Prayer — a last resort?

 

READ Psalm 76–80

A USA Naval officer said, “It's easier to ask forgiveness than It Is to get permission” which may have merit in a naval battle, but it isn’t a good idea for followers of Jesus Christ. Yet we do it all the time, mostly without thinking. It stems from this sinful habit of running my own life until I get into trouble, then praying that God will ‘fix it’ — instead of asking Him to help me do things His way in the first place.

Last night I had to give a brief report as a board member of a local organization. It was a zoom meeting, and I was nervous and clueless. I’d prayed but my mind was blank — until a few moments before it was my turn. Then the Lord put words into my head and all went well.

This is the advantage of feeling helpless; it made me pray first rather than come up with something on my own that would later cause regret that I’d opened my mouth!

God’s OT people had a lot of this ‘crying out to God’ when things were not going well. The psalms have many examples:

I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. (Psalm 77:1–4)

They also learned that it was a good idea to praise the Lord, even though doing that when I’m in trouble can sound a lot like buttering Him up to answer my prayers! Was the psalmist doing this? Maybe not, yet as I read the next lines, I recall the times I’ve tried saying things like this in a self-centered effort to get back on His good side:

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people . . . . Selah (77:11–15)

In past years, God gave me all kinds of guidance. I was to listen to Him, share what He said with my children so they could teach their children, and tell other of the wonders He has done. Yet I did not always do what He said and wound up asking forgiveness for my lack of obedience. I felt responsible if anyone around me “did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to his law” or if they “forgot his works and the wonders that he had shown them.” (78:1–11)

I’ve heard said that our children often copy our lives with greater intensity in some areas than their parents. That showed up in God’s OT people. The older generation tried but failed, and the next generation failed even more. They tested God by demanding His care when they were in trouble and complaining when He didn’t do what they claimed He should. Despite His grace and the wonders He performed, they didn’t believe. They only sought His face when threatened then “repented and sought God earnestly. They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.” Seeking forgiveness rather than permission, rather than His power to obey Him. They “tested God again and again” even as He continued to show mercy. (78:17–41)

This illustrates my ‘old nature’ — even as God sent Jesus, like He sent David to shepherd and guide them, I have the perfect Shepherd yet can still revert to my old ways, do my own thing and “become a taunt to my neighbors, mocked and derided by those around me.” (78:70–72; 79:4) I sometimes wind up asking God to fix it when I should have sought His help in the first place.

If I ever wonder why God does not answer my pleas to ‘fix’ something, I need to consider if I should first confess any disobedience that caused the problem. I’m learning that trust is not only for those times of trial and frustration, but also for those happy days when nothing is going wrong. God is not my genie in a bottle and treating Him like that exposes my sinful pride. Like the psalmist, I want His hand upon my life so I will “not turn back from Him” but “call upon His name” all the time, not just when my own efforts fall short. The US Navy might be slow to give permission, but the Lord is always quick to hear the cries of those who are humble and contrite in spirit and who tremble at His Word . . . and are quick to remember that we are still on a steep learning curve!