09/14/2018
Have your prayers been stale lately? Are you having a tough time in your prayer closet and it is as if there is a sheet of glass between you and God? Oh, you can see Him, and you know exactly how you ought to pray, but this invisible wall of glass is preventing you from getting there. You are not alone in this regard, and there is a way to overcome this prayerful malaise.
“looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”
Hebrews 12:2-3 ESV
We are not talking about a crisis of faith today, but rather an inability to pray as we should, or as we once did. There are many reasons why our prayer life can suddenly fall flat, but the most dominate one is losing our focus on Jesus, and God. When things happen in our lives that cause us to shift our attention away from God and onto something else it interrupts prayer. At the root of this shift is our belief that we can handle whatever it is, or that we are in charge.
Today, and this weekend, Hurricane Florence will hit the east coast of the United States. There will be loss of property, and life because of it, and there will be two ways that people will react to it spiritually. The first will be to lean more heavily on God, and to call on the name of Jesus like never before. The second, however, is to erect the glass wall, and many people will be tempted to do this by placing their efforts at dealing with this catastrophe first in their lives. They will take charge of the relief effort themselves.
Whenever we are confronted with hardship in our lives we have a tendency to try to fix it ourselves. We immediately engage our minds, arms, and legs and begin to deal with whatever it is. Sure we might throw up a quick prayer, but it is more of a “help me Jesus as I do this” prayer. Have you been there before? Maybe it wasn’t a Hurricane, or other natural disaster; perhaps it was a sick child, a problem at work, your finances going sour, your marriage failing, or some other immediate problem. Prayer in times of trouble should be just like it is in the other times we come to God... “Father, take this hardship that is confronting me, show me how I should deal with it and give me the strength to do so!” Do you see the difference? In the “help me” prayer we are placing ourselves on the spiritual throne within ourselves, but in the “take this” prayer we are kneeling before that throne... and God is still sitting on it.
This weekend there will be millions of prayers lifted up, and both kinds will be included in them. Some who pray will feel like their prayers are being heard, while others will feel frustrated in them. This isn’t necessarily to say that the homes or lives of both won’t be shattered, but rather, how God steps in to lift them up again. One will be giving thanks amidst the storm, and the other will be asking “where were you God!” All will suffer the rain, the floods, and the storm surge, but those who seek God first in these times of great trial will receive comfort, rescue, and blessings in the storm.
“so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Matthew 5:45 ESV
There are other causes for our prayers to splat up against the glass wall we have erected between ourselves and God. Here is one good example...
“Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
1 Peter 3:7 ESV
When we are having trouble in our marriages... husbands are having trouble loving their wives, or wives are having difficulty subjecting themselves to their husbands, then a glass wall has been erected in our prayer closets regarding the other things in our lives. We have taken the structure God intended for marriage... the one we made covenant to uphold... and are not adhering to it. Does this sound familiar to you married couples who are reading this? Have you ever been in an argument with your spouse and tried to pray in its midst? How difficult was this... especially if you were trying to pray about something other than for God to take control of your marriage? Solving the separation involves treating your spouse according to God’s Word... even if it is hard, and even if it is unreciprocated, but ultimately His desire is for harmony. Remove the wall in your prayer closet.
So today, in this time of our lives when hardship abounds, place God back on the throne of your life, and give your problems to Him. Face the storm with Him at the helm, and listen to His voice as He directs you. Concentrate on His Word, His Commandments, your covenants before Him, and let the Holy Spirit give you understanding so that the glass walls that are frustrating your prayers will be removed. Honor God by honoring your faith to which you are pledged... and in this your prayers will soar!
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
1 Timothy 6:12 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for hearing my prayers, and for leading me into your presence. Thank you Holy Father for your Son Jesus Christ who stands before you in intercession for me. Open my eyes Father when I have placed something ahead of you in my life, or not lived up to the spiritual promises and expectations you have of me. Help me to see when I have disobeyed, or strayed from you, and make my understanding of your will equally clear amidst the storms in my life just as it is during the peaceful and harmonious times. When I fail you Merciful Father, hear my crying and supplication; lead me to understand my shortcomings, and never to shout accusations at you for those harms I have caused myself. Guide me to that place where I can take responsibility for my sins, and come before you in contrition.
I pray today for those in the path of the storm. I pray for all those who will be impacted by Hurricane Florence over the coming days, and I pray for those facing other storms, both physical, spiritual... wherever they might be. Hear the prayers of your children Father, and lift these faithful souls above their calamity. Help all to place you first in their lives despite the raging wind, and the rushing flood waters of disaster. Let each one feel your presence as they pray, and know that you are with them in their storm, and will see them through the pain and suffering they are feeling.
You are great Father, and your goodness knows no bounds... even as it overcomes the storms in our lives. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you who calms the wind, and stills the water. Great are you who forgives, and brings peace and hope to us in all of our woes! Praised be your name now, and forever more!
Rich Forbes