On here, I like to post a lot about stuff I’m working through in my own spiritual growth and development with the hopes that it helps other people work through things as well. And recently, I’ve found myself working through a very interesting tension in the Christian faith that maybe you have been working through as well.
One of the things that I’m hoping to do a better job with over the next season is prayer. I think I’ve posted on here several times about how a lot of times I think my prayer life feels like two awkward kids dancing at a junior high formal event. And thinking through that, I’ve taken some time here at the beginning of the year to read through some passages, listen to some people I really respect teach and talk about prayer, and read a book or two talking about prayer.
Here’s the tension that I’m coming across. My good friend Andy (Stanley) talks about faith and prayer in a refreshing way, saying that faith isn’t something that holds God captive. I’ve heard messages and teaching in the past that talks about how if you have enough faith and ask God for something, then God’s gonna answer your prayer simply based on your faith. You can pray for a job, money, sickness to go away, for her to call back, whatever, and God just does it because you have the faith.
Andy says that’s wrong, and I’m certainly in agreement with him. The Bible does not show a pattern of God simply doing things because people prayed with faith (though praying with great faith is certainly honoring to God). That view on prayer/faith really makes US God, as it simply makes God bound to whatever we may ask. And of course, everyone knows that isn’t right. God isn’t here to act as our servant. Not to mention the incredible chaos that would ensue with God answering “yes” to eveery prayer made in faith by well-meaning Christians. It would be just like when Jim Carrey’s character says “yes” to prayers in the movie “Bruce Almighty.”
But on the other hand, I’ve been greatly challenged by a book I’m reading right now called “The Circle Maker” by Mark Batterson.
One of the most challenging things he talks about is simply saying that bold prayers honor God. If we only pray about things that make sense to us or seem possible, that’s not very God-honoring at all. Batterson talks about circling the promises you feel God has made to you (some within Scripture, some just a sense you have in your own spirit), and continuing to do that until God answers. I like that. And I definitely find it inspiring. And when you combine that with parables Jesus tells of God rewarding persistent pray-ers, it seems like there’s something true to that as well.
I’m just feeling a tension between those two extremes; looking at prayer both as an alignment in our hearts and humble submission to a God who already knows what He is going to do, and also prayer as a bold “storming the throne of God” asking for what we feel like we need. I think the answer lies in looking at prayer through the lens of humble submission to God, but also not being afraid to ask. I think there’s nothing more honoring to God than us coming before him like the leper in Matthew 8:3 – not presuming on God, but simply saying, “God, if You’re willing, I know You can do this. I hope You are willing, and I hope You would do this.”
But those are just my thoughts. And I may be off-base. Anyone else ever feel this tension? How do you guys think about prayer?
“God, if You’re willing, I know You can do this. I hope You are willing, and I hope You would do this.”
Wow, that resonates with me. I struggle with the futility of asking for something that I know good and well will not happen unless it is His Will. Who am I to attempt to bend the Will of God? When I’m at my humblest, I am able to take something and simply lay it at the foot of the cross and let it be. When I am at my least humble I presume to be able to bend the Will of God according to my own.
I like your statement above because it helps me put what I am praying for in perspective.
I feel like I have a good handle on the fact that our God is great enough to do anything. When I struggle with a particular request I remind myself of that. He is big enough, great enough to do whatever it is, but I shoot myself down sometimes knowing it will be done according to his Will, not my own. I have essentially talked myself out of the prayer.
I need to pray from a place of Hope. I like it.
Glad that was helpful to you! And I’m glad not to be the only one working through that. That’s actually one of the things that God really impressed on me in my first time of clarifying this week – that I don’t pray big, bold prayers that honor Him, and I shouldn’t be surprised when I don’t see many big, tangible answer to prayer moments in my life. I never want to presume on God, like you said… I don’t ever want to pray from the position that God has to answer something that I prayed, because, quite frankly, I have a really poor and limited perspective. But at the same time, I want to invite God to act in real, powerful, big ways in my life, but I don’t know that He ever will if I don’t invite Him and give Him the opportunity.