Asking God for Knicks Tickets

Suggested Reading: Acts 9:32-43

My wife and I have always enjoyed watching the dramedy Castle. It is the story of Richard Castle, a wealthy novelist who works alongside several New York City police detectives, doing research for his books and helping to solve homicide cases. As the show progressed, two of the detectives, Ryan and Esposito became very comfortable with asking Castle for tremendous favors: front rows seats to the Knicks games, reservations at restaurants nobody could get into, cool gadgets for the precinct that the police budget couldn't afford. They never abused their relationship with Castle, but they certainly made the most of his resources and his willingness to do big favors.

In Acts 9, Tabitha, a Jesus-follower who had been a pillar in the Christian community in Joppa and was constantly engaged in good works and acts of charity, died. Several widows who loved Tabitha, instead of preparing her for burial, placed her in an upper room and sent the Apostle Peter a message: "Please come to us without delay" (Acts 9:38, ESV). When Peter arrived, they immediately began showing him all of the wonderful things she had provided for them and talking about the incredible person she had been. Their request was clear: our friend has died, and we want you to do something about it. This was an audacious request. As a pastor, I'm not sure how I would react if someone called me over to their house because a friend had died and they wanted me to fix it. But that is exactly what these ladies did to Peter. And then Peter did exactly what they wanted him to do.

Sometimes we forget that we serve a God who does the impossible. Or, at least, we pray like we've forgotten. We face impossible situations and simply resign ourselves to the fact that nothing can be done.  We look at a marriage that has deteriorated with no possibility for reconciliation, but we don't ask God to step in, revealing himself and miraculously restoring the relationship. A loved one faces a terminal diagnosis, but instead of anointing the person with oil and having the leaders of the church pray for their recovery (James 5:14-16), we pray for decreased pain and comfort for the family. We fail to make the most of our relationship with a God who has all the resources of the universe at his disposal and wants to move in our lives.

God may have other plans. God may be planning on using these impossible situations to shape us or to lay the groundwork for something bigger. But God may also be waiting for us to make the impossible request so that people can see exactly who God is and what God is capable of. We serve a God who answers impossible requests and solves impossible problems. Maybe it's time we start praying like it.

The Green Goblins of Willful Ignorance

Suggested Reading: Acts 4:5-18

In the Tobey Maguire Spiderman trilogy, Spiderman's best friend, Harry, was also the son of the first Spiderman villain, the Green Goblin. When the Goblin managed to kill himself in an attempt to get rid of Spiderman, Harry blamed Spiderman for the death. Even when Spidey shared the truth with his friend, Harry refused to let it affect his view of things. Not until Mary Jane, a girl both men loved, found herself in danger did Harry decide to accept the truth and fight at Spiderman's side to save Mary Jane.  One of the tragedies of the trilogy is the time that was wasted and the friendship that was ruined because one of its central characters refused to allow the truth to affect him.

In Acts chapter four we find another instance of this self-destructive human behavior. Jesus has already risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, and the disciples have begun teaching, preaching and healing in his name. As they are going into the temple one day, Peter and John heal a lame man and the entire city is thrown into a tumult. The high priests have Peter and John arrested and brought before them, in part because they are known as associates of Jesus, whom they condemned to execution. While deliberating how to handle Peter and John for healing a man in the name of the risen Jesus, they make an extraordinary statement. "What should we do with these men? We can't deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in the name of Jesus." (Acts 4:16, NLT).

The council acknowledges that a miracle has been done. In the verses preceding, they do not contradict Peter and John when they claim Jesus has risen from the dead. But the council doesn't allow the truth of the events to affect their view of things. Previously, they believed that no one could do miracles unless God was with that person, but when Jesus and his disciples came along, preaching something they didn't like, they chose to change their definition of the miraculous rather than admit they were wrong about Jesus.

We are often guilty of this same behavior. When the facts don't fit our own view of the world, we choose to ignore or reinterpret the facts in order to preserve our own opinions. Nowhere is this more evident than in the political realm. Whether Democrat or Republican, conservative or progressive, moderate or independent, it is often very easy to ignore or disbelieve the facts that don't promote our own worldview. And we don't confine our hypocrisy to politics. We play the same game when we stake our reputation on a misinformed opinion and choose to double-down rather than admit our error. We make wild accusations based on feelings or rumors and then refuse to apologize when presented with the truth. We cling to a poorly formed doctrine and claim the Bible passage which contradicts our opinion must not really mean what it says.  But as followers of the One who called himself the Way, the Truth and the Life, we must care more for abiding in the truth than for the being seen as right.

When the facts don't fit with our opinion, we must change our opinion. We can't afford to trade the truth for a lie just to save our pride.