En-thused Prayer

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence.” Heb 4:16

The Midwest has experienced a relentless series of days with scorching heat this summer. It has now reached a level of concern such that one of our local Christian radio stations invited it’s listeners to join with the host to pray that God might intervene and break the drought as farmers become anxious for their crops. Many problems can be alleviated without turning to God in prayer but we cannot activate the heavenly sprinkler system!

Hopefully it does not take a crisis to activate our prayer life. Our prayer life does reveal what we truly believe about ourselves and God. We can conclude that our grasp of the Christian faith will rise only as high as our prayer life. With this in mind we can say that a robust prayer life indicates a robust faith, a weak prayer life reveals a weak faith and no prayer proves no faith. Our prayer life reveals our dependence and joy in God. Are you enthused to pray?

To be enthused for prayer is critical to a happy life. The etymology of the word “enthused” actually contains a clue to what this is and how to achieve it. The word is a combination of “en”, to “put into” plus “thused” from the word “theos” or God. An en-thused prayer life has invited God to come in and activate and energize a life of conversation with God.

An enthused prayer life is the opposite of a drought in our prayer life. To encounter God is the key to energizing this life. A spiritual drought is broken when God rains down and refreshes our weary soul and we respond in new faith. Any sin is confessed as we sweep the house clean to enjoy His company. Prayer acts as the channel of blessing for this purpose - uplifted hands to our Heavenly Father that gladly receive His love.

Boda-Boda Taxis

“God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Luke 18:13

Exhilerating but frightening. That is how I would describe many of my recent experiences during a trip to Uganda. Take, for instance, a taxi ride where you entrust your life to a motorcyclist who weaves through traffic like a surfer winding up and down a wave. Tucked behind the taxi driver you sit with the mixed emotions of enjoying the scenery flashing by and longing for an imminent safe arrival.

Unlike the States, life in Uganda is operating at a different level of expectations and standards and you are forced to accommodate to the pace and conventions. Truthfully, I found myself praying a lot as so many things that needed to be accomplished did not carry with them the confident outcomes I am accustomed to assuming. Quite often, short prayers were the order of the day and short prayers that were repeated. This is what I voiced as I held on to the seat of the motorcycle and watched the blur of my surroundings rush by in a flurry of color and sound.

I believe that this kind of simple prayer format is another way of expressing our unceasing act of love toward God and keeps us living in Jesus. Like the tax collector we can pray with humility and dependence, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner”. As simple as that! This short sentence is a sincere, effective, and profound statement. In fact, when you consider it, this prayer is the solid foundation of all prayer. We should never lose track of the fact that we come into God’s presence due to His mercy. We are sinners accepted by grace. We do not saunter in with a “Hey, God” attitude but with a penitential attitude fully resting in the divine love and mercy of our Heavenly Father. When you are at a loss to know what to pray or the circumstances are so stressful that words are not coming together this “Jesus Prayer” is a life saver. It is like jumping in a taxi with God as the driver. You have respite and refuge and it is the prayer that maintains that reality as you entrust yourself to God.