A Weblog Dedicated to the Discussion of the Christian Faith and 21st Century Life

A Weblog Dedicated to the Discussion of the Christian Faith and 21st Century Life
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I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe, –that unless I believed, I should not understand.-- St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Prayer-- Wanting What God Wants

...when we pray, "Your will be done," we are not asking that things come out right as we want things to come out, but rather we are asking that God's will be done. Too often, we are conditioned to think of prayer as asking God for what we want--dear God, give me this, give me that. But now, in praying that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we are attempting to school ourselves to want what God wants. We receive, not what our hearts desire, but rather we become so enthralled with a vision of what God is doing on earth and in heaven, that we forget the story the world has told us-- that we have nothing better to do than to satisfy our desires.
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William H. Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas, Lord Teach Us: The Lord's Prayer and the Christian Life, pp. 65-66.

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