Welcome to prayer! You know, you’re always welcome to pray. Of course, that might not be good news, since “pray without ceasing” sounds a little like obsessive hand-washing.
THANK YOU for saying that. This is one of those spiritual disciplines that I can’t check off my list. It’s like the dishes. I get thirsty right after washing up, and voila! Dirty cup. And don’t get me started on prayer requests.
Prayer requests?
Yes, the nameless children in Africa and my neighbor with cancer and structural racism and Donald Trump. I mean, all of it is fair game. All needful. And so I pray about none of it because it feels like a tsunami of need.
Who’s needy?
The world. Me. Everything. I mean, aren’t I supposed to care about it all? Isn’t that the point of prayer?
Pretty sure God didn’t set you up to be capable of that. Limits, you know. Time, space, all the biggies.
So then I just don’t care? Don’t bother? I keep thinking of those Frank Peretti novels where prayers were like the energy drinks for the angel warrior. I’ve got to keep them caffeinated to fight the demons! More amens!
Well, speaking of limits: Peretti’s vision is fictional. Look, we’re pretty sure angels aren’t coin-operated, with devotion as currency. Also: what do we really know about angels, when you get right down to it? Or power that isn’t violent or coercive?
I suppose. But I want my prayer to be—useful. I want it to mean something, and not just be me nattering on about my belly button.
Does prayer have to have utility like a stapler for it to be needful or meaningful? Or beautiful?
LOL. I’d settle for average. Believe you me, my prose is anything but beautiful in prayer. Lots of “justs” and “Lords”. I sound like a Valley girl who just converted. We’re not even close to beauty.
Oh, but you are. Every time you pause and say “help” all the beauty in the universe is holding your face in its hands.
I—(silence)
What if prayer wasn’t something you had to manufacture, create, come up with? What if its meaning wasn’t dependent on your effort? What if was like oxygen, ready at any moment to be breathed in?
But—how? It’s all well and good to say I don’t have to try, but ultimately, I’ve got to intend something. Do something. I don’t pray while I’m snoring.
What if I told you that it was like a tsunami? What if I told you to sink down instead of trying to stay on top of its crest? What if I told you to be still in the force of its might?
Honestly? I’d you were reading too many woo-woo books.
Well, prayer is a little woo-woo, right? Talking to an imaginary friend?
I guess.
Let’s put it this way. You know that moment where you know it’s time to pray, and you face all that fear about falling short, and how much to pray, and for how long, and what order, and are you present, and is it enough, and you open your mouth anyway?
God, all too well.
What if that moment was the biggest prayer? A faithful cry for help? What if that moment was the moment the angels started celebrating for the one lost sinner? What if, in that moment, God was already saying, well done, good and faithful servant? What if that moment of turning towards God in your heart was all He is asking of you?
Just that?
By saying “just” you are writing off the bravery faithfulness takes. The first moment of showing up is always the hardest.
I guess you’re right. When I’m desperate it undoes me when I try.
Being undone isn’t a bad thing, you know. Being very aware of your limitations is part of the point.
So, then, what about prayer requests? How do they not feel like a tsunami?
Well, could you pray for one thing that grieves you? Even just mentioning it with one word?
Well, sure. But—
If prayer is partially an exercise in recognizing our limitations and surrendering them to God, trusting Him with them, than one word is more than enough. One prayer request is enough.
But it doesn’t feel like much.
You’re in luck: Jesus specializes in the small and unimpressive.
He does, doesn’t he? Thank you.
Happy to help. And—can we pray for you? Father, inhabit our prayers. Pray for us Lord. Help us convert our hearts in every moment by calling out your name. Help us learn to sit with you, just because, without worrying. Help us to find peace in the prayer you are even now helping us to say. Amen.
Have I Repented Too Much? For the Mudroom
“Does prayer have to have utility like a stapler for it to be needful or meaningful?” – Ouch, yeah. I admit I have said it too, but when we say “there’s power in prayer” in response to times of anxious waiting, I kinda feel like we just revved up the power tools (vroom vroom!) and are gonna get ‘er done, you know? Like we pull out this prayer-drill and use it until life is all fixed. And when that doesn’t work, we either shrug it off or lose little chunks of our faith. It’s like the works-driven people’s version of “remote control” prayer or “vending machine” prayer. We only think to pray when a situation is out of control and we very much want it back in our control, so we use prayer to “fix it.” Idk. Maybe it’s just me. Does any of this make sense?
That makes perfect sense to me, but granted, I’m a little odd 🙂
I’ve been thinking a LOT as I write my memoir about the difference between being whole and being fixed. And there’s a BIG difference. God offers wholeness, not remodels. The thing is, I think sometimes prayer DOES reach in and turn situations upside down–with blatant healings and ridiculous anointing. But not ALWAYS. Like you said, it’s not a power drill we push a button on and get predictable results out of. But I love celebrating that vroom-vroom power of prayer and hoping for it, because it’s incredible when it happens.
Being “odd” together with you is always a privilege, friend. haha
So true. I think it becomes an issue when that’s what we believe the definition of prayer is – our tool to make life all sunshine and rainbows again – instead of a relationship or marriage or conversation with Him. And the resemblance of prayer request lists to to-do lists probably doesn’t help our little human brains that make subconscious associations, either. haha
(Also, I’m totally in if you wanna talk more about this “God offers wholeness, not remodels” thing. Sounds like a great, needed discussion in our world. Very excited to hear about this book.) 😀
Yes, Jesus as a tool is so tempting, and so against what he came for.
There’s a coffee shop here in San Diego in the “odd Fellows” building–I’ll join you there sometime 🙂
Great name for a coffee shop. haha Yes! I’ll keep that in mind when I come out there to visit my sister! 😀
So much to think about and sink down in. Thank you!
Wonderful, thought provoking imagery – just what my brain needs.
And this:
“Every time you pause and say “help” all the beauty in the universe is holding your face in its hands”
… this is going to stay with me a while.
Thank you again Heather!
You’re welcome!
This post made me smile! I used to be a super prayer warrior. Oh my lord, a real praying machine morning, noon and night.
And then it occured to me that sometimes thousands praying moved nothing while the no- praying heathen saw miracles and breakthroughs. That’s when I realized I thought of prayer as currency, as human power able to manipulate life events if just the right amount of energetic incantations were uttered.
Man is it ever FREEING to just Breathe….and that’s what I tell people I care about… I will breathe some prayer for you… and its the caring and the heartache and the concerned thoughts that Are the Breathing, that are the prayers.
Great post!
Thanks, Pam! So glad to see you here (and glad you’re blogging again! Yes, it’s LOVELY to be a prayer warrior, lovely to have that calling, but as soon as we think our effort earns something, we’ve turned sweet connection with God into something bitter. Bitter because how can we rest, ever? xoxo
I love and appreciate so many things about this: prayer as oxygen and how we live rather than structured as such an effort, “converting our hearts every moment by calling out your name.” This is part of what it means to meditate and think on His Word and live devoted to Him.
Thanks, Rhonda! Yes–it is oxygen, and it’s so freeing when we realize we can just breathe normally 🙂