Conversations with God

I’ve had more spiritual conversations with believers than I can count, but one thing seems to be a common denominator in all of our lives…I just haven’t met anyone who says, “I’m really happy with my prayer life right now.”  It seems to be a battle for all of us.

Why is that?  Years ago, Bill Hybels wrote a book Too Busy Not to Pray and he opened it with these words, “Prayer is an unnatural activity.  From birth, we learn the rules of self-reliance as we strain and struggle toward independence, and frankly, prayer flies in the face of all that.  It’s an assault on human autonomy, an indictment on self-sufficient living…”

I think he is right, but there is more sinister reason that lies behind our lack of prayer.  The enemy hates it when we pray.  If you and I start trying to pray more consistently, he will do all that he can to stop it, to assault us with thoughts, boredom, and distraction.  

Samuel Chadwick said, “The one concern of the devil is to keep saints from praying.  He fears nothing from prayerless studies/work/Christian activities.  He laughs at our toil, mocks our wisdom but trembles when we pray.”

Maybe it is just the way I’m wired, but if he hates it when I pray…I want to pray more.  You see, God loves it when we pray.  He loves it when we come to Him and fellowship with Him.  
When we talk to Him and when we listen to Him.  

Maybe if we considered CS Lewis’ Meditation in a Toolshed, where he made an observation about a beam of light coming into a shed and instead of just studying the light and the specks of dust floating in it, maybe we should just reposition ourselves so that the light falls on us, maybe we could just enjoy the light for a moment, and then it might be best if we just got out of the shed and stepped into the full glory of the world outside…only for us we are stepping out of the shed and into the very beauty of God.

That’s prayer…we read the Bible, we see God talk to others, but soon or later we have to come to a place where we hear Him talk to us.  Maybe not audibly, but sometimes louder than audible, He speaks, we listen and speak back, and have a conversation…that’s the very heart of prayer.