God Botherers!?!?
Steve was the kind of fellow who was very open about his faith and usually in a fairly non-confrontational way? Instead of saying, “See you next Wednesday,” Steve would say, “See you next Wednesday God-willing.” In a time of drought someone suggested that it was time to get our indigenous people to do their rain-dance. Steve’s immediate response was that it would be far more productive for us to pray to our Creator-God for rain.
On one occasion Steve told me that one of his business associates called him a God-Botherer. I hadn’t heard that expression before and wondered about it. Did it simply mean that in a world where most people didn’t bother about God, people like Steve did and that that made him a God-Botherer? Or did it mean that God was really much too busy running the world to worry about humans and that those who did pray to Him or worship Him were really bothering this busy Deity? I later discovered that it’s actually a derogatory term for someone who is aggressively evangelistic. So Jehovah’s Witnesses doing a door knock would be seen as God-Botherers.
Later I had the occasion to meet this businessman. After introductions he wanted to know if I was a God-Botherer too. Well, I admired Steve for his faith and the way he lived out his Christianity so I conceded that, yes, I was a God-Botherers too. Over the decades since that incident I’ve often reflected on that unusual label that some folk have put on us Christians. I’ve concluded that in one way it really is a most appropriate name – but then not in a derogatory way. Two Bible texts particularly lead me to conclude that.
The first is in the book of Isaiah the prophet. Isaiah served under the godly King Hezekiah but he also served under one of Judah’s most evil kings, Ahaz. He warned people of the coming judgment when God would remove His people from the land and send them into exile in Babylon as punishment for their rebellion against Him. But Isaiah also predicted that God would restore His people and bring about a remarkable time of blessing for the Jews. Isaiah chapter 62 is one of those places where God makes some wonderful promises about their restoration. By the end of that chapter we are aware that the great time of blessing that the prophet anticipates is actually fulfilled in the saving work of Jesus on the cross and His victory on Easter morning.
Interestingly, in the middle of that chapter God actually encourages His people to be God-Botherers. We are told to give God no rest until His promises are fulfilled. That is quite contrary to what we generally experience in life. When my young children pestered me I often told them to stop asking. Children can be so persistent. I think of the parents going on a long trip to visit grandparents. The Dad got sick and tired of his young lad asking, “Are we nearly there yet Dad?” Finally in exasperation he said somewhat angrily, “Look I don’t want to hear you asking one more time, ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ It’s a very long way and it will be dark when we get there.” There was silence for a few minutes and then a timid little voice from the back seat asked, “Is it nearly dark yet Dad.” In contrast God tells us that we should keep pestering Him whether we are nearly there yet.
God-Botherers give God no rest… constantly reminding Him that He has promised to bring in that time of perfect blessing and peace when Jesus returns. It’s not that God forgets. He just loves to be reminded and therefore He gives us permission to pester Him and remind Him of HIs wonderful promises.
In a second Bible passage Jesus reinforced that. In Luke 18 there is the story of a widow who could not get justice done by the legal system. Jesus tells us that she finally got justice done because she kept pestering the Judge. And then Jesus makes this application: “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night?”
Let’s wear that intended slur of being God-Bothers with pride.
John Westendorp.