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Jan 08, 2023 06:00am

Living On A Prayer

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Isn’t it interesting that some things come easily to people while others struggle tremendously with them? Take, for instance, going to the gym. For some, it’s the highlight of their day, while others come up with every excuse they can think of to avoid it. Or maybe cleaning comes easily for you. You enjoy running through a list of daily tasks while others wait until they’ve used their last clean dish or are down to their last pair of clean socks. Or maybe, if you’re anything like me, it’s prayer with which you struggle to find motivation. While I find casual conversation with God very easy, more formal prayers leave me looking for the nearest distraction. I struggle for clear words, get anxious over requests, and feel guilty that I might not be grateful enough. I hear others pray in public and marvel at how easily they find the words to eloquently praise and petition. I choke on tears every time I pray out loud. I feel a lump in my throat just thinking about it.

Maybe praying comes easily for you, and if that is the case, I am so genuinely happy for you. But if you’re like me, and prayer, especially praying aloud, is a bit more difficult, then I invite you to run with me to two passages in scripture for our mutual consolation.

First, we run to Jesus, who, when asked by His disciples how to pray, answers them very clearly with a direct prayer which we affectionately refer to as the Lord’s prayer:

Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil (Matt 6:9–13, ESV).

I love this prayer for at least two reasons. First, I love knowing that I get to recite the same words my Savior did. That’s just amazing to me. Second, it certainly “covers the bases” and focuses my heart on what matters both in the here-and-now and eternally. If you haven’t started the habit of praying this prayer daily, I strongly recommend it.

Now, let’s turn to Luke 21, which has nothing to do with prayer and everything to do with simply offering God whatever you can, even when it’s small in comparison to others.

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on” (Luke 21:1–4, ESV).

“All she had to live on.”

Dear reader, when life itself has drained us of every emotional and physical resource we have, and even our words fail us, may we remember that a simple offering of, “God, please help,” “Be near,” or “Thank you,” is a priceless offering to our Heavenly Father.

All we have is always enough.