The Great Catalyst for Prayer
In which Brent reflects on the root cause of his neglect of the practice of prayer
The Pun
The Prayer
“So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth! You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.” (Revelation 3:16-18)
Apathy towards prayer comes less from a lack of discipline and more from a perceived lack of need. Persistence in prayerfulness becomes a natural byproduct when I understand that I am destitute and my only relief lies in the hand of God.
I can hold out another day without prayer If I believe I have enough stored up. And I can neglect to seek God’s counsel If I presume my intuition is dependable. I can delay pouring out my heart to God If I suppose I can escape my situation. And I can evade the presence of the Judge of the earth If I reckon I can make injustices fair. I can recede from the mercy seat If I imagine myself capable of fixing my own mistakes. And I can avoid the glorious light of His nearness If I can entertain myself a few more hours. But when I am honest about my true condition, Poor, confined, condemned, blind, Empty, lost, at the brink of exhaust, Only then am I driven to the throne of grace For there sits the God of my salvation.
For further meditation on this subject, read Christ’s parable as recorded in Luke 18:1-8.