Parking Prayer

(That’s parking as an adjective; I’m not talking about pushing prayer to one side and forgetting about it ... far from it!)

I once had a friend who went to a busy town for her shopping.  As she approached the town centre, she would pray that she’d be able to find a parking space.  It worked.  She was always able to park close to the shops, rain or shine.  From time to time an article appears that has been written by a businessman who’s been successful and made his fortune as a result of prayer.  Prayer has certainly worked for such people as this, who have committed their commercial activities to the Lord.

I recall a time when I was getting a bit concerned about my own financial situation.  My thoughts were in this direction when I sat down for my daily prayers, and I mentioned this to the Lord.  Within a day or two the downward trend had reversed.  Prayer worked for me too.  As I gave thanks in later days I found myself asking, ‘Why?’  Why does God answer what some might term ‘selfish’ prayers ... those when we ask for something which is, prima facie, solely for our own well-being?  Can it be some kind of divine magic, a ‘fringe benefit’ of being a believer?  Is it a kind of reward: ‘pray to me and I’ll give you what you want?’  Well, in a way it is.  After all, Jesus did say, ‘Ask and it will be given to you … everyone who asks receives’ (Luke 11:9-10), but I’m sure there’s more to it than that.

Jesus also said, ‘From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded’ (Luke 12:48), implying that there are strings attached, responsibilities which go along with all the gifts and talents which we possess.  So what are the strings attached when we find a parking space, or receive commercial success as a result of prayer?  Let me make one suggestion, and then leave it to your own imagination to carry the thought further.

Remember when Jesus healed the man who had been born blind.  You can look it up afresh at John 9:1-7.  Jesus said that he had been born blind ‘so that the works of God might be displayed in him’ (v.3).  From the furore that was stirred up as a result of his being healed, we can certainly say that his new, seeing life was fruitful in that respect.  So what about us?  If we gain some benefit as a result of our prayers being granted, are we not duty bound to put that benefit to good use?  In the case of my friend, she was able to take less time for her shopping trips, and would be home earlier to prepare something special for her children’s tea.  The successful businessman could donate some of his profits to charities, or might be using them to support his own ministry.

Finally, a health warning: closing one’s eyes for prayer whilst driving around car parks could have other than beneficial effects!

Word-play ... or Sword-play?

I like words.  Especially I like words that are unusual, discovering not only their meanings, but their origins as well.  Also fascinating are pairs of words that have some similarity and yet in all practical terms are totally distinct.  Often they can be the key to a slick joke or pun, or to an amusing exchange between people who find they are talking at cross-purposes.

Two such words that crossed my path the other day were ‘cudgel’ and ‘cajole’.  The first is a short thick stick used as a weapon, while the other is an act of persuasion, often with flattery or by deceit.  On the face of it, there is no connection between the two – certainly not in meaning – nor in origin, either, since one is Old English and the other French.  And yet, there is an element of opposition there.  If you want to get your own way in a situation, you might use force, or you might try persuasion.  It’s unlikely that you would attempt both!

This winter has seen the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Sir Winston Churchill, arguably Britain’s finest prime minister.  In the thirties, he was certainly no appeaser when it came to an appreciation of what the Nazis were up to, and maybe it was this reputation that contributed to his being moved as Chamberlain’s successor in 1940.  However, he may have mellowed in later years for, at a White House luncheon in June 1954, he is reported to have said that, “It is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war.”  This saying also came to mind as I was musing about ‘cajole’ and ‘cudgel’, for doesn't it put rather poetically what I have tried to say above?

Jesus told his followers to love their enemies (Luke 6:27), and the verses that follow put the same instruction in many different ways, culminating in the effect that such love would have (vv. 28-36).  This teaching had its origin in the Old Testament (Proverbs 25:21-22), and St Paul echoed it in his letter to the Romans (12:18-20), where he exhorted his readers to “live at peace with everyone”, and then explained why, using this along with another Old Testament quotation, “‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Deut. 32:35). 

This is where my thoughts come full circle, for here is a place where I love the Authorised Version, which says “Vengeance is mine ...”.  We rarely hear of vengeance these days, and it seems so much more powerful, and echoes the great power of God Himself.

When you next come across one of the language’s museum pieces, don’t just look it up in the dictionary and then, enlightened, carry on reading.  Take advantage of the interruption; remember God’s vengeance, and question whether there is any situation in your life where you might be storing up some hatred or resentment that ought to be passed to a Higher Power.