OUR HORIZONTAL PRAYERS

by CharlesRobey
(Trussville, AL USA)

"For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him." (Colossians 1:16)

Well class, the week is finally over. We have had a very productive physics class, wouldn't you say? I hope you all have a good weekend, and don't forget to attend church on Sunday. Our pastor will be starting a series on the subject of Prayer.

I have one homework assignment for your weekend thinking. I am asking that you re-study and be able to give the meaning of a geometric two dimension " Cartesian" coordinate system." I will be asking some of you to diagram this theory on the chalkboard. You will find it on page 50 of your geometry manual. The internet has some very good hand-out definitions and diagrams. Class dismissed.

"But wait a minute, teacher, I have looked into this x-y axis theory, and have one theologically-related question. Can this theory prove that God hears all prayers at once?" my one genius student asked.

"Well, you all just figure it out over the weekend, as part of your assignment," I replied.

"A typical teacher's answer," the class all mumbled under their collective breath.

However, this question preyed on my mind. I couldn't help but think about it as I drove home that day. For some reason, I just couldn't shake it.

When I arrived home that day, I must have really been tired as I found myself flopping in bed without eating a bite. Then it happened, another of my weird dreams.

I was standing alone in my classroom, just mulling over the day, when this weird man appeared to come out of nowhere. He was dressed in the garb of years gone by and his long, flowing grey and white hair was really disarranged.

"I know this man from history. I've seen his pictures on numerous occasions. I just can't place his name," I thought.

Then he spoke. "Have you figured out your student's question?" he asked.

"How on earth did you know about this? Who exactly are you?" I responded.

He then continued, "Does our heavenly Father hear all prayers at once? Of course, he does. Is our Heavenly Father visible in Geometry? Of course, He is, as He made all forms of calculations, including Geometry." (Romans 11:36)

Without saying another word, he walked over to the chalkboard and diagramed an x-y-axis. At this point in our conversation, I just had to challenge this unknown stranger.

"Then please explain the parallel of geometry with God's divine attribute of prayers," I requested.

"OK, but before I continue, let me just simply reiterate that this scenario in no way demeans God's supreme authority to that of secular Physics (Romans 13:1). It's simply just a lay Geometry fact paralleling God's divine eternal will for our lives (Hebrews 13:17). After all, did God not create the laws of physics (John 1:3)?"

"And having this God-given creation of the Geometry hypotheses in mind, let us research what part Geometry may play in one of God's divine doctrines, that of prayer; mankind reaching out to God and God responding to our needs. (Notice I said needs not wants.)"

"Moving on, let us look at this attribute of God from a secular geometry mindset. Let us explore the concept of Geometry by examining its visual study of shapes, sizes, patterns, and positions. Let us look at the concept of Geometry as it has occurred in all cultures, such as navigating and star-gazing. How do I get from here to there, using maps?"

He then commenced to prove his point of the x-y axis.

"Now, from a material standpoint, I have deduced a very interesting secular "Coordinate Geometry" formula, using the x-y axis premise, in demonstrating how God hears all prayers at once. Thus, let us explore this unusual interesting geometry prayer theory."

"The vertical line (y) goes straight up and down, perpendicular l to the x-axis of the coordinate plane. The vertical line has no slope, as for a vertical line the slope is undefined. In other words, it's either up or down with no variance. To reach out in prayer "9", one would have to first go through prayers "1" to "9", in strictly following the vertical line up or down."

"The horizontal line (x) goes left-to-right, perpendicular to the y-axis of the coordinate plane. The horizontal line has a slope. The slope can move to the right or left. All prayers, 1 thru 9 could be sent or received upward at the same time, by simply moving either to the left or right. So the horizontal prayer concept is the way to go.

"Wow, you're not only a genius, you're a preacher as well," I shouted out, as he walked back from the chalkboard. But he was a long way from finishing his sermon.

"Yes, our Creator God, who created all mankind in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27), hears all prayers that are offered to Him in different languages at the same time. He does this, simply because He is the Almighty God (Genesis 17:1), and there is nothing that is too hard for Him (Genesis 18:14). He understands all languages in which humans speak (Genesis 11:7-8), and all at the same time, instantly. And yes, He can handle all the prayers that might be coming His way all at the same time!" (Psalms 138:7-12)

"This old universe of ours is an effect which requires an adequate cause, and the only sufficient cause is our Living God (Psalm 19:1). The universe not only proves a Maker but also a Designer (Romans 1:18-20). And this designer, God, not only created mankind, but is responsible for meeting mankind's needs and concerns (Psalm 145:18), thus the remedy of prayer. You see, prayer is the only fellowship we now have with an unseen God (John 20:29), through His Holy Spirit, in the name of His Son (I Timothy 2:8)."

"Of course, God can and does cause numerous events to occur in carrying out His eternal plan, including changing the laws of nature. God made the sun to go backward (Isaiah 38:8), and the sun to stand still and the moon to stop (Joshua 10:13). Not to mention parting the water to allow the Jews to escape Pharaoh's domain (Exodus 14:21)."

"With respect to Geometry's secular explanation of prayer, horizontal and vertical planes are simply directions relative to some reference frame. Typically the reference frame in high school and early college physics is Earth's surface. In this case horizontal means parallel to Earth's surface and vertical means perpendicular to Earth's surface, with the coordinate plane being organized around two axes: the x-axis running horizontally, and the y-axis running vertically."

"Are you now totally confused? I hope not. Remember this is just a hypothesis, built around a human secular mindset, to help understand how God can and does hear all prayers at once."

"Since all of God’s commands are righteous (Psalm 119:172) then a righteous person is one who keeps His commandments. Yes, the Lord promises to receive the prayers of such a person, but not the prayers of the unrighteous (I John 3:7)."

"Yet again, God can and does hear all prayers of the saints (Christians) at the same time. He always answers prayer, but in His way, not ours. He never is too late but we must learn to patiently trust Him."

"Not like our limited minds, God recognizes successiveness of events and all past, present and future events are equally vivid to Him. For this cause, His perfect plan will be decreed, for all mankind, including you and I."

He then concluded his remarkable dissertation by a simple statement. "You see, we serve an awesome, wonderful Creator God, a Creator who simply created our vast universe in just six days, rested on the seventh (Sabbath) day and the rest is history."

"He is a Creator who wants to talk to us, His children, and who will never leave us trapped within ourselves, without giving us the opportunity to always talk to Him." (Psalm 27:8)

"When we come to Him in prayer, be it silently or corporately, we open the floodgates of His wonderful free grace. We open our hearts and lives to a deeper faith, renewed strength, and fresh blessing."

"One point to ponder, however. Should we, in our human finite minds, deduce that every prayer is acceptable to the Lord? We know God can hear all prayers at one time, However, are all prayers acceptable to Him? (Proverbs 28:9) This verse makes it clear that if one is out of fellowship with the Lord, then one should not expect the Lord to receive prayers. You see, God counts it as an abomination when we reject Him by going our own sinful way. And all the praying in the world cannot change that principle of God's eternal will. Prayer will never take the place of obedience, as the Lord rejects the prayer or cry of a disobedient person. However, God does give us a plan of reconciling to him (I John 1:9)."

"And whether we look into the concept of prayer through a secular Geometric theory or through God's divine attribute of prayer, prayer is surely wonderful. Talking directly to the Creator of this vast Universe just blows my mind. For what can we tell Him that He doesn't already know? This thought alone simply leaves me speechless."

With this conclusion, this strange man disappeared as he arrived, in a puff of smoke, and so did my dream. Thank you, God, I now have the answer to this young mind's question, come our Monday morning geometry class.

Author's Postscript

The coordinate plane was developed centuries ago and refined by the French mathematician René Descartes. In his honor, the system is sometimes called the Cartesian coordinate system. The coordinate plane can be used to plot points and graph lines. (google.com)