The Great Discovery, part 2

On page 56 of "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire," Cymbala makes the following statement in regards to the relationship of spiritual warfare and prayer:

“Satan’s main strategy with God’s people has always been to whisper, ‘Don’t call, don’t ask, don’t depend on God to do great things. You’ll get along fine if you just rely on your own cleverness and energy.’ The truth of the matter is that the devil is not terribly frightened of our human efforts and credentials. But he knows his kingdom will be damaged when we lift up our hearts to God.”

This quote has really stuck with me as I reflect on what we are called to as a body at River City Community Church. We are attempting to take on some of the great giants of our day – racism, economic inequality, failing schools systems, a struggling family unit, escalating violence – just to name a few. We have a church community that is eager to make progress on these fronts and that is smart and ready to go to work.

I want to see 'great things' happen in these domains as much as anyone, but Cymbala's warning is ever-present in my mind and gives a sobering reminder. He says it like this: “the devil is not terribly frightened of our human efforts and credentials.”

As impressive as the many resumes are in River City, the collective credentials still do little to make the devil afraid. There is just not enough power within our human intelligence and creativity. It is when, instead of relying on our human strength and effort, we “lift up our hearts to God” that we experience power and transformation.

This is perhaps the most important lesson I sense God teaching me in 2008 - the 'Great Discovery.' The point of a quote like this is not that human effort, creativity, and intelligence are unimportant in regards to comprehensive transformation and change. God wants us to have our skin in the game and to give the best of what we have. Instead, quotes like this remind us of an extremely important principle that is consisent throughout Scripture:

God's power and grace flow through humility. God's power and grace and are blocked by pride.

Though creativity, intelligence, and ability are gifts from God, if they are used outside of a reliance on God they actually become forms of pride. We rely on the power of the gifts instead of the Giver, and end up with no power at all.

I used to think it was amazing that a person or community could be smart, gifted, and apply their abilities to areas that God cares about, yet experience very little power. I am realizing that this shouldn't be so amazing to me after all. The Apostle Paul wrote, "Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become "fools" so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight" (1 Corinthians 3.18-19a).

This gets to one of the great aspirations I have for River City Community Church. On a human level, we want to marshall all the gifts, abilities, experiences, creativity, and intelligence of our wonderful people, and leverage those for comprehensive transformation in the greater Humboldt Park neighborhood and beyond. But, as important as that is, it should be secondary.

Our greatest strength needs to come from 'foolishness.' There needs to be a vibrant connection and reliance on God's wisdom, strength and power that defines River City. Not a passing prayer as we go about our human agenda; not an opening prayer as we plan out our master strategy; not a weak acknowledgment that we need God while secretly being unsure.

Instead, how wonderful would it be if we were marked by a genuine reliance on God? How great would it be if we felt the need and dependence on God in the center of our beings? If as a community we were connected to God's passions and desires for our city and through prayer gained wisdom, insight, power and direction to accomplish those?

In Jonah 3, after hearing the message of repentance and reconciliation, the king of Nineveh cries out to the people, "Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence." He follows that with a question, "Who knows?"

I love that question, and often rephrase it in my own words. "Let everyone in River City and all of God's people in Humboldt Park and Chicago call urgently on God. Let us give up all that is evil and outside of God's best for us, and let us repent and connect to God through prayer and listen to God's heart. And who knows what God may do?"