Worship & Prayer

There is so much about prayer that i don't understand at times. Then there are other times that pieces begin to fit together that didn't fit before. For instance the connection between prayer and worship. Years ago when i was in high school Scott Laird, the worship leader at my church, made a comment about how they were connected. He mentioned how many times when we worship God we are attracted to the worship by the beat, the rhythm, and the tune. However we speak the words even when we don't pay attention to what those words are saying. Part of Scott's point was that we need to pay attention to the words of what we are singing to make sure that what we are saying is correct and Biblical. The other point that he made is that when we sing something, just because we aren't paying attention doesn't mean that God isn't. He takes it seriously and will act on what we say. There are times when things come up in our lives that we are dumbfounded about. We have no idea what's going on, but when we ask God about it saying that we never wanted this, He reminds us that we most certainly did. When we sang that we were laying it all down, or that we are giving it all to Him, or that we want more of Him, even though we may have seen it more as just a song, He sees it just as it is. A message to Him. A prayer. A promise. When we sing something, there is so much more to it than just a song, and we fail to see that many times.

This past weekend i was thinking about worship and music and the structure of that worship. I was thinking about the structure of the a worship song. The main focus / basis / core / center of the worship is in the chorus. It defines the direction and movement of the whole song. Meanwhile, the verses work off of the chorus to define it more and give it substance and definition. The chorus acts as the trunk of the tree and the verses are the branches. The verses expand / expound as the chorus leads.

As i was thinking about that structure of worship as well as the parallel between worship and prayer, i realized that in the struggles that i have with praying, that structure may be a big benefit. If instead of jumping from one thing to another in my prayer i can have one focus that i start with and then define and expound upon it in "verses". Thereby my attention is less likely to drift into completely off areas. I am more likely to stay on task and focused, and the prayer itself becomes more... (i can't think of the right way to finish this) complete, purposeful, structured, beneficial...

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One Little Thing... continued

Please be aware that this post is a continuation of the previous week's post.

In my mind there is no doubt that Adam recognized a difference in his wife when she offered him the fruit. One cannot go from a perfectly made human being to much, much less than that without it being clear as day. Sin creates a separation, a gap, a chasm between that which is holy and that which is not. As a result, Adam's choice to take the fruit was exactly that, a choice. He recognized that as a result of taking and eating the fruit there was something different about his wife. She had changed and not for the better. A major gap/chasm had formed between them, and he knew the source.
So i'm convinced that Adam went into eating this forbidden fruit well aware, much more aware than his wife, of the command as well as the consequences of his actions. He was not deceived into considering that the fruit was good for food. He could have cared less if it was pleasing to the eye. The desire to make one wise may have had some pull, but ultimately i believe that even that desire was overwhelmed by seeing the consequences of Eve's actions. So when Adam made the choice to take of the fruit he knowingly made the choice to turn away from God for the sake of his wife.
As a result, Eve's sin was a blind sin resulting in part from deception. Adam's sin, however, was a sin with open eyes. There was no deception. He recognized and made the choice to turn his back on God. He loved God dearly. God created him. God gave him everything he had and wanted, but he desired his wife and unity with his wife even more. So he placed his wife before God. He chose his spouse over his source. That which was created from him over He whom created him. The rest, as they say, is history.

Wow, i just realized what a comparison and contrast this incident and choice are to what happened to Abraham and Isaac when God tested Abraham; asking him to sacrifice his only son whom he loved.

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One Little Thing Can Make All the Difference in the World

"She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."
Genesis 3:6

I really have to wonder what was going on in Adam's head when his wife Eve gave him the forbidden fruit. I have already commented about what the text states here; that Adam was with Eve at the time. When researching this word it appears that by Adam being "with" Eve he was in the very near vicinity if not right next to her at the time. Chances are pretty good that he knew what had happened long before she ever gave him the fruit, but then again he may not have. He may have been nearby and not privy to the conversation. Either way, when the fruit was given to Adam there is no doubt in my mind that he knew what that fruit was. It was the one thing that he had been forbidden from partaking in. It was the only thing that he knew and understood, beyond the shadow of a doubt, was wrong. So the decision that he made had to be a conscious decision.

One of my professors, Dr. Fount Schultz, at one point brought together some thoughts in relation to this topic. When God created man, did He create an incomplete person? Did he design man to only use a part of facilities? I don't believe that He did or would have. If He didn't create man to fully utilize His body and mind why would He have created them as He did? Currently as human beings we only actively use around 10% of our brain. I have heard that if our brains were utilized to their full potential, what we would be able to do is unimaginable. I know that for me there are days where i can't think or focus to stay on task and read and understand even light reading. Other times my mind is so clear and undistracted that i can get most anything done. On those kinds of days, reading a scientific paper and seeing problems and flaws as well as the potential and possibilities is in easy grasp. I can easily understand theories and concepts that the day before had my mind spinning before i even got past the first couple of sentences.

That change in our mental capabilities would have occurred at the fall of man, at the eating of the fruit. If/when that was the case, Eve taking the fruit and eating it would have changed everything. Adam would have been able to see immediately the difference in his bride. It's like working with the moderate to severely developmentally disabled. You don't need to be a genius to recognize the difference immediately. So when Eve took the fruit there is no doubt in my mind that Adam knew what had happened. So for him to make the decision to eat the fruit would have had to have been a conscious choice. So seeing the consequences why would he have done it?

More on this next week...

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