How to Stay on Safe Ground in Prayer
By Michael Kelley
Do you have trouble praying?
For most of us, the answer is yes. At least in part. Prayer is one of those things in which we are all growing - not one of us prays as fervently or as focused or as long as we would like. This is especially when we read some of the exhortations in the Bible about prayer:
Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17).
“Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for—believe that you have received it and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24).
The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up (James 5:15).
These are mighty Scriptures. Mighty commands. And mighty promises. When we read things like this, we might feel intimidated when we look at our own practice of prayer. But that’s not the only reason we might have trouble praying.
Sometimes we don’t know what to pray for. We want to pray according to God’s will but we have no idea what that is. The situation seems too confusing or complex and we can’t see our way forward. Or sometimes we have trouble praying because the pain is too real. The situation is too dire. We can’t find the words even though we know we should.
What do you do in moments like that? You don’t want to pray wrongly or unrighteously or even disrespectfully - so how do you stay on safe ground in prayer?
The answer is simple - you pray God’s Word back to Him.
Here’s a little illustration to help. When our children were younger, we would often use the phrase, “We’ll see,” when our kids asked us for something.
Can we go to the movies? We’ll see.
What about a dog? Can we get one of those? We’ll see.
Are we having dessert tonight? We’ll see.
The reason we responded like that is because our kids, like all kids, have annoyingly accurate memories. That’s problematic when you can’t control everything that happens in the course of a day. So we might have planned, for example, to go to the movies, but someone might have gotten sick. If we would have told our kids that we could go to the movies and then those plans had to change, their response would have been predictable:
“But you said…”
It’s in cases like that when I remember that God is better. He’s a better Father than I am. He’s more trustworthy. More generous. More caring. And He’s never had the moment where He had to go to one of His children and say, “I know I said this, but things have changed, and so now I’m going to say that.”
That’s why we can always be on safe ground when we pray God’s Word back to Him. It’s because He has never, and will never, retract one syllable of it. Not one statement; not one promise. God says what He means and means what He says.
So the next time you have trouble praying because you are frustrated or tired or overwhelmed or any other reason, stay on safe ground. It’s also the best ground. Say to God what He has already said to you.
Michael Kelley is a husband, father of three, author, and speaker from Nashville, TN. His latest book is a year-long family devotional guide called The Whole Story for the Whole Family. Find his personal blog at michaelkelley.co.