One of the reasons prayer is sometimes so tangled with difficulty for us is that our requests are more complex as we grow older and our lives become more complicated. We may not ask just for daily bread, as Jesus taught His disciples to pray, but something more like, "Lord, you know I need a better job so I can support myself and my family. The price of gas has gone up so high that I need to work not too far from home. And I for sure don't want a boss like Mr. So-and-So at the Such-and-Such place. Oh, that reminds me, there's that problem with my insurance. Make those guys see the reasonableness of my position; my attorney says that I've got a good case, but they are just so stubborn. Speaking of stubbornness, please do something about my –– [kids, spouse, neighbor, trash hauler, or whoever is causing exasperation at the moment]. I've about had it. Oh wow, it's getting late! Wish I had more time to spend with you, Lord, but I've got to run. See ya!" If we're not careful, we can burden prayer with a recitation of our unhappy circumstances!
Another reason for perceived difficulty in prayer is that we simply make it too hard! Without minimizing the seriousness of prayer, we must recognize that we too often approach it as a laborious task! "The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply." Matthew 6:7)
Try this:
"God, here is my situation . . . I know that You care for me and everything that concerns me. I am confident that You'll attend to this, because Your Word says that I don't have to be preoccupied with getting things from You. If I keep the focus of my attention on the gain and glory of Your Kingdom, you will take the initiative to work out my situation. I am not going to be further distracted by this concern but am leaving it in Your hands. Please help me. Is there anything You want me to do to cooperate with Your plan? I am listening . . . "
Were God not the loving and generous Being that He is, He could have just preempted every smaller concern of ours. He might well have chosen to run everything by Himself for Himself. But it's just like Him to take what is His and to share it with us!
"What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!"
--Joseph Scriven, Irish poet, 1819-1886
MaryMartha
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Art from http://www.sxc.hu/
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