The following is an excerpt from Deitrich Bonhoeffer's book on the Psalms - it struck me as so totally profound - especially for someone like me as I frequently find myself wishing that I did a better job at getting and keeping myself organized and feeling rather deficit in the spiritual discipline of prayer. Never did it dawn on me until I read this that the two things might actually be related! So, the following has been very profound for me - enough to continue to mull it over in my mind repeatedly......
The Blessing of Morning Prayer
The entire day receives order and discipline when it acquires unity. This unity must be sought and found in morning prayer. It is confirmed in work. The morning prayer determines the day. Squandered time of which we are ashamed, temptations to which we succumb, weaknesses and lack of courage in work, disorganization and lack of discipline in our thoughts and in our conversation with other men, all have their origin most often in the neglect of morning prayer.
Order and distribution of our time become more firm where they originate in prayer. Temptations which accompany the working day will be conquered on the basis of the morning break-through to God. Decisions, demanded by work become easier and simpler where they are made not in the fear of men but only in the sight of God. “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men” (Colossians 3:23). Even mechanical work is done in a more patient way if it arises from the recognition of God and his command. The powers to work take hold, therefore, at the place where we have prayed to God. He wants to give us today the power, which we need for our work.
The entire day receives order and discipline when it acquires unity. This unity must be sought and found in morning prayer. It is confirmed in work. The morning prayer determines the day. Squandered time of which we are ashamed, temptations to which we succumb, weaknesses and lack of courage in work, disorganization and lack of discipline in our thoughts and in our conversation with other men, all have their origin most often in the neglect of morning prayer.
Order and distribution of our time become more firm where they originate in prayer. Temptations which accompany the working day will be conquered on the basis of the morning break-through to God. Decisions, demanded by work become easier and simpler where they are made not in the fear of men but only in the sight of God. “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men” (Colossians 3:23). Even mechanical work is done in a more patient way if it arises from the recognition of God and his command. The powers to work take hold, therefore, at the place where we have prayed to God. He wants to give us today the power, which we need for our work.
Pgs 64, 65 Psalms Dietrich Bonhoeffer
27 comments:
Good to see a new posting Susan. The one before was getting to me and I decided to back off!
I love Bonhoeffer. My priest was quoting from him on Sunday.
Love Lorenzo.
I find routine around God so important for me, as well. Maybe that's the main redeeming grace for me in continuing to blog- which invariably involves mornings for me- rather than pull the plug on it, or cut back on it. I see that this needs to be worked out in community, and blogging does that to some extent.
These words remind me of Bonhoeffer's "Life Together". Good words indeed, and I need to ponder them, and the like, and put them better, much better, or really at all, into practice. And Bonhoeffer wrote that for the community gathered in the seminary setting there, but surely meant it for all Christians.
In "Life Together" Bonhoeffer certainly included the *private* aspect, as well as the corporate aspect of meeting regularly with God. Wanted to add that to what I said on the previous comment.
Me too Lorenzo, me too. Glad to see you back!
Have you read Hybels' Too Busy Not To Pray?
"When Christ calls a man, He bids him to come and die".
I love to read Bonhoeffer.
Thanks for the post. And encouragement to pray in the morning. I lose heart sometimes.
Good post - I like the scripture you quoted - so easy for forget that we are called to work for God, not for ourselves or the approval of others
Craver,
"To busy not to pray" Is not Hybel's because it did not originate with Hybel. It originated with Martin Luther.
I like your new photo Luther. Much, much nicer than the last one with the shifty eyes!
Thanks Lorenzo,
I’m glad you like it! I'm going for a new look, just trying to find the one that suits me. I might settle for President Bush as a long-bearded Mullah. I do like that picture a lot. Or this kid with tattoos and piercings is nice as well (I do have tattoos you know). Or perhaps there is something else out there that will strike my fancy. It is just so difficult to decide!
l-L: I think the little kid is creepy! Gives me the shivers every time you use it!
What tattoos - where? Or is that too personal to ask? I am quite fascinated by them but would never get one because I'd grow bored in about a week - or less - and want it gone and there I'd be, stuck!
Yeah, that is weird, LL.
Bonhoeffer here, and Paul, seem to me to suggest that by grace we can live through the Spirit in Christ, so as to fulfill the law (Romans 8:3-4 is pretty strong), or meet the requirements of it. There are tensions in that, to be sure. And we are works in progress.
I find that where I mess up in this is when I do it mechanically as just something to do. Instead I must engage in it in a personal way, as relating to God as a person, as well as to others. Though I also think it's valuable to have liturgy so that you do certain things not based on how you feel. Yet it all must be with the goal of knowing God in Christ and loving God and neighbor (including enemies, of course).
Do we really believe that:
"The powers to work take hold, therefore, at the place where we have prayed to God. He wants to give us today the power, which we need for our work."?
That is a good challenge to me, as I can easily forget, especially in a relaxed atmosphere on a weekend with not much pressure, that I need to get into the Word and pray. Much easier for me when I have pressures everywhere, as in my daily work- and I seem to plug into "the means of grace" in those circumstances much better.
I wonder what you all think about the world being turned into 'Grey Goo' (or instantly swallowed by a black hole) next Wednesday? (see my latest post). Just hypothetically - what happens if something does go wrong? Do you think judgement day would come into action at this point? Sorry if the question sounds a bit flippant, but I think it's an interesting scientific and religious dilemma!
PS lovely pics of the Appalachian foothills on your other posts - as a bluegrass enthusiast one of my favourite parts of the world, and a place I was lucky to visit at length in 2004. I should note that the uncompromising brand of Christianity that I found in the region whilst on my travels, was one of the main reasons I have turned away from the Christian faith of late.
Over at my blog, Susan, I've both tagged you and shared some things about you and your blogging.
"uncompromising brand of Christianity "
Depends what is uncompromising. Did they not compromise on the Gospel, and the truth of Christ Jesus?
If so, then the Lord is pleased.
If they were uncompromising about lesser things, then I to would shake the dust from my feet. This is nothing but legalism.
The other side of the coin is licentiousness, which is anything goes. I must flee from this as well.
Hey Triston, I remember those Tats. It was a fist crushing Satan's head, or something like that, wasn't it? And you got to lose those photos bro.
Alright. No one likes my pictures, and Lorenzo didn't like my original one with the shifty eyes, but I think I finally found the perfect one for me: Luther, leaning over a Bible, with the words "Here I Stand". Honestly, that is perfect for me. Not that I'm trying to boast. God forbid. Simply, I do try and base what I believe on Scripture.
My tattoos: I had a snake on my arm before I became a Christian. I didn't know what to do with it. A pastor friend (Joel Freeman) suggested turning it into a Bible verse: Genesis 3:15, the first prophecy about Jesus in the Bible, that He would crush Satan's head. I have a fist coming down crushing the snake and have Genesis 3:15 under the whole thing. After several years of seeing just one arm all tatted up, I decided to get "Jesus is Lord!" written in the Nepalese language on my other arm. That’s all the tattoos I have, and my wife forbids me to get anymore!
Hey Tortoise,
Don is right. There is no compromising the Gospel in Christianity. Compromised faith isn’t faith at all. Jesus is the way--the only way--to God. Jesus is the Truth, everything that contradicts Him is a lie, and Jesus is the life, and everything outside of Him is only death (John 14:6). I find the zombie movies amusing because in a sense that is what we have in this world: walking, talking dead people. Jesus is our life. There is no life outside of Him.
As for your question: God ordains whatsoever comes to pass, so obviously it would be God’s doing if the world was swallowed up by a black hole.
Yes Luther, that picture is very much better. A llama approves.
How do you like the Republican runner for Vice President? Anyone who can shoot animals for fun would NEVER get my vote.
Hi Lorenzo,
I'm glad you approve of my new pic. I'm going to stick with this one. I think it was a great move to pick a woman as V.P. This may actually give the Republicans a chance. ...You should have some pity on the poor gal: growing up in Alaska, she probably needed to kill moose just to survive the winters and have warm enough clothes to wear. Besides, in a place that cold, with that many flies in the summer, and where men out number women 10 to 1, it could make any gal cranky.
Personally, I'm glad she is so strongly in support of peoples' right to own firearms.
But at this point, it makes little difference to me who wins the election. I'm just glad Hilary lost. There's only one Hilary I respect--the guy to first summit Everest.
Tortoiseshell, some people think that the "big bang" that started the current universe was started by scientists fiddling about crashing particles into each other in the previous universe!
This is a fascinating experiment that is sure to answer a lot of questions about the origin of the universe.
Oh Maalie - if I wasn't so thoroughly covninced of how it did all begin, I could actually picture that happening based on some of the scientists I have known - and if would make one whale of a Far Side cartoon!!!
There was this one kid way back at university ...... we made him use the side lab all by himself because always did stuff that ended up exploding or shooting separatory funnels up through the ceiling tiles!!
I could easily see him blowing us all through a black hole!
Perhaps the most absurd thing ever believed by intelligent people is "the big bang theory". One would think smart people would be smart enough not to believe such a dumb thing: The idea that order can come out of chaos. If I throw a beer bottle against a brick wall, it doesn’t turn into a Ming vase, nor will it turn into a wristwatch that tells time. And of course the universe is more precise and complex than a Rolex. People see a wristwatch and they know someone had to have made it, but the hand the watch is wrapped around is much more complex than the watch itself, yet people refuse to believe in the Maker of the hand.
There have been a lot of “big bangs” in Iraq these past several years and not one of them has created something beautiful. The day our troops blow up a hut in Iraq and the explosion turns it into a palace is the day I’ll consider the stupid concept of big bang. Until then, it is too ludicrous to even entertain. The big bang theory has come about because evil hearts, who hate God, are willing to believe the most absurd thing, rather than to submit to their Creator. Rightly does the Bible say, “The fool has said in his heart ‘there is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1; 53:1)
Litl-Luther et al.,
I think that the Big Bang theory, far from being absurd, is evidence for special creation in the highest degree. Here's why: Any physicist or chemist knows that a reaction cannot occur unless there is disequilibrium in forces within the system. In other words, if the Bang were to have happened, it demanded unbalanced forces within the "material sphere" of pre-Bang matter.
But prior to the Bang there could not have been any disequilibrium within the "sphere," else the Bang would have happened immediately. If there is no disequilibrium in forces, then all is at perfect equilibrium, and the Bang would never happen.
So...that means that even if the "material sphere" existed, the Bang had to have been caused by a causal agent outside of the sphere of matter--an Uncaused Cause who created the disequilibrium. Big Bang cosmology demands a pre-existent immaterial Being, whom we know to be God the Lord, or "El Olam" in Hebrew, "the Everlasting God." He is Yahweh, the great "I AM" who is outside of time.
Plus, the Big Bang proposes that the heavens are literally expanding, just as the Old Testament speaks of God "stretching out the heavens like a canopy."
* * *
Triston,
Sweet idea for a tat. I don't think I'd ever actually get inked, but there are two things that I'd get: (1) An anchor, from Hebrews 6:19, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (2) The Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God. Specifically the traditional powerful-looking white lamb pictured in Easter scenes, carrying a white banner with a red cross on it. I love this because it shows Jesus' victory over death and the grave, through his own sacrificial death.
Litl-Luther - won't repeat it, because Drew has said it nicely - but the "Big Bang" theory is a lot more sophisticated than the wristwatch analogy - although I know what you are getting at - I had two boys - and randome disorder was the order of the day, no matter how hard they tried.
PS - I do like the new picture eversomuch better. At least it won't give me nightmares like the baby picture did!
Tortoiseshell I would love to know exactly what you are referencing about the "religion" you found in the BlueRidge that turned you off so much. I think there is much there to embrace and love but I would call that relationship to Christ - the stuff I despise it "religion" - legalism at the very worst. So - details please. If you don't want to do so here, please do facebook me at Susan McGuire - you should be able to recognize the picture - or at least the same color blue as the profile picture here.
Hi Drew,
Interesting take on the big bang. So either way, big bang or no big bang, there must be a Creator. Amen to that. I still don't see the need to accept a theory designed to cause disbelief in God, but I did enjoy your explanation of it. The idea of the Heavens expanding makes perfect sense to me with how God explains His work of Creation: He spoke, and the universe came into existence. Perhaps it is the power of His speaking that expands the Heavens to this day.
We have a brick wall surrounding our house, driveway etc....I keep throwing beer bottles against my wall, waiting for something beautiful....Boy is my wife getting peeved! :)
Thanks,
Triston
Ooooohhh Triston - you are such a bad boy. Just remember my lad - payback is rough, and now you have both a son and a daughter. Sso I'd straighten up if I were you before somekind of cosmic payback kicks in - or you're going to get it in spades!!
You totally crack me up by the way! And - did you realize this Andrew is my daughter's Andrew? Interesting conversations we have sometimes at the dinner table!
Yes. I knew it was your daughter's Andrew. I would love to play chess with him—especially when he gives a diamond ring to the winner.
You know l-l, I don't even know if he plays chess!
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