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Are We Really People of the Word?

by Graham Wyborn
3/26/2010 / Prayers

Many years ago just after I had left Bible College, I was Pastoring my first church in Aberystwyth, West Wales. I was invited to come along on the annual Women's Meeting coach trip. My predecessor had done it each year, so I was informed, and I was expected to do the same. I was quite happy to go along, as it gave me the chance to get to know my congregation and also to met those from other churches who weekly attended our Women's Meeting from other congregations. Many of them did the "rounds" and attended several weekly meetings. West Wales is a beautiful part of the world and well worth visiting. I forget where the coach was going, but I do remember the leader of the Women's Meeting asking me to pray, "That God would go with us." She made her request without any warning to me via the coach microphone. I knew what she meant and understood the innocent request. But in my heart the request struck a nerve, and it was like receiving a temptation to dilute my understanding and relationship with God. Something I was not very keen to do. I refused the request and offered to pray instead, "Thank you Lord that you are with us as we make this coach trip ." Which is what I did in the end, explaining my reasons via the microphone. Many would suggest that there is very little difference between the two prayers, but I would strongly disagree. The first prayer invites God to come with us, to join us. Implying that before the prayer is spoken that God is not with us, that He is away from our activities and distant from us. Questions need to be asked, "When did He leave us? Why did He depart from our lives?". What does the Bible say?

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen."
(Matthew 28:18-20)

This passage clearly states, "I am with you always". If we link the beginning of the passage quoted above with the end of the passage, we must conclude that Jesus who has all authority in heaven and on earth is with us always!" If I had prayed the prayer as originally requested, namely, "That God would go with us" , that would have been an opening for the enemy to dilute the Word of God in my life. Giving him a foot hold by which he would further try to dilute my confidence in Emmanuel being with me all the time. Am I splitting hairs, I think not. The art of a good temptation (from the devils point of view), is to plant an idea or thought into our thinking without us human beings realising the thought / idea has its roots in the mind of the enemy. If the devil can get us to believe that God is not with us all the time, he has won a major tactical victory in our lives. Now can you see why I refused to pray the original prayer request.

Sadly about half way into the outward journey the coach was involved in a minor accident! The coach was approaching a narrow bridge, and at the same time a car was trying to do the same from the other direction. There was not enough room for two cars to pass each other on the bridge, let alone a coach and a car. The coach struck the wall of the bridge and both vehicles managed to stop before hitting each other. A couple of the passengers were thrown, and one lady slightly injured herself. Eventually we continued onwards with our journey after the driver had checked that all the passengers were willing to do so. The damage to the coach was minor.

The one lady who was injured was very thankful to God that her injuries were slight. At the time of the accident I understand that she was standing in the isle of the coach. She gave praise to God for her minor injuries, repeatedly telling those on the coach that things could have been a lot worse. Then it started, I am not sure by whom, very quickly around the coach the new rooky Pastor was getting the blame for refusing to pray the requested prayer. The injured lady heard the murmuring and refused to go along with the idea. Somehow she had grasped what I said earlier and started to defend me.

The events above happened in 1972, but the lessons learned that day have never left me.
Recently, in the gents toilet at my bus garage, a muslim driver was preparing himself to take part in the 5 times a day prayers that muslims are expected to do daily. He was washing his feet, arms and hands, and parts of his head and neck. All from running water. As I was washing my hands he rather arrogantly said to me, "We muslims pray five times a day". He knew I am a christian. I replied to him, "Only five times a day! The good book, the Bible, tells us Christians to, "pray without ceasing," (1 Thessalonians 5:17). That is 24/7 every day". The muslim looked gob smacked.

"Pray without ceasing," is my favourite verse in the scripture. It is such a short verse, but says so much. God wants us to be in a constant, continual, 24/7, daily relationship with Him. Whatever we are doing, and wherever we are doing it, God is there with us and in us. When we talk to God, He never replies, "Just a minute, I'm busy, can you come back later." We never hear the engaged, unavailable tone, at the other end of our prayers. How God can hear and answer millions of Christians simultaneously, I will never comprehend. What I do know is the God who can count the hairs on all our heads, and know the total, is the One who wants an intermit relationship with us Christians every day, all day, 24/7.

Rev. Graham Wyborn 2010.
Church Web Site www.sewardstone.org

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