we sowed…not from the perspective of “magic God”, please take these money, health, relationship, etc problems away despite me and my bad decisions (or lack of wisdom, shortcomings, etc). Of course, as seen with the gift of salvation, we have been given what we don’t deserve. God can work miracles in your situation and “save” you from the consequences your practical decisions warrant. However, like sin, the Lord may redeem us in the end but won’t necessarily take away all the consequences of our decisions (or sin) here on Earth.
In summary, my conclusion is when this happens to other people to approach it as Christ would His gift of our salvation (as much as possible). On the other hand, when I am facing my own challenges, I should consider my role in the problem first. It won’t take the struggles away, but understanding that I probably caused most of the problem will put my prayers and life in the proper perspective.