PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE: “PRAYING LIKE YOUR SHIP IS SINKING!”
By: Ron Woodrum
As Christians most of us have an insatiable desire to spend time praying to our Heavenly Father. Yet most of us are willing to admit that we spend far too little doing this thing that we say our heart desires. We do not “pray as we should”. Why? The usual answer is that when we attempt to do that very thing we are overcome by distractions. Even the most dedicated and famous believers have admitted to such difficulty. Thomas a’ Kempis, author of The Imitation of Christ, said that when he entered into his prayer closet and tried to focus on heavenly things that a rout of carnal temptations would rush upon him. John Donne, English author of For Whom The Bell Tolls, also dealt with this frustration. He wrote: “I throw myself down in my chamber, and I call in and invite God, and His angels thither to join me, and when they are there, I neglect God and His angels for a noise of a fly, a rattling of a coach, the squeaking of a door, a memory of yesterday’s pleasures, fear of tomorrow’s dangers, a straw under my knee, a noise in my ear, a light in my eye, an anything, a nothing, a fancy, a Chimera in my brain. All these trouble me in prayer”. Luther said, “When I would speak and pray to God by myself, a hundred thousand hindrances at once intervene before I get at it. Then the devil can throw all sorts of reasons for delay in my path, he can block and hinder me on all sides; as a result, I go my way and never think of it again. Let him who has never experienced this only try it. Resolve to pray earnestly, and you will see how large an assortment of your own thoughts willl rush in on you and distract you, so that you cannot begin aright!”
When that happens what should we do? We must resolve to pray inspite of that. You keep calling yourself back to your Heavenly Father. You keep at it-as a spiritual discipline. Henri Nouwen, Christian psychologist, author, and counselor dealt with this issue. He decided the only way to overcome it was to schedule 30 minutes a morning to pray and stick to it at all costs! At first his thoughts ran wild, like untamed animals. But he kept at it, telling himself, “since I am here for this half hour anyhow, I might just as well pray”. The sense of awkwardness gradually faded, and in time he felt his soul settling down to a more calming rythm. He concluded, “The paradox of prayer is that it asks for a serious effort while it can only be received as a gift. We cannot plan, organize, or manipulate God; but without careful and consistent discipline we cannot receive Him either!”
British theologian Herbert McCabe had some very insightful advice to Christians dealing with distractions during prayer. He wrote: “People often complain of distractions during prayer. Their mind goes wondering off to other things. This is nearly always due to praying for something we not not really want…something respectable and proper…but something you really don’t desire deeply like-peace in N. Ireland or your aunt to recover from the flu-things you should want, but really don’t want all that badly. Your prayer is rapidly invaded by distractions arising from what you do really want-perhaps like that promotion at work, let us say. Distractions are nearly always your real wants breaking in on your prayer for edifying but bogus wants. If you are distracted, trace your distractions back to the real desires it comes from and pray about these. When you are praying for what you really want-you will not be distracted. PEOPLE ON SINKING SHIPS DO NOT COMPLAIN OF DISTRACTIONS DURING THEIR PRAYERS!”
If we really believe in the God who hears and answers prayer-that should encourage us to pray without distraction. Karl Barth wrote: “He is not deaf, he listens; more than that He acts. He does not act in the same way whether we pray or not. Prayer exerts an influence upon God’s action, even upon His existence. That is what the word answer means. The fact that God yields to man’s petitions, changing His intentions, in response to man’s prayers is not a weakness. He Himself in the glory and majesty of His power has willed it to be so!” Really believing that about God-that He hears and answers-can lead to unbridled enthusiam to pray. John Milton, author of Paradise Lost, wrote “And if by incessant prayer I could hope to change the will of Him who can all things do, I would not cease to weary Him with my assiduous cries!” But even if He doesn’t answer immediately don’t let that keep you from the prayer closet. He will answer-His way-His time!
In the meantime prayer that God doesn’t anwer immediately is still valuable to us. It teaches us that time spent with God is valuable, not just for the answers, but for His presence! That is why George MacDonald said, “he that prys and does not faint will come to recognize that to talk with God is more than to have all prayers granted-talking with God is the end of all prayers!” Even as we wait for God to intervene and answer we are experiencing fulfillment of our greatest spiritual needs and desires. Listen to the great British preacher Leslie Weatherhead explain this: “I have always found prayer difficult. So often it seems like a fruitless game of hide and seek in which we seek and God hides. I know God is very patient with me. Without that patience I should be lost. But frankly I have to be patient with him. With no other friend would I go on seeking such scant, conscious response. Yet I cannot leave prayer alone for long. My need drives me to Him. And I have a feeling that he has his own reasons for hiding Himself, and that finally my seeking will prove infinitely worhtwhile…I long for more satisfaction, but I cannot cease from questing. Jesus sometimes found prayer difficult. Some of His most agonized prayers were not answered. But he did not give up His praying. I frankly have little to show for all my prayers, but I cannot give up, for ‘my soul longeth for God’ and I know that outside of God there is nothing at all…”
Spending time with God in prayer is not only the only way to see God do for us what no one else can do…but it also allows us to learn the joy of His presence…and the fulfillment of our greatest yearning. Go ahead. Talk to God…like your ship is sinking. He is better than the best Father. He cares. He listens. He answers. Distractions and all…do it…you won’t be disappointed…but fulfilled!