Jesus knows that you are prone to be discouraged when praying. If you have trouble praying, you have an advocate who intercedes alongside you and cheers you on, making the most of your weak prayers. He is always for you, never against you. Do not lose heart!
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a few more reflections on prayer.
The last time we met I shared my thoughts on “praying without ceasing.” It’s that constant, open communication between ourselves and the Lord Jesus. It’s when we keep our spirit antennae up, alert to everything that God is doing around us, morning, noon, and night. Because as Jesus says, “Men ought always [to] pray and not lose heart.” That’s from Luke 18:1. Our Savior wants us to pray always and not grow faint, not lose heart. You know, there’s a lot of comfort and encouragement in that verse, because it is clear that Jesus knows, I mean he already understands that we are prone to be discouraged when praying; he knows we’ll get distracted and disheartened. He recognizes that we are willing in spirit, but our flesh is so weak. Man, does he have us nailed, right?!
Our prayers can so easily become a routine of running down a list of names or repeating the same old phrases we’ve said a thousand times. So how do we keep the discipline of prayer fresh and vibrant? Well, first off, my friend Scott Hubbard says that “Prayer is not an abstract activity or a habit or even a spiritual discipline. Prayer is a personal response to a personal God – a God whom Jesus told us to call Father.” In other words, when we pray we are actually talking to the One who created the universe; the One who gave his life for us; we are talking to someone who turns our ordinary prayer room into a sanctuary where we meet with the Ancient of Days, the one who not only created time and space, but actually, I mean, he loves – he really loves – you. Years ago, I remember reading something that changed my prayer life. The person said, “If you knew that Jesus Christ was in the next room listening to you as you prayed, would that make a difference?” Well, if you’re like me, yes, of course it would make a difference. But the fact is, Jesus is not in the next room. He is with you, next to you, listening and taking to heart your petitions and requests.
And if we have trouble praying, we’ve got an advocate, we have an elder Brother, a Priest, an Intercessor, we have a Friend – as Abraham calls the Lord – a Friend who intercedes alongside us and cheers us on, always making the most of our wandering, halfhearted, and meager prayers.
Charles Spurgeon put it this way. He said, “The Lord Jesus Christ is always ready to take the most imperfect prayer and perfect it for us. If our prayers had to go up to heaven as they are, they would never succeed; but they find a Friend on the way, and therefore, they prosper.” You know, because God loves his Son, he loves to hear and answer prayers that are shaped by the words of his Son; prayers that are sent up in the name of his Son; prayers that glorify his Son. And so, friend, I will close out our time together in the same way I opened it up. Do not be discouraged and do not lose heart when it comes to prayer. For you are talking to the God of the universe, and he’s always for you, never against you. He’s not in the next room listening to you pray; he is at your side. So as our wonderful Savior says, do not lose heart. The God of encouragement says, “Do not faint.” And certainly, do not stop praying. Pray without ceasing because much more than you can possibly imagine is being accomplished through your most feeble and faint-hearted prayer. Finally, I want to thank this station for granting me these precious minutes in which I can share hope through your hardship every day. And I do pray you found my words hopeful today!
© Joni and Friends