Nougat 24

We continue to reflect on prayer in Today’s Holy Nougat

“Jeremiah the prophet. They said, “Please pray to the Lord your God for us. As you can see, we are only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before. Pray that the Lord your God will show us what to do and where to go.”” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭42‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Who is Praying?

We read the Bible in different ways. One method involves identifying ourselves in the biblical context. Who are we therefore, in this Jeremiah passage? Are we amongst the people asking for prayers for direction, or would we be the Jeremiah (ie the intercessor)? Before claiming humility and identifying with those requesting prayer, recognize that in this instance, it is not a very positive place to be.

The people ask Jeremiah, ‘Pray to the Lord, your God for us’. They are familiar with God’s identity, as they include the reverential language reserved for God in their day. But they do not seem to have their own relationship with God. In fact, while being open to receive whatever God has to say or give, it is possible that they might not accept God’s counsel. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul describes this as ‘having a form of godliness, but denying God’s power’.

Requesting prayers is not problematic. Most of us have benefited from others interceding for us. James urges us to pray for each other. But the distancing of ourselves from God is totally and absolutely dangerous to our spiritual health. And the way in which those folks approached God suggests that God was just another idol.

When we’re in need of direction, to whom do we turn? And in the process, do we make God into an idol?

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May all we seek be found in Christ