Prayer: Risking an Answer
So often there is a disconnect between what you know is true, and what you act like is true. Especially as a kid that was lucky enough to be raised hearing the truth of /god regularly, there are a lot of things I proclaim to be true. But when it comes down to it, I tell people it is true more frequently than I put it in practice.
Case in point: Psalm 4:1
"Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!"
Reading this the author is in distress, calling out to God. I would never dare tell God to answer me. My first response is “Of course, God would answer me. Why would you challenge Him that way?”
But do I truly believe that? Do I live my life as if I believe that?
Not exactly. Because if I did, I would actually call out to Him more. I would not hesitate to bring my cares before Him. I would not forget to come to Him with my worries and decisions. But I do. So often it is my last resort.
And that says something. It says my faith is weak. My belief is fragile. My sin and self-reliance win out so often.
Sometimes it says that I don’t want to be delivered from my distress, because I am comfortable in it. I hold onto it like a security blanket, as an excuse for all my emotional responses to my circumstances. Like a shield against my vulnerability.
My resistance does not change the fact that I have already been delivered. Jesus delivered me from distress on the cross. He promises to deliver me from the day to day distresses that I face now. Maybe not immediately. Maybe not the way I would like Him to. But He promises that He will. And He has never been proved wrong.
So what does that mean for us.
We must keep praying.
Or better yet, we must start praying.
Because He answers.
Because He delivers.
So if you are in distress, Pray.
Do you find praying difficult, especially in a tough season? Me too.
Confess your hesitation. Be honest and lay it all out there before God. He is patient and gracious. There is nothing you can say that will surprise Him. And at the very least, it starts the conversation.
If you’re angry, tell Him. I tend to hold things in, and clean up my emotions. But God knows the very depths of your being (good and bad). If you are angry, say so. Maybe you don’t have to keep saying so over and over again. Don’t forget to allow God respond and speak into your anger. Be ready to repent and lay it down. But there is no harm in expressing it to the safest person in all the universe.
If you are scared, tell Him. No need to save your own pride. There is no one to impress here. There is also no one else that can ease your fears. He is our only Hope and Provider. Our only Protector and Defender. If you are scared, tell Him. Go to His Word and let His promises ease your fear.
If you still can’t pray, tell someone. God hears all prayers. He tells us to lift one another up. There have been times in extreme doubt, fear, or anger, I had no words in prayer. Or in my stubbornness and pride, did not want to go to the Lord in prayer. That does no mean I doubted the power of prayer. It’s for times like those that God commanded us to be in community. When you can’t pray, ask others to pray for you. To come around you and intercede in your weakness. It allows them into your life, encourages accountability, and deepens your relationship. Allow others to pray for you. All prayers are sweet to the Father.
We are called to pray. And to lift up each other in prayer. We are called to do it, because He hears us, and He does respond. Often the answer is different than we expect it to be. But ultimately to pray is to know God more. To be changed by Him, even if our circumstances are not. And that is the most beautiful and satisfying answer that we can recieve.
