All We Can Do is Pray
Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 11:34PM Have your ever had a serious problem, or had someone else come to you with their problem, something they were sad or worried or angry about, and you tried to think of a solution quick and in a hurry but your mind went blank, so you just sighed and said, "Well, all we can do is pray?" Have you heard others say the same thing: shake their heads and say, "Well, there's nothing we can do to solve this problem, all we can do is pray"? Even as a minister, I slip into that mistaken and deceptive mindset. Right now someone I love is in crisis and prayer is not coming easily for me. Why do we sigh and say "all we can do is pray" as if we are saying "all we can do is knock on wood" or as if prayer is something empty?
Of course all we can do is pray! Discouragement plays into the hands of the devil by replacing the veil between us and God that Jesus died to tear down. Prayer should be our first response to every event in our lives, the good events and the bad. Prayer is not meant to be a last resort after we have tried everything else. Go to God first. Go to God every day and every night. When you or someone you know has a problem, don't say, "Well (sigh), all we can do is pray" as if that's a bad thing; get excited and say, "We have to pray!" And then pray with the knowledge that God wants His best for us all.
Be enthusiastic when you pray, and thank Jesus for being there to hear your prayers! If you are praying for someone else, grab that person's hand and pray or call them on the phone if they're far away; tell them to continue to pray when you're gone. If you are praying for your own situation, find another Christian--your husband, wife, mother, father, child, aunt--if none of your family or friends is a Christian, go to church or find another church and ask for a Christian leader to agree with you in prayer.
Being human necessitates prayer. Why else did Jesus pray?
If ones presumes Jesus as fully God and fully human, obviously the fully God nature has no need or even ability to pray. The Son must touch and agree with the Father and Holy Spirit, but there is no way for any being in the triune godhead to petition another--that would mean to petition himself. My foot and hand are controlled by one mind, they can't ask each other for favor.
We know that Jesus did pray, and often, so the fully human nature must have been at work during those prayers. The fact that Jesus took on the burden of humanity required Him to pray, it seems. Jesus prayed before He acted, not after nothing else worked. Jesus prayed and was able to fulfill His purpose to save anyone who asks. So, next time you're tempted to sigh and say "all we can do is pray," get excited.
Reader Comments (2)
I am guilty of saying that but that's not exactly what I mean. When I realize that something is not for me to control nor to judge, I say that , like a sudden flash of lightning from Heaven, I know that this situation is to be taken up under God's control.
Diane, you are spot on with this post! Prayer shouldn't fall into the catagory of "the least we can do," or "well, I don't know what else to do so I guess I'll pray." No, prayer is the absolute MOST we can do when the situation is dire or beyond our control. Prayer is powerful and is capable of changing things in a way that will far exceed all we could imagine or dream.
Wonderful post!
Hugs,
Lori
www.lorimoon.com