You ever stopped to think about what your praying for when you pray? Take my mother for instance; she is lying in the hospital with a bad heart, fluid on her lung and a staph infection. It would appear in its simplest form that you would simply need to pray for her to get well but every aspect of her recovery is completely dependent on the actions of all of her care takers. You have to pray the cardiologist got enough sleep last night and is on his A game. You have to pray the RNs are loving their jobs today and aren't busy posting on Facebook so mom is getting their undivided attention. You have to pray the guy/girl drawing blood is competent and attentive and not worrying what they are going to do for lunch. You need to pray that the lab tech is in as big of a hurry to find out what is wrong with mom so she can start getting the right drugs for her particular infection. You have to worry whether or not the X-Ray tech gets the exposures done quickly so the doctor can read them. Lastly you have to pray for these 5 different people to communicate effectively to intimately come up with the right course of action. There are 7 billion people on this planet and this many people are involved in one persons well being. Hope God has a secretary.--Jason P.When I first read Jason's Facebook post, I immediately thought about how big God is. Luke 12:6-7 puts it into perspective. "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered; do not fear, therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows."
There are seven billion people on this place called Earth. And God knows us all by name. God knows Jason's mother and father, and Jason's grandmother and grandfather, and Jason's two aunts, and Jason's daughter, all of whom were in the ICU waiting room praying and worrying together.
God knows the doctor, and the doctor's ex-wife who is suing him for child support while he is trying to pay off his student loans.
God knows the day shift RN, and her son who is in the military overseas. If she is taking a break on her phone, it is to see if he is safe.
God knows the night shift RN, who had to leave her two pre-school aged children at home with their father. If she is stealing a few minutes on her phone, it is to say good night to them, and to remind her husband to give the younger one his medicine.
God knows the med tech who drew blood, whose mom just passed away, but who is at work anyway. God also knows the lab tech, who just got engaged, and is planning a honeymoon with his bride-to-be, and wonders how he can possibly pay for it after he financed the engagement ring. God knows the x-ray tech, and the nightmares she has been having recently, and how she is afraid to go to sleep.
God knows that all these people need to work together to care for Jason's mom, and for the eleven other people in the ICU that day. Oh, and by the way, God knows those eleven other people. He knows their thoughts and fears. He knows their hearts. He knows their past. He knows their future.
Just like the line from Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles parodying an earlier movie, "Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges." When you ask, Jason, whether God has a secretary, my defense of Him might be, "Secretary? My God don't need no secretary!"
Or does He?
When you think of what a good secretary, or administrative assistant does, it lines up pretty closely to the spiritual gifts spoken of in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. Read on, and I'll tell you what I mean.
Setting Appointments
If I wanted to meet with an executive in person, I might first have to set an appointment with his assistant. The assistant would write my name in an appointment book, or in a Day Planner, or type it into a computer program designed to organize time more efficiently. Then the assistant might remind the executive that the appointment is set, and remind again when the day arrives, and yet another reminder might go out as the appointed time approaches. If I were sitting in the waiting area patiently waiting my turn, the assistant might announce my presence thusly: "Your two o'clock is here." The assistant might even thank me for coming as I am walking out the door.
Those people who have a gift for intercessory prayer are like appointment setters for God. They might mark certain names down on a list. They might mark down important events, like interviews or planned surgeries. Then they may from time to time "remind" God to be with that person as they go into that event. And at the appointed time, the prayer-warrior will ask God to be with that person in a very special way. They will thank God for the outcome afterward.
Taking a Letter
Often a person in a secretarial position might be asked to take a letter. The executive might dictate the letter live, right then and there. Or the dictation might be stored on a device, and the secretary might only need to type it out so that it can be mailed. The executive might ask to sign it personally, or to check it for errors and omissions. Or the administrative assistant might be trusted enough by the boss to sign the letter and check for errors before it is put in the mail and sent out. If I receive a letter from a company executive, it would not matter to me whether a secretary typed it, signed it, sealed it in an envelope and mailed it. I know that the message comes directly from the boss, even if the secretary put the idea on paper.
Spiritually, God gifts prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers this way. Seven times in the first three chapters of the book of Revelation, John wrote, "To the church at ______ write...." Galatians 6:11 says, "See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand." This suggests that the rest of Galatians may have been dictated to a secretary, or amanuensis (A literary or artistic assistant, in particular one who takes dictation or copies manuscripts). Paul may have been getting old, and his eyesight failing as he wrote the pastoral epistles, but he wanted the readers to know that he himself was writing this letter. And we know that the message Paul wrote or dictated was one that God had placed on his heart. There are modern-day Bible teachers who speak for God, and who might give a fresh perspective on ancient ideals or beliefs found in Scripture. If I go to church this Sunday and the sermon really speaks to me, I could say interchangeably, "God really spoke to me this morning," or alternatively, "Pastor Robert really spoke to my heart this morning." We see how God uses people in this way more and more as the population rises.
Doing the Work
From time to time an executive might be called out to do a sales pitch, or to conduct business in another city. During that time, the office does not close. The administrative assistant must field calls, pay invoices, order supplies and see that the day-to-day activities of the business all get done in the boss's absence. Only in rare and special cases might the assistant need to contact the executive by phone or email: when important decisions have to be made, or when something unexpected happens. The bulk of the business, however, gets done just fine without the boss being there.
There is a specific spiritual gift spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12:28, which the older versions translate as "helps". It is defined in this way.
God wants to make sure that His people work together effectively and efficiently until He comes in His glory. He has set certain people in key places to make that happen. If you don't think you have a spiritual gift, think again. It may be in investing in others so that they can realize their spiritual potential.
So, on second thought Jason, God does have a secretary. Many of them, in fact.
It is us.
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