He Does What He Wants.
There’s an odd little phrase floating around in my beloved church circles which goes like this: “God, I give you permission to interrupt my day”, and its corporate version, “Lord we give you permission to come and do what you want to do!” The heart of it is so good; “God, I don’t want to get in the way, and I know you’re full of surprises, so let me make room in my head and heart for your will to be done!” I’m not unduly offended by it and I would never ever correct my friends for saying this phrase in public prayer. It’s not that big of a deal. But I am going to make a point about it and gently offer a course-correction. Now, I’m not sure where it came from (it’s not anywhere in the bible) or who started it, but I must say I think the phrase is redundant at best, inappropriate otherwise. It’s useless, it doesn’t mean anything, and it feels misinformed. Last year, I had a startling, 2-part epiphany concerning this phrase, and this is why I bring it up. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure God had space in my life. I felt guilty when I couldn’t feel him, when I wasn’t “connected”, or if I prayed for healing and it didn’t happen, etc. This is how God broke through that pressure. 1) God doesn’t need my permission, and I couldn’t stop him anyway. He does what he wants. Literally... Isaiah 14:24 & 27 says, The Lord of Hosts has sworn, “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand...” Who can change his plans? His hand is stretched out, and who can stop him? When I was a baby, I never gave my parents permission to feed me, wash me, clothe me, or otherwise do the things good parents do. I let them know what I needed, and they faithfully took care of me because they loved me. They did good things for me even when (sometimes especially when) I didn’t like it. How much more, then, am I incapable of hindering God from loving me? It’s silly for me to presume that my authority and/or ability, or the lack thereof, could keep God from doing what God intends to do. Now that doesn’t leave me entirely out of the equation. The second thing I realized is that 2) While I can’t stop God, I can choose which side I’m going to be on when He moves. This was the core of Jesus’ simple message when he began his ministry. ”Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” [Matthew 4:17] In other words, God is about to move whether you like it or not, and you have a choice to make!
So while I have grace for those who use this strange phrase, I’ve changed my own personal attitude. Now, instead of granting him permission, I simply ask him to demonstrate his love: “God, you’re in charge here! Come and do what you love doing. You delight in mercy, so have mercy! You delight in freedom, so free us! You love healing, so heal! Let your kingdom come, and your will be done here.”