Power of prayer
We need to pray for those who decry the solace and hope of prayer in the face of shooting in Minnesota. It is not the laws of man that will change the hearts of people. Laws can simply make it harder but not eliminate hate and violence. We have clearly seen this in the last weeks of our time in Galatians 5 as we have looked at the works of the flesh as opposed to the fruit of the Spirit. We can clearly see in verses 18 and 23 that the law is set up against the evil of the flesh (men’s hearts), but not against a heart under control of the Spirit of God. In fact, a heart under the control of the Spirit of God would cry out to Him, especially in times of tragedy, anguish and pain. There is not a law that will keep men safe from one another in all ways. But there is a God who can and does transform hearts and minds to live as He created us and to embody the character of God to a lost and hurting world.
The fruit of the Spirit enables us to see and serve those around us, the creation of God, with compassion and truth. Every person is created with inherent worth, but not all recognize this as coming from God their Creator. They chose to determine their own values and own way of getting what they want, regardless of the toll on others. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:43-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Walking in the Spirit will lead us to love all those involved, even the family of the shooter.
Those who decry prayer at times like these are looking for man-centered solutions and pointing fingers at those who cry to God with the idea that prayer is all they will do. Yet it will be those who pray that will forgive and bring healing and hope, while the non-prayers will wring their hands, make political points and once again offer no hope or help to the grieving and hurting. Here is a clear example of the works of the flesh as opposed to the fruit of the Spirit.
What do we do now? Continue to pray for those affected. And keep your eyes open to those around you, the marginalized, the downcast, the hurting, the lost and love them as your neighbor. We cannot change anyone’s heart, but we can be a model of the love of Jesus to them. We can share the hope of the gospel with them. We can pray for and with them. We can treat them as important. And just maybe — we will never know — another potential shooter could instead become a saint. Laws won’t accomplish that.
Pressing on…
Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor
