Some of you may remember my good friend Cory Page from the great guest post he wrote back in April. Well, he's back. He emailed me some great material that he's been working on, and I am honored to share it with you here. I'm going to begin a Monday series. So, you can skip over my blog from Tuesday to Sunday, but make sure you stop by on Mondays!
I decided that I would not give the TNIV (Today’s New
International Version) a chance. I’ve heard interviews and read articles
explaining how the translators chose to use “gender neutral” language in places
that God used gender specific language. I don’t like that trend. I have a little girl
that needs to know when God was speaking to her, to boys, or to both. I still
don’t like the premise behind the TNIV and do not plan to read it regularly,
but somehow I managed to read it. The internet site that I use to quickly
search for verses while writing curriculum has, apparently, replaced the NIV
with the TNIV and chose to keep it a secret.
Regardless of my thoughts on the
TNIV, they did one thing that hit me. In Luke 11, Jesus is teaching His
disciples about prayer. He gives them a model to follow and a few pieces of
advice to drive the message home. In the first bit of advice, the TNIV
translates a word in a way that I didn’t see coming and that has had extreme
consequences in my life.
Jesus tells the story of a man in need of food. This man goes to
the home of a friend in the middle of the night to ask for help, but this
particular friend has small children who are already in bed. As someone who has
a 9 month old with, let’s say, “unique” sleeping habits, I understand the
friend’s point of view. Jesus explains that this friend will not open the door
for the man in need. The well being of his household surely comes first. But,
Jesus says, while the friend may not open the door because of friendship, he
will open the door because of the man’s shameless
audacity. I know the Greek word anaideia
could be translated importunity, boldness, or any other word like it. My goal
is not to argue about the translation of the word or how some translations put
way too much personal prejudice into their product. My goal is to convey the
haunting conviction that directly resulted from reading those two words
“shameless audacity.”
Jesus explained to the man in need, if he keeps knocking and keeps
knocking (and keeps knocking), persistence will get the door opened. Forget how
it looks to the neighbors. Forget the sleeping kids. Forget the brownie points
lost with the friend. When someone is truly in need, shame is not an issue.
There is something so simple and yet so radical about what Jesus is trying to
teach His disciples. If you are in need, knock. If the door does not open, keep
knocking.
This topic burns a little. As I read those words, shameless audacity, I wonder. As someone who struggles to grasp prayer I wonder how to make that happen. If you are looking for someone to study for hours on a topic and give you a thesis, I'm your man. If you are looking for a writer, speaker, or general doer, call me. If you are looking for someone to pray for you with a reckless abandon, I may let you down. I have often hoped that telling someone, "We'll be praying for you" would magically morph me into a person who prays. At the end of the day, when I take inventory of my own Christianity, I find myself wondering what it takes to become a true prayer warrior. What does it take to move from "pretty good public pray-er at church" to the old man in the Americana painting praying for hours over a single piece of bread? I see that old painting and imagine what would cause him to pray as his meager bowl of soup gets cold. While I wonder at his motivation, I don't question his connection to the Heavenly Father.
I want that.
Alright Friends, I hope you're pickin up what my Brother-in-Christ is puttin down here. This is just a taste, it gets even better from here. So, come back next Monday and we'll continue with "Owning Disgrace: the first step to shameless audacity."
Keeping Reading:
Owning Disgrace
The Father
Ask, Just Ask
My Need in Others
The Orange Headed Warbler
Keeping Reading:
Owning Disgrace
The Father
Ask, Just Ask
My Need in Others
The Orange Headed Warbler
Posts
I completely understand.. This is something that has been on my own heart for some time.. I have prayed for the grace to pray in such a manner as if one morning I will awake with this incredible gift of amazing public prayer-ness (pretty sure that isn't a real word)..
ReplyDeleteBut alas, we learn by doing right?