Wrestling With Prayer … Hello weekend readers. My musing today is about prayer. Why? Well, this past week has been difficult; our county Sheriff died of cardiac arrest; two families who camp here often left early due to a death in their families; and a good friend’s beloved dog died. Gosh it’s a lot of death! A lot of people spoke with me about prayer. A few wondered if God didn’t hear their prayer and granted their love one some more years. Wrestling with prayer is indeed hard sometimes. We want a quick-fix but God doesn’t work that way.

As Christians, one of the great paradoxes we face is asking God for something that He already knows we need. Yet God may not act in the way we want. If you’ve ever wrestled with that seeming contradiction, perhaps the thoughts of the 19th-century preacher R. A. Torrey can help. Among the reasons he gave for prayer are these—it’s quite enlightening…

*[Ephesians 6:12–13, 18]  Because there is a devil and prayer is a God-appointed way to  resist him.
*[Luke 11:3–13 –and- James 4:2] Because prayer is God’s way for us to obtain what we need from Him.
*[Hebrews 4:16]  Because prayer is the means God has appointed for us to find “grace to help us in our time of need”
*[Philippians 4:6–7]   Because prayer with thanksgiving is God’s way for us to obtain freedom from anxiety and to receive “the peace of God”
*[1Thessalonians 5:17]   Besides these reasons, it should be enough that we’re commanded to “Pray continually”

Yes, God is all-knowing, but God also desires our fellowship and wants us to pray to Him, and God also wants us to convey our utter dependence upon Him as our creator and sustainer. In Matthew 6:6-8, Jesus call us to do this for our prayer live:

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. 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.” [Message Bible]

A friend in the campground told me, “Prayer just isn’t working for me.” I’m trudging through a season of unexpected loss and I feel that my relationship with Jesus is at a stand-still. My conversations I once loved to share with Jesus—all gone. My prayer journal is mostly empty. Carrying the weight of disappointment and my hurting heart is a struggle. So, honestly, how could I pray if I have nothing to say?” I wrapped my arms around her and silently cried out “Holy Spirit, give me an answer” and she did. I said “Maybe you should stop worrying about talking to Jesus and focus on walking with Him—day by day by day. He holds your heart in his hands and he is always faithful no matter what. Give it a try—please?” That was about a week ago, and a few days later I did see her smile and then I knew that the Holy Spirit was right—stay in step with Jesus.

Prayer is a gift from God. So, no matter how you struggle, use the gift or prayer because our Lord is always listening, always and forever, AMEN!