A 'crappy' bible story

Random thought: In Biblical times, Jesus made many references to fishing, because it's what the people knew. They completely understood what it meant to be fishermen, and therefore it wasn't a leap to undersatnd being 'Fishers of men". And I don't know if you notice it, but here in the Fraser Valley, the use of the mountains and valleys metaphor to describe ones walk with God is used often, because we are all so familiar with mountains and valleys, where the mountains are so close to us. It made me wonder, does the metaphor of mountains and valleys in life ring as true to those living in Saskatchewan?


I often contemplate the power of prayer. More often then not, the honest truth is, I doubt it's power. If God works for the good of those who love Him, does it make a difference if we ask him for what we want? This often leads me to the idea of predestination - where my question has always been: If God loves people more than I do, then wouldn't my prayers for salvation not just be another drop in the ocean - if Christ wants all to know him? But if it is true that those who will believe in Him, are already known, then what good are my prayers?

These are questions I often ask myself, and sometimes I ask God. After many years, I believe I have come to the answer - in short God wants us to be in communication with Him. To "tell God yours worries and cares, for He cares about what happens to you" (1 Pet 5:7). He wants us to share with Him the desires of our heart, and He wants to use us to bring forth His kingdom.

I often find that I have theological debates with myself, mainly because I like to pretend that I have all of the answers, so I don't invite anyone else into my thoughts. But I'm working on it.

With all of this, I always smile when I read something that makes prayer (specifically the petition aspect) seem simple. It is asking God for what we want. And God delights in fulfilling the desires of our hearts. In Ezekiel (one of the books I rarely pay attention to) God is telling Ezekiel that he will lay on his left side for 390 days and on his right for 40 days as a symbol of the siege of Jersulam. It's intense, but that's not really the point I'm making. What caught my eye was this. The Lord told Ezekiel (as he wasn't allowed to move much) that he was to cook all of his food over human excrement as a symbol of the defiled food the Isrealites would eat. Ezekiel obviously wasn't a fan of this. Lying on his side for over a year? Alright. But cooking with his own crap? No way.

Ezekiel says to God "Not so, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth."

"Very well," the Lord said, "I will let you bake your bread over cow manure instead of human excrement." Ezekiel 4:14-15

Right there, obvious proof that God listens to our prayers.