mercy

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Pray Continually

In today’s world, it’s hard enough for us to comprehend how to carve out 10-15 minutes for a meal, let alone engaging in persistent and continual prayer. We stumble over not only when, but how as well. It’s hard for us to put into words what’s on our heart. We labor to put into words the thoughts which have been barely formed in our heads. We struggle with the what, how, why, when, where – everything! It’s important and we don’t want to get it wrong, right?

But, prayer doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as a few short words or sentences said on the fly. It’s about pouring out one’s heart to God in whatever number or type of words that are needed. I think that’s one of the things that Jesus was getting at when he told the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. The Pharisee’s prayer was long and complicated, verbose and self-serving. It was more about how great he was in comparison to others and less about the greatness of God. The publican’s prayer, on the other hand, was simple, direct, heart-felt and honest. He would not even look up to the heavens, and he spoke directly to God about his own shortcomings, his own weakness, his own need for forgiveness and mercy.

“God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Luke 18:13

And that’s the point. It’s not about elaborate prose or flowery words expressed in perfect iambic pentameter. Prayer doesn’t have to be complex. The attitude with which a prayer is rendered is way more important than the manner in which it is delivered. The crux of the story is that when we pour out our heart to God in simple, straight-forwardness, what we’re really asking is for the Spirit of God to help us in our weakness. It recognizes that we cannot do it on our own, that we need God’s help, and this is how our prayer becomes more acceptable to God. In Psalm 51, David begins his prayer with this simple request:

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;

Psalm 51

And while David’s prayer is a bit longer than a few simple words, it is none the less a heart-felt outcry of brokenness, of sorrow, of repentance.

A simple prayer I pray continually, almost every day, especially when I come up against some of the crazy things people say and do, is “Lord, help me…” It’s just three words, but those little words can help me; to have courage when I need it, to practice patience when I need it, to inspire me to hold my tongue when I need reminding that words can be weapons, to “have compassion on them” when I’m frustrated, to refocus.

One of the most profound prayers in the entire Bible was uttered by Jesus and is just 10 words long.

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Luke 23:34

~SLM

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The Year of the Whale

whale tail1
“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.” (Jonah 1:1-3)
Sometimes, Jonah is the story of our lives. We know what we are supposed to do, we know what is required, but somehow, we just can’t see our way to it. We run, heading off in the opposite direction, believing we can flee from it. But fleeing doesn’t necessarily involve going somewhere else. We can flee and never leave the comfort of home, because ignoring something, neglecting it or procrastinating is also a form of escape, a mental one. When we focus on anything and everything, but what we know we are called to do, we are just as guilty of fleeing from God as Jonah was, only without having to pack any bags or pay a fare.

Whether it’s physically or mentally, usually running away doesn’t turn out so well. Sooner or later, our actions cause the people around us anguish, putting them in distress for our sake, while we slumber through the storm, until we are roused from our stupor, are tossed into the raging waters, and find ourselves in the belly of a beast.

At times, we have to get to the very end of our rope, before we even consider that we may have made the wrong move, and in those times, we usually have to crash into the tumultuous seas of consequence, before we look up, before we remember God.

So what can we do, then, from the depths of our denial? Jonah’s answer was prayer. He prayed for forgiveness, for mercy, for repentance and thanksgiving, promising to turn back, to remember God and to make amends by saying, “what I have vowed, I will pay,” because the thought of being banished from the sight of the Lord, was scarier than setting out to do His will.

Jonah knew that submitting to God’s will is a hard task, costing us everything, and on occasion, even our very will to live. Maybe that is why we resist, because it doesn’t turn out to be what we hoped or longed for, what we expected for our lives, but is exactly what we knew He would do, what we expected of Him.

No matter how far we run, or how many times, the Lord, in his mercy pursues us with His abounding love and grace. He patiently waits for us to turn, to realize how fully we live when we submit to His ways, reeling us back into his presence with arms wide open.

And for his mercy, I am grateful beyond words. Praise God.
~SLM