Tension and Trust in Prayer
C.S. Lewis, in his Letters to Malcolm . . .
“Well, let’s now at any rate come clean. Prayer is irksome. An excuse to omit it is never unwelcome. When it is over, this casts a feeling of relief and holiday over the rest of the day. We are reluctant to begin. We are delighted to finish.”
I’m convinced the tension we feel in prayer is why we don’t do it more. And why we feel relieved when we’re finished.
Why do we feel so tense about prayer?
Maybe it’s because we’re talking to Almighty God (which, when taken seriously, is no small thing). Might be guilt because it’s been so long since we really prayed. Maybe it’s not knowing how much prayer is enough. Should I be on my knees? Am I praying for the right things? Am I asking too much? Doesn’t God already know what I want? Tensions.
And what about the tension between our will and His will. Am I presumptuous enough to tell God what I want when there’s a good chance it’s not what He wants? Am I asking Him to ‘sign off’ on my plans or truly listening for His? Do I ask for selfish things when He’s told me to live my life selflessly? Tensions.
My biggest recent learning about prayer is to relax . . . because all prayers are answered, meaning God hears every prayer and takes it into consideration. Imagine God sitting at his computer, writing the story of your life. His ‘prayer-line’ rings. It’s you, asking Him to cure your cancer. He hears your prayer and decides what happens next, typing the narrative into reality. We have no idea whether God erased and re-wrote the part where you were healed (or not) or if it turned out the way He wrote it to begin with. We know He heard your prayer, no matter when it was said (because He’s timeless and omniscient) and we know He and He alone determines the outcome. We peacefully lean into whatever happens next, knowing the Father heard our prayer. We relax in His love and trust Him. We’ve prayed and now it’s “. . . your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” Tension gone.
The more I trust Him, the less tension I feel as I pray. I’m no longer desperately begging for what I want. I’m talking with my Father about things that matter to me and to Him. I smile when I speak and when I ‘hear’ Him speak. The outcomes are less dangerous. The confidence of “we’ll get through this” sustains me through the darkness of night. The knowledge that He is with me brings strength to my soul. “I love you Lord. I thank you Lord. I trust you Lord.”
Prayer – “Lord, help us remember that you’re close by when we’re praying. That you like to hear from us and you’re interested in what we say to you in prayer. Give us faith, Jesus, to enter into your presence with peace, not tension. Remind us of the times you’ve been there for us in the past so we’ll trust you with whatever is coming our way next. We love you. In the beautiful name of Jesus we lay this prayer at your feet. Amen.”
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Responses (7)
Regi, good thoughts. I agree with you. As guys wanting to follow Christ, one of the main reasons we don’t pray is that we really don’t understand how to pray. We focus almost strictly on asking God for this or that. He is reduced to being nothing more than a celestial bell-hop. Lord I need this, Lord Please help me out over here, Lord heal Aunt Tillie in Nebraska. It’s all asking, and in many ways a very superficial way to approach our Lord. He gave us an outline for prayer in Matt 6:5-13. We all know that as the Lords Prayer. But really the Lord’s Prayer is John 17. If we really want to see prayer in action, that chapter is our “on the job training”.
Knowing He’s with me and that ALL my prayers are (or have been) considered changes everything for me. I’m persevering through hard stuff knowing He’s right there, that He can change it if He so chooses, but if not, I’m good with that. A whole different way of living for me. Instead of constantly begging and pleading, I’m more peaceful and in love with Him.
I too have been struggling with prayer, instead of getting with our Lord and just laying it out with Him. I feel the Tempter wants to exacerbate the situation (…what else is new) throwing junk at us like “ya ain’t worthy….your sins smell up the joint and He’s turned away from you…., etc”). Periodically we should each grab scriptures teaching about prayer and the relationship we’re in with Christ. I believe this will prop us up and serve to heighten our resolve.
I’m thankful for your ministry, Regi. –Jack at http://www.jackcareybodybuilders.org
amazing how we get so distracted by lies and deception when we know the Truth. Thanks for reading Jack, and for your comment. Regi
“We have no idea whether God erased and re-wrote the part where you were healed (or not)…”
Here is another “tention” God never erases. He is imutable. Malachi 3:6
Prayer often seems like a one way conversation. Yes we know from scripture that God hears our prayers but often times we pray by faith without some immediate response from God or without sense of his presence.
I think I wrote about what happened with my wife and I this past April and May. It was a ‘mini’ dark night of the soul. Prayers dead as doornail. No sense of His presence in the midst of a dear sister at the point of death, my lung issues and a bunch of other stuff. At some point, one we can’t point to, it changed and we felt His Presence again. I read the book “With” by Skye Jethani. God changed my life through that book. He learned (was reminded) that God’s intention all along has been to be WITH us. Knowing He’s there is enough. That He’s in the boat with me. I don’t have to hear from Him, He can be silent . . . I know He’s not still. Ever. But knowing He’s with me calms my fears and gives me courage to trust Him. To trust in His love and to faithful answers to my prayers, no matter if the answers are what I wanted or not. Hope that helps. And I highly recommend “With”.