Prayer | Tactical Christianity

Jabez, Pain and You

by R. Herbert | Jun 19, 2016 | Prayer, Problems

The Old Testament character Jabez is perhaps someone you have never heard of, but he was possibly well-known in his day. Jabez is introduced in 1 Chronicles 4 without any background at all – as though he was an individual with whom the readers of the book would be familiar. But the story of Jabez is an interesting one:

“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request” (1 Chronicles 4:10).

The story gives the origin of Jabez’s name and the Hebrew seems to clearly mean “he causes pain.” But there are two possible ways to translate the final part of Jabez’s request to God. The New International version and English Standard Version, for example, translate it like this:

“ … keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” NIV
“ … keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” ESV

Apart from the fact that there seems to be little about this request to make it worthy of recording (the number of people who have prayed to be free from pain is doubtless a considerable one!), these translations ignore the fact that Jabez was given his name because his mother had suffered pain in his delivery and his name means “he causes pain” – not that he was somehow prone to pain.

What makes the Prayer of Jabez so unique is that it seems more likely that he was very conscious of the great pain he caused his mother in childbirth, and sincerely desirous not to cause pain to others. That leads us to the other possible meaning of the Hebrew in the last part of his prayer which is utilized by a number of other translations – as seen, for example, in the Holman Christian Standard Bible and the New King James Version:

“… keep me from harm, so that I will not cause any pain” (HCSB)
“… keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” (NKJV)

These translations understand the prayer to be asking God not to keep Jabez safe from evil, but to help him not commit harm or evil; the translations opting for “that I may not cause pain” seem far more likely to be correct based on what little contextual information we are given. If Jabez prayed for God’s blessing on his life that he not cause pain to others, then the prayer was certainly a unusual and unselfish one. It is perhaps especially understandable that God granted his request, and that it was recorded.

If we are correct in this reading of 1 Chronicles 4:10, it is an unusual prayer indeed. How often do we pray not to cause pain to others as opposed to praying to be delivered from pain ourselves? It is perhaps a prayer we can and all should pray – and one that, just as in the case of Jabez, God is very likely to answer.

Asking for Wisdom –Wisely

by R. Herbert | May 8, 2016 | Prayer

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).

It’s a verse we all know and love. It seems to promise unbounded wisdom and that if we just ask for it, God will generously give it to us. But is that what this verse means?

Certainly, it is in God’s power to grant unbounded and universal wisdom to anyone he wishes, but does God really work that way? Put the question in human terms. If you walk into your local bank branch and tell the manager “I want a big loan, just give me money” – is the banker likely to help or will he or she ask “How much do you need and for what purpose?”

What we often miss in James’ words on asking for wisdom is their context. If we look carefully at the immediately preceding verses, we see James is writing about a very specific situation. He says: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

James’ context is one of persecution. He tells believers that trials can bring about spiritual maturity in which we do not lack anything needed to deal with such problems (vs. 4). But if we do lack wisdom – implying wisdom in dealing with matters of persecution and patience – we can ask God and he will help us.

Take another example – that of the archetypal story of God granting wisdom to King Solomon. When God appeared to Solomon and offered him anything he wanted, Solomon did not simply ask for wisdom. Notice his request to God: “give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 7:9). Because Solomon asked for wisdom in a specific context – to do the work of ruling Israel – God was well pleased and granted him great wisdom (1 Kings 7:12, 29-34) as well as other blessings.

But we should remember that Solomon asked for the wisdom he needed in a specific situation. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that in the compositions believed to be written by Solomon, he often ties wisdom to particular contexts. Notice the wording of just one example: “Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure” (Ecclesiastes 8:5). Here, we see wisdom relating to “proper times” and “procedures,” and in many of the proverbs of Solomon, wisdom is tied to other specific needs and circumstances.

So when we consider the wider biblical context, the words of James regarding wisdom become clear. God rarely, if ever, gives unneeded gifts. If we desire wisdom, his word indicates we should not ask to be funnel fed wisdom without specific purpose. But we can humbly take our needs to God and ask for wisdom in the areas of life where we need it in order to best fulfill his will and our calling – and then, as James affirms, God will gladly give it to us.

A Prayer from Mars

by R. Herbert | Feb 28, 2016 | Popular Culture, Prayer

The Martian, the recent award-winning film starring Matt Damon and based on Andy Weir’s best-selling near-future sci-fi novel, has been called one of the best true to science sci-fi films in decades. If you haven’t seen the film, consider doing so (and realize this blog post may give some plot details away).

In the film, NASA astronaut/botanist Mark Watney (Damon) is left for dead when the crew of an exploratory Mars mission has to evacuate their insecure surface structures and lift off to escape a fierce storm. The crew reluctantly break orbit and begin the journey back to Earth while unknown to them Watney recovers and sets about the daunting task of surviving with limited food, water and oxygen.

The botanist’s efforts are successful in that he begins to raise a crop of potatoes in a controlled environment and in so doing he becomes the first person to colonize the Red Planet – the first Martian. When he is eventually able to make radio contact with Earth, the rest of the crew decide against all odds to “turn their ship around” and return to Mars for Watney.

Christian commentators have been quick to point out the similarity of the story with the Parable of the Lost Sheep, and it is not an unfair comparison as religion does appear in the book on which the film is based even though Hollywood has obviously scrubbed most of the religious references. Director Ridley Scott is known as an atheist who applies his beliefs to his films, but one surprising reference to Christianity does survive (like Watney on Mars) in the film and I’d like to look at that here.

The reviews I have read of this film agree that Watney does not ever pray in the film (although his character does pray in the book), but I disagree. At one point in the film, in order to survive, Watney has to somehow produce water for the crop he attempts to raise. He has hydrogen and oxygen available and knows he can produce water if he can initiate the necessary chemical process through the use of fire. Unfortunately, all the materials available to him are NASA flame-proofed, but Watney eventually finds a source of help. Finding a crucifix left in the emergency evacuation by one of his crewmates, Watney carefully shaves off some pieces from the base of the wooden cross and uses them to initiate the combustion which produces the water he needs for life.

It is at this point that Watney prays. It is not a formal prayer and is one that we might easily miss, but after he takes the wood from the crucifix to enable him to survive, Watney looks at the Christ figure and says “I figure you’re OK with this, considering my circumstances …. I’m countin’ on ya.” Perhaps the producers left this in the movie because they thought it might seem tongue-in-cheek, but they did well. It is a prayer and it contains all the basic attributes of a successful prayer for help. First, it acknowledges God by the very act of addressing him. Next it expresses a heartfelt need – in this case, of survival itself (“considering my circumstances”) – and finally, it expresses trust in God (“I’m countin’ on ya”).

Watney’s simple prayer is ultimately answered, and the movie has a good resolution. It’s a very worthwhile film (despite some occasional unnecessary language) and one that you can ponder. The film is done as a study in human ingenuity as the astronaut takes on the seemingly-impossible task of returning from certain death. But the film also, unwittingly or not, makes the point that those who find themselves (in this case) millions of miles from home and without any obvious chance of survival somehow do find it natural and even easy to pray. Beyond that, the film is a perfect “water of life” metaphor. It is the Christ figure that provides the water of life (John 4:14) which ultimately makes Watney’s survival possible.

Pray for the Persecuted

by R. Herbert | Nov 1, 2015 | Prayer

Today is the first of three days set aside in the month of November as International Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (Nov. 1, 15, 22).

There is much information available regarding the plight of persecuted Christians in various areas around the world, and we should remind ourselves that we share a responsibility to know what is happening and to pray for those in desperate need.

On this website, for example, see our articles: “Words for a Time of Persecution,” “Do Not Betray the Refugees,” ”The #WeAreN Campaign.”

We also recommend Jonathan Petersen’s excellent article on this topic on the BibleGateway.org site here.

A Prayer to Avoid

by R. Herbert | Jul 12, 2015 | Prayer

Excerpted from “A Prayer to Avoid” by Richard Woike.

“O thou pleasant, comfortable, kindly, good-natured God: How glad I am that I can look forward, with a reasonable degree of certainty, to another ordinary day. Keep me today from anything that taxes my faith, from discomfort, from unnecessary strain, from unusual problems …

Dear Lord, grant that nothing may occur which will disturb my satisfaction with the way I am, and the things I say, and the thoughts I think, the acts I do, or the many deeds I leave undone. Give me this day, in addition to my daily bread, the butter, meats, and sweetmeats that are my necessary diet, and let me not be troubled by qualms of conscience concerning the amount of time and money I spend on food and clothing, pastimes, good and bad, and those pursuits which, while not of spiritual value, are the accepted hallmark of the normal citizen in this enlightened age … “

Pray for the Pioneers

by R. Herbert | Jan 7, 2015 | Prayer, The Church & the World

“Pioneer: Noun, singular. One who is among the first to go somewhere or to do something.”

There is a mystique about pioneers. They often seem larger than life, braver, stronger, more dedicated than the rest of us as they bravely go where no one has gone before. When I was a kid I thought it would be neat to be a pioneer – one of the first people to explore unknown continents, open the US West, go to the Moon, or whatever. Now I’m older, I realize it was not as easy as I thought for the ones who were the first to do these things.

Whether being among the first to open up new continents or making some other kind of new path in any age, being a pioneer has an extra share of difficulties most of us don’t have to face. Certainly the first Christians found this. They were pioneers who had to map out and go through a whole new way of life that often met discouraging obstacles and dangerous opposition. Just think about Stephen (Acts 7:59) or Paul (2 Corinthians 11:25) or what many of the early disciples went through (Acts 8:1).

So who are the spiritual pioneers today? Who are the Christians who face the particular difficulties inherent in walking the path alone – in being the first to do something with much more limited support and encouragement from others? Those people do exist in our faith – and their numbers are growing. They are the pioneers – the first in their families or villages to convert to Christianity from other faiths – groups that are often hostile to Christianity itself.

When individuals come to the knowledge of the truth in many parts of the world, they cannot help but stand out; and in those areas they may be regarded as apostates from their background faith – worthy of harassment, punishment, and even death. It is not a hypothetical situation, it is an ongoing reality that sees Christians afflicted and even killed in areas not officially classified as areas of persecution. Often these individuals are rejected by their own families and friends and have no local support to which they can turn.

There are other pioneers also worthy of our concern today. Consider the pioneers in various areas of humanitarian effort – the William Wilberforce’s of today, those fighting human trafficking, substance enslavement, and every other evil in this world – all who are struggling against steep odds and difficult conditions to suppress evil and to help people where help is needed.

Wherever they are, pioneers don’t have it easy. We may sometimes think we do not either, but they have it worse. The pioneers often encounter so many more obstacles, so much more opposition. They face more dangers, endure more discouragement, loneliness and for many, fear. It’s harder for pioneers than for most of us except in one area. It’s easier for them to give up. We need to pray for the pioneers.

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