No False Images + Hear God's Word

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Good morning, Christchurch.

My name is Suzy Shin and I'm part of the Monthly Oakland Family Community Group.

Today's scripture is from the book of Exodus chapter 20 verses 1 to 6 and chapter 32 verses 1 to 9 as printed in your liturgy.

Exodus 20:1–6

A reading from the book of Exodus.

And God spoke all these words.

I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

You shall not bow down to them or worship them.

For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,

but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said,

Come, make us gods who will go before us.

As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him.

Aaron answered them,

Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons, and your daughters are wearing and bring them to me.

So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron.

He took what they handed him and made it into an idol, cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool.

Then they said,

These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.

When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced,

Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.

So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings.

Afterward, they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

Then the Lord said to Moses,

Go down, because your people whom you brought up out of Egypt have become corrupt.

They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol, cast in the shape of a calf.

They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said,

These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.

I have seen these people, the Lord said to Moses, and they are a stiff-necked people.

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.

Good morning. Thank you, Susie.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Father, we ask that your spirit would fill this place,

that you'd fill me as I preach your word,

that you'd fill us as we hear and receive your word,

and that in the preaching of your word, in the reception of your word,

that you'd show yourself to us,

that we'd behold you for who you are,

the immortal, invisible, God-only wise,

that we would turn our eyes upon Jesus

and behold him in all of his glory.

We'd make that happen here in our hearts today, we pray.

In Jesus' name, amen.

All right, so we're continuing our series in the Ten Commandments.

If I could just show you something really briefly

to help you remember the Ten Commandments, it's been helpful for me.

So last week, Jonathan, he went over commandment number one, okay?

You shall have no other gods before me.

Today is the second commandment.

You shall have no graven images,

and you should not bow down to them, all right?

First commandment, second commandment.

More to come later, all right?

But today is the second commandment, all right?

And at the same time, though,

I'm pretty sure that very few of you woke up this morning

feeling immensely guilty about breaking this second commandment, right?

Like, oh, shoot, I did it again.

I just did it yesterday.

I crafted an idol out of wood, and I bowed down to it.

I fell for it again.

I feel so guilty.

Did anyone confess that this morning

in our kind of silent time of confession of sin?

No one, right?

As modern Western educated people,

while sure we might struggle with some of the other Ten Commandments,

thou shalt not covet, honor your father and your mother,

this commandment, thou shalt not make graven images

and bow down to them, it's probably not one of them, right?

Why would any of us be tempted to do such a thing?

Maybe we should just skip the second commandment in this series

because out of all of them, we got this one down, right?

We got it down, easy peasy, no graven images, no problem.

But what if the essence and the heart of the second commandment,

what if God's intention in giving it to us

wasn't simply for his people to not make little figurines

as objects of worship?

Let me ask you this.

Have you ever struggled to answer the question,

whether for yourself or for your children

or for your skeptical friend,

why can't we just see God?

Why can't he just let us see him so we can know he's real?

Or maybe more importantly,

so we can know that he's here with us,

present with us.

Maybe you're like my children who are always asking me,

Daddy, why can't we see God?

And likely what's underneath this question

is the more understandable question of

how can we be sure that the invisible God

is with us and for us?

How can we be sure that the invisible God

is with us and for us?

I mean, certainly if you're further along

the agnostic or atheist spectrum,

this is almost certainly a thought, right,

that you've entertained and taken to heart.

Maybe it's one of your biggest stated obstacles

and reasons for not believing in God.

But you know what's interesting

is that even for those of us who do believe in God,

that atheist exists,

it actually feels quite plausible still

to many of us who do believe in God.

Because seasons when God seems silent,

hidden, and absent are real, right?

Whether you call yourself a Christian or not,

God's invisibility,

his apparent absence,

it's an uncomfortable and inconvenient feature

of the Christian faith.

But you know, it wasn't always this way.

It wasn't always this way,

at least not according to the telling of the Christian,

the telling of history according

to the Christian scriptures.

At the very beginning of the story of the scriptures,

in the lived experience of Adam and Eve,

you know, even for them,

before the fall,

it wasn't like God was continuously,

visibly present with them.

Actually, he came and went.

It's time for our walk, guys.

Good walk.

See you tomorrow, right?

And what's so interesting about this to me

is that this means

that even before the fall,

before humankind found ourselves at odds

with our maker and sustainer

because we went our own way instead of his,

what's so interesting is that before the fall,

there was actually a time

when God could be out of our sight,

and yet we could still somehow feel safe

and secure and within his loving presence

with no anxiety

and certainly no need to go and manufacture

his presence among us.

So what happened?

What happened?

How did we go from not needing God's continual,

visible, tangible presence to feel safe and secure

to feeling so anxious in God's apparent absence

that we've felt the need to manufacture

his presence and power for ourselves?

Well, according to the Bible,

the answer's simple.

We stopped trusting him.

That's the key sin in the fall at Genesis chapter three.

We stopped believing that this God we couldn't see,

seemingly absent when the serpent entered the garden,

we stopped believing that God was with us and for us.

And so we reached out to secure for ourselves

what we no longer trusted God to supply for us.

And once that relationship broke,

so did everything else in all of creation,

thorns and thistles,

sweat and suffering,

death and despair.

We've become estranged from God,

from one another,

and even from the rest of God's good creation.

So that now,

ever since then,

we've lived in a world

constantly giving us reasons

to be anxious and afraid

and uncomfortable

and insecure

in the apparent absence of God.

And ever since,

in our brokenness and insecurity,

we,

fallen human beings,

have time and time again

devoted ourselves

to closing the gap,

to addressing God's absence

by producing his presence.

Let me say that again.

The plight of fallen and fearful human beings

is to address God's felt absence

by producing his fabricated presence.

And see that,

that is the self-destructive impulse

that the second commandment is given

to protect God's people against.

And yet that is also

what God's people have been prone to do

again and again,

even when freshly delivered from Egypt,

after seeing all the plagues,

the Passover,

the crossing of the Red Sea,

sweet manna falling down from heaven

in our fallenness and insecurity,

we become so prone

to addressing God's absence

by producing his presence.

So what happened here

in Exodus 32 at Mount Sinai

when they make this golden calf?

Because seriously,

let's give them some respect,

all right?

This isn't a story

about how some foolish,

forgetful,

primitive,

ancient people

out of nowhere decided,

hey,

I want to worship a golden cow today.

That's not what the story's about.

No,

we have to understand

exactly what's going on.

God has just met his people

at Mount Sinai

with a terrifying,

you know,

in a terrifying fire

and with thunder

and lightning,

right?

His presence is so intense

for them

that they beg Moses

to go and converse with God

on their behalf.

So Moses goes up the mountain

and the last thing

that they see up to this point

is their fearless leader,

their prophet,

their representative,

their mediator,

right?

Go before God.

They watch him

enter into the thick darkness

where God is,

not knowing when he'll return,

and then 40 days

and 40 nights go by.

That's six weeks.

And there they are,

Moses-less,

like sitting ducks

in the wilderness,

no direction

other than to wait.

So what do they do?

Like most of us,

their patience runs out

and their anxieties kick in

and they begin to doubt

and wonder,

where is Moses?

Who will lead us?

And is God

still with us

and for us?

You see,

to understand

the second commandment rightly,

to understand

this golden calf episode rightly,

we need to understand

that before the calf

was an idol,

it was actually

a pining for God's presence,

a search for security,

an attempt to cure their fear.

Through the golden calf,

these vulnerable,

anxious people

were looking to address

the uncomfortable

absence of God,

looking for something

to hold

and carry along with them,

something to look at

and say,

okay, we're not alone,

God is with us.

Just like all the other

surrounding nations

in the ancient world

of the Egyptians

and all of Mesopotamia,

what Israel did

would have seemed

completely normal.

Every other nation

around them routinely

carved out

visible,

tangible images

of their God

to locate

and to access

their God's presence

and power.

This was religious common sense

in their world.

Of course,

your God has an image.

How else can you guarantee

and know

that He's with you

and for you?

So really,

the second commandment

was quite strange

and foreign,

very counterintuitive

to these Hebrews

at Sinai.

In a world

where everyone else

could point to an object

and say,

there,

there's our God,

Israel's God

says to them,

you shall not

make an image

of me.

Now,

why not?

Why not?

Well,

because making an image

of God

doesn't simply make

God visible,

it also tries

to make God

manageable.

That's the sin

of the second commandment.

The moment that you

make God something

you can hold,

you've also just made Him

into something

you can carry

and when you make Him

something that's

carryable,

you've also made Him

deployable,

an object

at your disposal.

And thus,

you've made God

less than God.

See,

the second commandment

is not some other,

you know,

or more specific way

of reiterating

the first commandment

to have no other gods

than the true God.

No,

it's just,

it's not just

a prohibition

against making images

of other false gods

like the pagan nations.

It's also,

and probably more importantly,

a prohibition

against relating

to the one true God

falsely.

it's a prohibition

against objectifying,

commoditizing

the one true God.

Because see,

to make a graven image

even of the one true God

is to misunderstand

at least two major things

about Him.

First is to misunderstand

the majesty of God.

Because like,

how could anything

made by human hands

adequately represent

the whole essence

of the one

who made the heavens

and the earth

by His divine hand?

You know,

the prophet Isaiah

in Isaiah chapter 44,

Isaiah 44 · chapter mention

he mocks the people

of Israel

for falling

for this absolute absurdity.

It's really quite funny.

He has them consider

the supply chain,

all right?

He says,

guys,

hold up.

Think about it.

A man sweats

and toils

and cuts down a tree

that he did not plant

and that he did not make grow.

He takes some of that wood

and forces that dead piece of wood

to serve him

and to die for him.

And he uses that

to warm himself

and to cook his dinner.

And then with the rest

of that same wood,

the same kind of wood,

he fashions for himself

a God

and he bows down to it

and he cries to it,

save me,

you are my God,

oh piece of wood.

It's ridiculous.

The God had to be grown,

chopped,

measured,

shaped,

and then carried around

by the man

now asking it

to save him.

But isn't a God

you can carve out

too small

to be your God?

Isn't a God

that you have to lug around

more of a burden

than a blessing?

And even if you're not

seeing this figurine

as God

but as a sacred

representative image

of him,

how could a piece

of wood

or even of gold

or silver

lift our eyes up

to behold

the fullness

and the majesty

and the glory

of the creator

and sustainer

of the universe?

any and every

graven image

of God

will always

fall short

and it will

conceal

far more

than reveal

the essence

of who God is.

And it's not just

that an image

makes God

smaller than he is

but it also

makes God

more manageable

than he is.

It misunderstands

not just his majesty

but it misunderstands

the freedom

of God.

And if you could

manufacture

some kind

of magical

genie lamp

to house him in

take him

wherever you want

and if you just

rub that lamp

the right way

you'll have

all your wishes

granted.

No, God

cannot be chained

and contained.

Heaven is his throne.

The earth

is his footstool.

What house

could contain him

even when

the highest heavens

cannot?

You know,

there's this other

episode later on

in the history

of Israel

where they have

this thing called

the Ark

of the Covenant

which is definitely

not God

nor a graven

image of God

but it is a sign

and symbol

that God

instituted

and had them

build and place

at the center

of their tabernacle

to represent

his presence

amongst them.

It's the place

where God said

that's where I'm

going to freely

voluntarily

and graciously

meet you

and it was called

the mercy seat.

But there's this place

in 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4

before Israel

has a king

there's a story

where they're about

to return to battle

against the pagan

Philistines

after having just

lost one of the

battles

they just lost

4,000 men

so they are desperate

and they are afraid

it feels like God

is not with them

and the truth is

God is withdrawn

in this moment

God is distant

because he's

disciplining them

he's disciplining them

because they've been

neglecting him

and doing what was right

in their own eyes

rather than

in his

so facing imminent

defeat

and being unsure

if they could make

a comeback

against the

Philistines

I almost said

the Philippines

unsure if they

could make a comeback

against the Philistines

being unsure

if God was still

with them

and for them

they try one

last technique

they try

to weaponize

God

they say to

themselves

go get the ark

and in their minds

they're bringing

the presence of God

onto the battlefield

with them

because they reason

surely

God would not

let them be defeated

God would not

let their ark

get captured

right

and initially

this increases

their morale

gets them excited

they let out

a great shout

as the ark

comes into their

camp

and the Philistines

here

they begin to

tremble

when they hear

about what is

happening

as if a weapon

of mass destruction

has been brought

in against them

but the thing is

though Israel

could make

the ark

stand among them

they couldn't

make Yahweh

and so God

let them get

defeated

he even let

the Philistines

capture the ark

but lest

the Philistines

think that

they'd defeated

captured

and harnessed

the power

of Yahweh

God was about

to show

that no one

can control

or harness

his presence

and power

when the ark

was placed

in the temple

of the Philistines

national god

Dagon

what did they

find the next day

this graven image

of Dagon

is flat

on its face

and so

the priests

are like

okay

they strain

themselves

to lift up

that big image

they lift it

back up

here you go

Dagon

let's get you

back up

maybe it was

a win

maybe it was

a fluke

until they come

back the next

day

and Dagon

is face down

again

only this time

his head

is broken

off

and his arms

are broken

off

and then after

that we find

that the presence

of the ark

of the covenant

in the Philistine

land leads to

tumors

and plagues

across the land

such that

they send

the ark

back

we don't want

this thing

amongst us

this god

is too powerful

all this to show

that god cannot

and will not

be used

and deployed

like a dog

on a leash

or like a genie

in a lamp

not by Israel

not by the Philistines

not by anyone

this was the

thundering

blazing

god

at Mount Sinai

the uncontainable

pillar of cloud

and fire

who cannot

and will not

be domesticated

or handled

or tamed

or controlled

and so for this

reason

god

is not to be

imaged

and crafted

by human hands

for us to use

him

according to

our own wills

no it is

we humans

who were meant

to be used

by god

according to

his will

why

because he's

the one

who made us

in his image

the second

commandment

is a reminder

to us

that god

makes us

in his image

and not

the other

way around

this isn't

some random

ancient commandment

only relevant

for primitive

people who

bow down

to blocks

of wood

it's a reminder

of who god

is

and of who

we are

before him

it's a warning

against flipping

that upside down

dehumanizing

ourselves

de-godding

god

and dishonoring

all of god's

good reality

idolatry

us

making god

in our own

image

is the exact

opposite

of what god

did when he

made us

in his image

whether we

make actual

physical

graven images

of wood

gold

or stone

or whether

we entertain

thoughts

like

you know

i like to

think of god

as fill in

the blank

i like to

think you know

i prefer baby

jesus in a

manger

right

i prefer

precious

moments

jesus

i prefer

you know

two thumbs

up

winking

charming

jesus

right

or i like

to think

of god

as more

republican

than democrat

or as more

democrat than

republican

as more

forgiving than

just

or as more

righteous than

merciful

at the heart

of it

whether

thousands of

years ago

or today

the agenda

has remained

the same

god made

us in

his image

but we keep

trying to remake

god in

ours

we all

prefer a god

who shares

our priorities

our projects

our plans

our politics

and in those

places where he

doesn't agree

with us

we don't just

want a

carryable god

but we also

want a

put awayable

god

too

right

again we

want to

we want a

manageable god

whom we can

summon when we

need him

and silence

when he becomes

inconvenient

maybe that's

why you

when you

are about to

go on that

date planning

to hook up

you take off

your cross

necklace

when you

invite your

boyfriend over

a stay of the

night at your

apartment

take off that

cross necklace

put it away

maybe that's why

when you're about

to fire up your

laptop to view

porn

you take the

bible off your

nightstand

off your

desk before

you do it

i'll just put

god to the

side for now

right

i'll put god

to the side

for now

at work

in this

relationship

or that

because what

i know god

has to say

about how i

should be

living my

life

is too

inconvenient

it's too

troublesome

so let me

put him to

the side

we're happy

to pray

god please

help me

with this

diagnosis

with this

job interview

with this

relational

conflict

but you

know that

relationship

you can stay

out of that

one

that career

decision

put your

side for

that one

how i spend

my money

what i do

with my

body

we'd all

rather have a

god who agrees

with us

and affirms

our every

desire

we'd all like

a god

we can both

summon

and silence

but the thing

is that's not

who god

is

and if

our

agreeable

gods

never

actually

stand

over

us

never

contradict

us

never

correct

us

never

surprise

us

or tell

us no

have we

not just

fashioned

gods

after our

own

images

and if

we've

reversed

the roles

if we've

taken the

role of

image makers

and reduced

god

to image

bearer

when by

our

idolatry

we decide

that we

get to

define

who god

is

and we

recast

him

after the

image of

our

desires

our

values

our

plans

our

instincts

when we

place

ourselves

upon the

throne

that

belongs

to god

it not

only

offends

and objectifies

god

but it

opens the

door to

us

justifying

all kinds

of offenses

against our

neighbors

as well

you know

when we

get into

the habit

of objectifying

god

it's not

long before

we will feel

comfortable

and even

justified

in objectifying

our

neighbors

relating

to others

as objects

and commodities

transactions

tools

and resources

rather than

fellow human

beings

made in the

image of

god

right

made not

to be

utilized

but loved

if god

is just

an object

to us

if we've

subtly

allowed

ourselves

to play

the role

of god

the way

we'll relate

to everyone

else

is as

their judge

right

every interaction

will with

you know

a fellow

human being

will be an

evaluation

of how well

this person

fits my

world

my needs

my goals

my desires

we'll turn

our beloved

wives and

husbands into

mere partners

and utilities

our children

into trophies

our church

family into

a social

network

walking a

busy street

we'll see

the humans

around us

as inconvenient

bodies

obstacles

to navigate

around

we'll see

the homeless

as nothing

but uncomfortable

threats on

the street

when we get

slowed down

and stuck

on our

commutes

we don't

realize that

we aren't

just in

traffic

we are

the traffic

the objectification

and commodization

of god

leads to

societies

that objectify

and commoditize

the image

of god

just as

easily

and this

is why

we need

the second

commandment

this is why

we need

to worship

the true

god

rightly

because of

what false

worship

does to us

in our call

to worship

this morning

we read

from psalm

115

and in psalm

115

the psalmist

mocks

and describes

all idols

as having

eyes but no

sight

ears but no

hearing

mouths but no

speech

and then it

says something

super haunting

it says

those who make

them

become like

them

and so do

all those

who trust

in them

those who

make them

become like

them

those who

make these

commoditized

impersonal

objects

they will

become like

them

and the

point is

what

and how

we worship

will have

an effect

on how

we relate

to all

the rest

of reality

and not

just to

god

and so

it's no

wonder

that you

know

stepford

wives

ai

girlfriends

and sex

robots

are suddenly

far more

plausible

and understandable

in our age

than ever

before

right

our culture

is constantly

developing

technology

after technology

not simply

to serve

endless

human progress

but to serve

bottomless

human desire

ever

smoothing out

ever

curating

customizing

our experiences

of this world

reducing

more and more

friction

all the time

giving us

more and more

of what we

desire

but don't you

see

it's all

motivated

by the same

agenda

the worship

of the self

if I insist

on a spouse

who never

disagrees with me

never surprises

me

never has

any desires

that are

independent

or contrary

to mine

I'm not looking

for a spouse

I'm looking

for a projection

and isn't that

increasingly

what technology

offers us

and listen

I'm not

anti-tech

I seriously

love ai

Jonathan

will probably

tell you

too much

but as

with everything

we need to

pay attention

to the ways

our tools

and techniques

are forming

and shaping

our heads

hearts

and hands

because think

about it

what does it

do to a person

to only have

frictionless

relationships

only customizable

companionship

intimacy

without vulnerability

and actual

like otherness

real human

relationship

that we were

created to enjoy

and experience

it requires

real people

and personal

interaction

to borrow

from the

philosopher

Martin Buber

he talks

about how

we must

not substitute

our

I-thou

relationships

for I-it

relationships

to preserve

the I-thou

and not reduce

others

and God

and ourselves

to its

it requires

personal

friction

it requires

uncertainty

and risk

and surprise

and disagreement

and sacrifice

and inconvenience

but that's what it

means to be human

that's what it

means to be in

relationship

with a real life

person

rather than

a plastic

projection

and I think

this is why

you know

here in the

second commandment

you don't have

this in all

the other

in all the

ten commandments

but here in

the second

commandment

God doesn't

just give the

command

but he gives

a reason

for the command

he gives

the basis

for the second

commandment

he says here

in chapter 20

verse 4

you shall not

make for yourself

an image

in the form

of anything

in heaven

above

or on the

earth beneath

or in the

waters below

you shall not

bow down

to them

or worship

them

for

I

the Lord

your God

am a jealous

God

did you hear

that

what's the

reason

because Yahweh

your God

is a jealous

God

the reason why

we are not to

objectify God

into a

handheld

handmade image

is not simply

because it

dishonors all of

who God

is

nor simply

because it

objectifies him

and leads us

to objectify

others

but because he

is a jealous

God

and this word

jealousy

this is

everything

right here

because think

about it

an object

doesn't get

jealous

right

and maybe

that's what

we like

about objects

your phone

doesn't get

jealous

it doesn't

care if

you want

to upgrade

your iPhone

to the next

one

your toaster

doesn't get

offended

or get

its feelings

hurt when

you upgrade

to an air

fryer

a tool

doesn't care

if you only

ever pull it

out when you

need it for

something

and then throw

it back in

the garage

for next

time

whenever that

may be

but a

person

a person

is not

meant to

be treated

in that

way

a person

can be

jealous

and even

justifiably

so

a spouse

is not

meant to

be treated

interchangeably

and transactionally

but in

loving

covenantal

communion

so when

God says

he's jealous

this is not

God saying

I'm like

that insecure

teenager

who's

jealous

of the

person

taking my

crush

to prom

no when

God says

you shall

not objectify

me

into an

image

because

I'm a

jealous

God

God's

jealousy

is actually

good news

about him

and good

news

for us

what he's

saying is

I have an

earnest

passionate

pursuing

and zealously

jealous

desire

for a

dynamic

and personal

relationship

with my

people

and I

will settle

for nothing

less

I refuse

to have an

impersonal

technical

mechanical

transactional

relationship

with you

I will

not be

your tool

your appliance

your genie

the object

you summon

when you

need

and silence

when you

don't

I want

more

for our

relationship

than that

because you

are far

more than

that

to me

and I

want to

be far

more than

that

to you

like a

husband

in persistent

passionate

pursuit

of his

wife

God

refuses

to respond

indifferently

to his

people

objectifying

themselves

giving

themselves

to

others

going

from

object

to

object

he's

saying

you

were

never

made

to be

just

an

impersonal

object

at my

disposal

so don't

treat me

as one

either

I made

you

to love

you

and I

made

you

to love

me

God's

jealousy

here is

not a

defect

in him

but a

feature

communicating

his

passionate

loving

intentions

for his

people

and his

insistence

upon being

an intimate

God

rather than

an impersonal

tool

because see

a golden

calf

can be

used

but

Yahweh

insists

on being

loved

and not

simply

for what

he can

do

but for

who

he is

the

second

commandment

forbids

us from

seeking

God's

power

and

presence

while at

the

same

time

ignoring

his

personal

passionate

pursuing

love

and

perhaps

there's

no more

honest

place

to

examine

whether

we

actually

want

God

or

just

what

he

can

do

for

us

than

in

our

prayer

lives

and

listen

God

wants

us

to

ask

him

for

things

he

loves

that

but

he

wants

us

to

ask

him

as

children

to

a

father

and

not

as

children

to

a

gumball

machine

or

imagine

if

the

only

time

you

ever

talk

to

your

spouse

is

when

you

needed

something

can

you

get

this

can

you

fix

this

can

you

help

me

with

this

that's

not

covenantal

marriage

that's

transactional

partnership

see

when we

pray

we

always

need

to be

asking

ourselves

is it

actually

that I

desire

God's

personal

presence

or

just

his

power

do I

want

the

giver

or

the

gifts

and

do

I

will

I

still

trust

and

follow

this

free

personal

God

when

he

says

no

or

wait

or

when

he

seems

silent

or

are

my

prayers

actually

not

so

different

from

the

pagans

begging

their

graven

images

to

grant

their

wishes

are

our

prayers

more

for

communion

or

for

control

see

if

they're

for