Control is a big issue for me in prayer...really, in all areas of life in general. I don't mean control in the sense of "being in charge," but rather I don't like things where I feel as though I have zero ability to influence the results. I don't enjoy feeling helpless, powerless, useless. Consequently, I usually just avoid things where I assume that will be the case.
For example, I love being in the mountains! I really love the winter! And I really, really love being out in the mountains during the winter. Do you know what I hate, though? Snow skiing. Why? Because I felt (and truly was) completely out of control the first time I tried it. I don't mind the speed, but give me a snow mobile or a 4 wheeler in the snow any day. See, those things have handlebars, an accelerator and brakes. Sure, I could still have a wreck or a fall, but at least I'm able to steer, exert some measure of control over where I'm going, how fast and when (or whether or not) I stop. I like to have a say in the way things turn out.
Strangely, prayer presents a similar challenge for me. As we've discussed before, a primary function of prayer is seeking God's mercy...asking God for his help. Of course, asking for help isn't easy for many of us. Asking for help means admitting you need help. In my mind, that sounds an awful lot like facing the reality of how little control I have over where my life is going. Over the last couple weeks, I've realized that's a pretty shortsighted way of seeing prayer. While it is true that we human beings aren't really very "in control," that we need lots of help to get through life in one piece, we don't have to see prayer as a painful reminder of our helpless condition. Rather prayer is a reason for hope in the midst our helplessness. James 5:13-16 tells us:
Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
Did you see that? Are you suffering? The NIV asks, “Is any of you in trouble?” Have you discovered you’re flying down the mountain of life on a couple flimsy pieces of fiberglass and the snowplow technique the others guaranteed would keep you in control doesn’t actually work that well for you? James says, “Start praying!” Not because that’s all that’s left to do, but because that’s the very best thing you can do. There is someone greater than you and he isn’t just a good skier, he can move mountains. He spoke them into existence. Prayer shouldn’t be avoided just because it makes us acknowledge that we need help and don’t really have much control over life. Whether we acknowledge it or not, that’s the state we’re in. Instead, we should see that prayer gives us hope in spite of the condition we’re in. We should be thrilled to have the opportunity to pray.
Like James tells us at the end of the passage above, “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” I don’t know all the details of how that works, but I know that daily I’m finding more and more hope and peace in the midst of my hopelessness through the blessing of prayer. In fact, by acknowledging my lack of control in prayer I’m discovering that prayer actually gives us a possible avenue for impacting the outcomes in our lives. We make the best choices we can in the things we can control. In the countless other things we can’t control, we can open up our hearts before the Father and ask him to help and be merciful with us. What a gift we’ve been in prayer?
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