Prayer . . . Why even bother? by Tammy DePew

If I could attach a poll to this blog (see below) I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of you are like me and sometimes have trouble praying.  

Some of you reading this haven't spent time with God talking or listening in days, weeks, months, or even years.  Some of you just have nothing to say.  Some of you feel like your time would be better spent talking to your goldfish... the one floating around on the top of the green water that keeps getting clogged in the filter.  I have a friend who admits he doesn't speak to God anymore but regularly speaks to his one-eyed cat.  

I know.  I've been there.  And I know why you feel that way.

Some of us  have carried a grudge around  for far too long.  You carry a grudge for the time that God didn't answer your prayer in the manner you wanted.  If he wasn't big enough to keep your best friend from moving away in third grade, He isn't big enough to handle the problems of adulthood, right?  Why bother? 

Some of us have been out of the prayer game for so long we are kind of avoiding Him;  like we're going to get the "Where have you been young lady?" speech when we finally decide to take a knee.  

Some of us approach prayer like the next big Pinterest project: I really WANT to do it, I just don't know how or where to start.  It's so overwhelming.  I can just go to church and let someone else do it, or go to Etsy and let someone else make it.  

Some of us feel like it's a waste of time to try and change God's mind on anything.  That's how my friend with the one eyed cat feels.  

Some of us just don't take the time.  Your life is hurtling past you at break neck speed.. you're moving so fast your hair is on fire and you only stop for bathroom breaks and the annual flu outbreak... but in our defense, we REALLY stop and pray then.  Truth?  

If some of us don't pray for the reasons mentioned above, there is a vast majority of us that haven't prayed because we feel like we can handle it pretty well on our own.  You're a single dad who juggles kids, soccer practice, homework, school, appointments, work, flat tires, and girly hair-do's for your daughters.  You've got this and you feel like you're doing fine without any help.  

If any of these are you, or, if all of these are you, you'll be very happy to learn that you aren't alone.  Actually, my Bible Heading in Romans 3 starts out with "We are all in the same sinking boat".  It goes on to say in verse 11 that "There is no one who understands; No one who seeks after God".  This is heartbreaking, but now you know you're in good company on a crowded, sinking, vessel headed for no where.  Good news, eh?   Now that I have you stuck on the Titanic with hundreds of other passengers, taking on water, and wondering what to do next I can share the life boat with you.  Step on over there's room for everyone and you'll be surprised how easily this ship sails.  

James 4:8 gives simple direction for prayer.  "Say a quiet 'yes' to God.  He will be there in no time."  Start with a quiet word.  "Hello" would work.  

I feel like you could say a quiet anything to God and He will come running.  Especially if you have been away for a while.  Your prayerful, one-word, whisper is enough to shift the direction of God as He listens to your very breaths and familiar heartbeat.   The problem comes when WE don't find Him there.  If God comes running in our quiet whispers, then we can't expect to hear Him constantly surrounded by noise.  He has a rhythm in our lives that is constant, strong, gentle, and unintrusive.  Say a quiet yes and you move closer to His pace, experiencing His presence.  It's a flow that takes time to develop but it never, ever stops.  We simply lose direction and go back to sinking boats.   

Say a quiet, "yes".
Say a quiet, "hello".
Say a quiet, "Are you even there?"

The God of the Universe will be there in no time. 

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