Life is tragically humorous. Two weeks ago, prayer came easy. I found myself in a class centered upon the subject. Over the course of the three hour classes, we prayed for roughly 30-45 minutes each day. On the last Friday, we walked through the streets of Philadelphia praying for the city.
Today, prayer is painfully difficult yet again. I do not have an 3-hour block in which I can pray. The day starts and ends busy. There is always something demanding my time and attention. Sadly, prayer becomes the first thing to go when it should be the first place I turn.
Why does this always seem to happen? The Praying Life spoke to a number of reasons why people struggle to pray. One of them has come back to me in the past two weeks.
Majesty and humility are such as odd fit. This is one reason we struggle with prayer. We just don’t think God could be concerned with the puny details of our lives. We either believe he’s too big or that we’re not that important. No wonder Jesus told us to be like little children. Little children are not daunted by the size of their parents. They come, regardless.
I have a false humility when it comes to God. I understand how big He is, so I convince myself He is not concerned with my little problems. They do not appear to matter in the grand scheme. I call this humility when it is simply spiritual arrogance. I think I will look better if I ask nothing of God. Instead, I demonstrate a failure to grasp how God's majesty works alongside His grace and compassion.
I love the last two lines of the quote; Little children are not daunted by the size of their parents. They come, regardless.
I do not have kids, but my nieces and nephew demonstrate this perfectly. Comparatively speaking, their fathers tower over them. My brother-in-law in six feet tall and my brother is nearly there. While the kiddos understand the size difference, they do not hesitate to run and ask when they are in need. Size does not matter, because the love and compassion welcomes them in.
Our heavenly Father is the perfect display of this picture. Yes, He is holy, majestic, transcendent, and wholly-other. And yet, He is gracious, loving, patient, kind, and tender. He tells us to come not in condescending fashion, but as Father who lovingly wants to spend time with and meet the needs of His children.
Prayer understands this and takes advantage of the wonderful blessing.
Today, prayer is painfully difficult yet again. I do not have an 3-hour block in which I can pray. The day starts and ends busy. There is always something demanding my time and attention. Sadly, prayer becomes the first thing to go when it should be the first place I turn.
Why does this always seem to happen? The Praying Life spoke to a number of reasons why people struggle to pray. One of them has come back to me in the past two weeks.
Majesty and humility are such as odd fit. This is one reason we struggle with prayer. We just don’t think God could be concerned with the puny details of our lives. We either believe he’s too big or that we’re not that important. No wonder Jesus told us to be like little children. Little children are not daunted by the size of their parents. They come, regardless.
I have a false humility when it comes to God. I understand how big He is, so I convince myself He is not concerned with my little problems. They do not appear to matter in the grand scheme. I call this humility when it is simply spiritual arrogance. I think I will look better if I ask nothing of God. Instead, I demonstrate a failure to grasp how God's majesty works alongside His grace and compassion.
I love the last two lines of the quote; Little children are not daunted by the size of their parents. They come, regardless.
I do not have kids, but my nieces and nephew demonstrate this perfectly. Comparatively speaking, their fathers tower over them. My brother-in-law in six feet tall and my brother is nearly there. While the kiddos understand the size difference, they do not hesitate to run and ask when they are in need. Size does not matter, because the love and compassion welcomes them in.
Our heavenly Father is the perfect display of this picture. Yes, He is holy, majestic, transcendent, and wholly-other. And yet, He is gracious, loving, patient, kind, and tender. He tells us to come not in condescending fashion, but as Father who lovingly wants to spend time with and meet the needs of His children.
Prayer understands this and takes advantage of the wonderful blessing.
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