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| A photo I took of my friend Cássia's cat |
Joseph Medlicott Scriven wrote the famous hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" in 1850.
Familiarity is often accompanied by inattention and unawareness. Rather than skimming through these words in the same way you drive home every day, pretend you are reading them for the very first time.
What a friend we have in Jesus, all our griefs and sins to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge--take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms, He'll take and shield thee, thou wilt find a solace there.
Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear; may we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer. Soon in glory bright, unclouded, there will be no need for prayer--rapture, praise, and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.
Do the words take on a new meaning for you? They do for me as well.
As much as I would like to take credit for this exercise, I can't. This song was actually sent to me by my friend Grace who said:
"Something that hit me fresh and new was some of the lyrics to "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." I've sung this song for years, but I didn't realize what I was singing until now...'Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.' I feel kind of embarrassed that I've never really listened to the lyrics of this song before, but sheesh, I just had a really big DUH moment when it finally set in. Oh, how much peace I do often forfeit and needless pain, anxieties, fears, *endless list of things* that I put on myself instead of turning to the Lord in prayer."
Prayer is an area of my life that I have been growing in over this past year. I saw my need to focus on this spiritual discipline when I realized that I had never prayed about a certain area of my life that caused a significant amount of pain, fear, and anxiety.
I had thought about it, worried about it, talked to others about it, journaled about it, cried about it, and even tried to fix it, but I had, for as much as I could remember, never prayed about it.
Talk about a really big DUH moment,
As soon as I began praying, I began to see changes. First, in myself. I found myself humbled before God, willing to admit that I had done everything in my power to remedy this and it was impossible if He didn't intervene. I began to feel hopeful and encouraged rather than defeated. Second, I began to notice the fruit of change in that area of my life.
The more I began to pray about the smallest, most insignificant details, the more I began to notice God's hand working in the smallest, most insignificant details.
Like the hymn says: What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer, even the things we think are too silly or insignificant to pray about.
I don't remember where I heard this analogy, but I remember reading a book that said that God is a gentleman. He won't intrude, barge in, or take over something I haven't invited Him into. He is like a friend, who, already having a hunch of what I am thinking, won't say anything unless I bring it up first. He already knows what I need, but He's polite enough to wait until I ask for it.
This means I can't use God's omniscience as an excuse for my laziness or pride.
I remember talking to a mom who shared with me the changes she was noticing in the independence of her child. She told me how before, her child would come to her for everything whether it was a fingernail that looked funny or a pan smoking downstairs in the kitchen. The reluctance of her child to handle things on her own made it difficult for the mom to have alone time, read, rest, or accomplish other tasks.
As a child, we don't have to be told to go to our parents for everything, big or small. We do it without thinking, sometimes to the demise of our parents.
Developing independence and confidence away from our parents is a natural, good and normal thing. It would be weird to see a 45-year-old woman holding onto the back of her mom's shirt, following her everywhere the same way she did as a two-year-old.
And while our relationship with our parents can be a helpful dim reflection to understanding the way God relates to us, I have found that thinking of God in that way proves to be more of a stumbling block for most people than a helpful analogy.
How did your dad react when you asked him for the same thing many times? He became angry and maybe even refused to give you what you would have gotten had you not asked 10 times.
However, God tells us to "keep asking, and it will be given to you" (Matthew 7:7 HCSB).
How did your mom react when you wanted her to hold your hand and go down the slide with you because you were scared? She told you that you were old enough not to need her help anymore and you needed to do it by yourself.
However, God tells us that "you can do nothing without me" (John 15:5 CSB).
How did your dad react when you tried to ask him for permission to eat a snack while he was reading the newspaper? He kept reading, not even realizing that you were talking to him.
However, God tells us that He "hears whatever we ask" (1 John 5:15 CSB).
And I think my hesitancy to pray about things that I didn't consider "worth God's time" or that I felt I should be able to "handle on my own" or that I had already "asked for a million times" stemmed from a faulty idea of God as an Earthly parent.
I didn't want to annoy Him, seem incapable or bother Him when He was busy. How silly that all seems when I say it aloud!
How much peace I robbed from myself and how much pleasure I denied Him because I was unwilling to go to Him with everything in prayer!
My prayer is that you would also be reminded and encouraged to "take it to the Lord in Prayer!"
You are loved and you are not alone,
S
