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Expectant Prayers ®

Jennifer Jo Weiss

A Parable



A Parable:

There was once a young man who decided to rent a house.  He scoured the papers until he found the one that he decided would suit his needs.  He knew right where the property was and he immediately picked up the phone and dialed the number to reach the land lord who owned the property.  There was no answer.   For three days he tried to reach the land lord and by the time he did, he was angry.   "I am interested in renting your property, " he gruffly told the owner.   "I have been trying to reach you for three days.  What time can I come over and see it?"  

"Well," said the owner, "I'm not sure that you really want to rent the property.  You see, the house has been there awhile and the occupants over the years have been hard on it.  The roof leaks, the floor is sinking, the neighbors are loud, and the cost is a little high.  I have many repairs to do.  In fact, I was considering NOT renting it."   "Are you crazy?" asked the young man.  "I've been by the house and I want it.  I'll be over in a few minutes to sign the contract."

Reluctantly, the owner gave in to the persistent renter and allowed him to sign a contract. 

Pretty soon the renter began to complain of all the repairs that were needed, " The roof leaks and the floor is sinking!  Besides the neighbors are loud and the cost is too high."    He complained to the owner, who did not have much sympathy for the plight of the renter.   "I made you aware of all these things, " he said, "but you still insisted on having it your way!   Now you are in a contract, which can only be broken by Me and I'm not letting you out of it.  I hope you learn a lesson from all this!"

The Analogy:

This story can be likened to us and our desire to have politics or government the way we want it.   If we recall, even though God directed certain men like Moses to lead the people, it was the people who demanded a king in the first place.   Others were ruled by kings and pharaohs but the children of God were led by....who?.....God.  He didn't really want to raise up kings, but the people demanded it - and so He allowed it.  

Through the years and because we don't really know anything different, we have also forgotten that God is the Creator of all things and His Word declares that the government is on His shoulders.   He allows kings and leaders to rise to position, but He can also bring them down.   Besides recognizing this as a literal authority that God possesses and will literally be implemented here on earth, our lives should be ruled by His Spiritual governmental authority as we operate in the Kingdom of God.

Personally,  we are like the renter in the parable who insists on having things our way.  Furthermore, we need to understand that we are not owners of this world or our lives, God is.  We are merely borrowing space for a time!     We get angry with God when He doesn't answer our call for this or that right away and it fuels our trust and reliance on self rather than Him.    We don't listen to His warnings or what He says... we expect God to work on our terms instead of us working on His!

Back to the political analogy: Even though there are problems with the "structure" we insist on having,  we want it anyway and demand it.    The problems we encounter can be attributed to all the occupants who have been there over the years... not just one.  All too late do we realize or acknowledge that the roof leaks, the floor/foundation is crumbling and sinking... our neighbors next door are way too loud.... and the price is way too high.

Now we sit with our faces toward the sky asking God why all this is going on and He is responding, "This thing you've created can only be broken by ME and I'm not letting you out if it.  I hope you learn a lesson from all this."  

Have we?

 

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