Several months ago while in conversation with an agnostic friend the phrase "Pray Hard" came up. I've long forgotten the details of the original conversation, but afterwards I began to think over the questions:
Having grown up in a Christian home, Christian schools, Christian college - I realized that, to a large degree, I have simply stopped seeing these common "statements of faith". I pass over them without a second thought, until someone like my friend asks for an explanation.
Many, like this one, won't stand up to the slightest questioning:
"Good morning. This is God. I will be handling all your affairs today."
So... I should make a call to my brother?
"Hey! I owe you money. But don't worry God is going to write you a check and drop it in the mail."
Clearly there are some of my affairs which God will NOT be handling today. (To my brother's relief, no doubt.)2
Other examples you may have seen:
There are flecks of truth here, certainly, but also quite a few assumptions which may be based more on cultural expectations and church tradition than on a knowledge of God and an understanding of what the Bible teaches. Does the American cultural maxim "If I work hard, I will succeed" necessarily translate to "If I pray hard, God will do what I ask"? (Corollaries: If I fail, I did not work hard enough. If God does not do what I ask, I did not pray hard enough. So, it's really more about my efforts and less about God's wisdom.)
The Bible advises believers to "be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have"4, and to the degree that we are putting these pithy sayings on our cars and coffee mugs and t-shirts, we would do well to understand what we mean by them and how accurately they do or don't reflect our beliefs. Just in case someone asks.
1 For the curious, a quick search turns up the expression "Pray Hard" in the CEV and The Message, but not in the NIV, NASB or KJV. My assumption is that translators of the CEV and The Message chose this phrase because it was already in use in the culture, and I would argue (pedantically) that it is not, strictly speaking, a Biblical directive. ↩
2 I put your check in the mail. Promise. ↩
3 If I do, will he send me flowers on Valentine's Day? ↩
4 I Peter 3:15 ↩
- What do members of the American Protestant Evangelical sub-culture actually mean when they say "Life is short. Pray Hard."?
- How do you pray "hard"?
- What do non-church goers actually understand from this statement when they see it emblazoned on a t-shirt?
Having grown up in a Christian home, Christian schools, Christian college - I realized that, to a large degree, I have simply stopped seeing these common "statements of faith". I pass over them without a second thought, until someone like my friend asks for an explanation.
Many, like this one, won't stand up to the slightest questioning:
"Good morning. This is God. I will be handling all your affairs today."
So... I should make a call to my brother?
"Hey! I owe you money. But don't worry God is going to write you a check and drop it in the mail."
Clearly there are some of my affairs which God will NOT be handling today. (To my brother's relief, no doubt.)2
Other examples you may have seen:
- When God closes a door, he opens a window.
- Grace given is grace received.
- Let go and let God.
- God said it. I believe it. That settles it.
- Isn't it time to fall more in love with Jesus?3
There are flecks of truth here, certainly, but also quite a few assumptions which may be based more on cultural expectations and church tradition than on a knowledge of God and an understanding of what the Bible teaches. Does the American cultural maxim "If I work hard, I will succeed" necessarily translate to "If I pray hard, God will do what I ask"? (Corollaries: If I fail, I did not work hard enough. If God does not do what I ask, I did not pray hard enough. So, it's really more about my efforts and less about God's wisdom.)
The Bible advises believers to "be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have"4, and to the degree that we are putting these pithy sayings on our cars and coffee mugs and t-shirts, we would do well to understand what we mean by them and how accurately they do or don't reflect our beliefs. Just in case someone asks.
1 For the curious, a quick search turns up the expression "Pray Hard" in the CEV and The Message, but not in the NIV, NASB or KJV. My assumption is that translators of the CEV and The Message chose this phrase because it was already in use in the culture, and I would argue (pedantically) that it is not, strictly speaking, a Biblical directive. ↩
2 I put your check in the mail. Promise. ↩
3 If I do, will he send me flowers on Valentine's Day? ↩
4 I Peter 3:15 ↩
Not sure I could explain most of them. I typically tend to ignore most of those phrases.
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