Can you pray for a bailout?
In today's New York Times article about Detroit churches praying for a bailout:
The S.U.V.’s on the stage, a Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Escape and Chrysler Aspen on loan from local dealerships, were all gas-electric hybrids, and Bishop Ellis urged worshipers to combat the region’s woes by mixing hope with faith in God.
Is this really how prayer works?
Certainly we can pray for the strength to make it through tough times. We can pray for the ability to help ourselves and others. We can even pray for wisdom - for ourselves and our lawmakers.
Prayer, I believe, is within us. God is not a magic candy dispenser, giving us a gumball for a quarter, a bailout for a prayer. Faith must, I believe, be coupled with the inner work of the self and the outer work of culitvating our connection to humankind.
My prayer for today:
May difficult times bring us the power to help each other. May we all be blessed with the prosperity of spirit that will bring us together and uplift us even in dark days. May we find inner peace and outer community.
May we all be blessed.
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6 comments:
Very wise words, Phyllis.
God already knows what is going to happen. That's the beauty of God. I think we can pray for anything. I know I pray for a lot of things, that a lot of people would say, "huh??" But you know- whether we want it to come out a certain way or not, is not up to us, anyway. It is God's Will. That's all. :)
OH, ps- I think the case of the SUV church is silly. I think your heart has to be in the right place, and something like that seems hokey.
Sometimes people connect prayer with their simple reality...lots of people in the Detroit area have jobs related to the auto industry and without those jobs, they won't be able to function...so even though I think it is hokey...and weird...I can understand why the church would do that.
Excellent blog!
Bradley
The Egel Nest
Of course, people can pray for anything and do. Only this kind of prayer doesn't work. Only work works. Action acts. Change changes. That's happening already; it is just painful and unpredictable when what we are wishing for is the way things used to be.
That's up there with Buddhists chanting for cars and other "stuff".
Folks just need to get a grip.
I way prefer your prayer!
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