THOUGHTS & IMAGINATION VS. PRAYERS & INSPIRATION

     The title of my post today is “Thoughts & Imagination Vs. Prayers & Inspiration”. Lately, two things have been popping up frequently as ways that people talk about and address problems. Here they are:

1. Thoughts: When tragedy strikes a person or a group of people, then many in authority as well as in the media often say, “Our thoughts are with you”. I always think to myself, “What can good thoughts alone do to help ease the burden that people face?”
2. Imagination: Last week at Jimmy Carter’s funeral Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sang the famous John Lennon song, “Imagine”, supposedly one of Jimmy Carter’s favorite songs. I always thought it was a nice song full of hope. I never, however, looked at or thought much about the words. Following is verse 1 and the chorus:

[Verse 1]

Imagine there’s no heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today

[Chorus]

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will be as one

     Well, what do you think? John Lennon wrote, sang, and dreamed about how the world would be a better place if there was no “heaven” or “hell”—and if all we had was what we see now—and we all just lived for, as he said, “today”.

     He didn’t stop there. Listen to verse 2 and the chorus:

[Verse 2]

Imagine there’s no countries

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

[Chorus]

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will be as one

     Mr. Lennon imagined that the world would be a better place if there were no countries that had opposing views—and didn’t fight for what they believed in. I agree that the world would be a better place if there were no fighting for possessions and land—but will that ever happen in our lifetime? He even went so far as to “dream” that a world without religion would be better for everyone—then maybe everyone would get along, and “would be as one”.

     I believe that thinking good thoughts—and imagining the world being better make for good sentiments and a nice song. But they forget something—reality!

     The reality is that we live in a sinful world full of sinful people. I know that many people don’t want to even consider what the Bible says about anything—but the truth is that we can’t think or imagine away problems. Thinking or imagining away problems has no teeth in them to help anyone face the realities of life.

     What is the answer if thoughts and imaginations can’t do anything? Only two things have the answer.

1. Prayers: The only thing we can do is look toward and pray to a loving heavenly father that is described in the Bible. He is the only One who can really help us.
2. Inspiration: God is the most important person to inspire people to do great things to help our world and the sinfulness that is in it.

     Nowhere in scripture does God and His Son Jesus instruct followers to think good thoughts to bring about change. But, there are 357 references to prayer. Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament alone instructed over 100 times that people pray to God to bring about change.

     Now, let’s look at the word imagine or imagination used in the Bible. There were in total only seven usages of these words. And in EVERY usage it depicts the evil in men—not their goodness. Ezekiel in chapter 13 says twice that the false prophets prophesy out of their own “imagination”. And in Acts 17 Paul said that God is nothing like the Athenian’s images "carved out of gold, silver, and stone" that are “fashioned by human art and imagination.”

     Dee laughs at me when I share my aversion to the “Our thoughts are with you” sentiment. Many people I think are hesitant instead to say “Our prayers are with you”, due to fearing backlash from their bosses or the people that support them. It’s much like the increasing mandate by many leaders of government or companies for their underlings to use the “Happy Holidays” phrase as opposed to saying “Merry Christmas” during the holiday season.

     So, instead of thinking good thoughts and imagining good outcomes that in reality don’t have any positive effect—let’s instead, as is described in Luke 22, pray fervently as Jesus did in the garden to His loving Heavenly Father. And let’s pray prayers as described in James 5:16 that are “very powerful in its effect”. These prayers in turn can inspire us to do great things to help our fellow man.