Strong spirits: we can make a huge difference in the world
When our efforts seem in vain, when nothing seems to change, we can...
Do you ever get frustrated? I sure do. And from reading the New Testament, I'm pretty sure Jesus did, too. You hear him saying things like "How long must I stay with you people!" You see him turning over the tables of the money changers in the temple. Oh, he got frustrated, and no doubt there were times when he was tempted to quit, to throw in the towel, to abandon his mission. We can be glad that he never gave into that temptation, because by fulfilling his mission, he opened the way for all of us to be free!
We get frustrated when things don't go our way, when our expectations are not realized, when it seems no one else cares about what we care about, when all of our efforts seem in vain, when nothing seems to change. The lie is, "we can't change a thing." The truth is, we can!
How? The most foundational thing we can do to change the world is to pray. Oswald Chambers writes, "Prayer does not so much change the world as it changes us, and we change the world." In other words, as we pray, we get in touch with God, who gives us his take on the matter, and supplies us with what we need to make change happen.
"I am telling you the truth: those who believe in me will do what I do- yes, they will do even greater things , because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask for in my nome, so that the Father's glory will be shown through the Son. If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it." Jesus to his followers (John 14:12,13)
We can make a huge difference in the world! Here's the process: Pray. Listen. Obey. Worship.
We can make a huge difference... will we?
Gary Schwerin serves as pastor of Caledonia Congregational Church. He is also the Executive Director of Bridge Ministries of Rockford and Spiritual Development Minister for the YMCA of the Rock River Valley. His column appears every Sunday.
