May the mumbling commence!
Have you ever felt like you were just going through the motions? You know, I go to worship; but I am not moved. I sing, but my heart is not in it. I pray and listen, but my mind wanders. Nothing is new and exciting anymore. Sometimes in our lives, we will go through times like these. I know I have.
But to go through a time of spiritual apathy and stunted growth is not the end. It is not the end if you and I can keep a steadfast faith in God. For every autumn in our spiritual life that promises the deaths of winter, there will be a spring that promises new life.
So I encourage everyone to press on! Worship, sing, pray, read Scripture, meditate, and listen. Keep your heart open to God and amazing things will happen. Read from Mark chapter eleven:
In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"
"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." (Verses 20-25)
Have faith, and do not doubt. You will have what you ask for. That is a powerful statement. But it can be and has been misused. How does this sound to someone who is on her deathbed? She may be praying fervently with no doubt in her heart, but still she slips away into death. How does this sound to someone, whose loved one is dying? How does this sound to someone who has a thorn in the flesh that will not be taken away – like the Apostle Paul spoke of having.
God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:7ff).” God’s grace is sufficient for us, too. You see, praying is not a wish list – like children give to Santa at Christmas time. Prayer is about relationship.
Do you doubt the relationship core to prayer? Look at the last verse. “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." The relationship at the core of prayer is not only between God and the person praying but it is also between the person praying and other people around him.
How can we give our full attention to God when our minds are absorbed with conflicts? Forgive as you have been forgiven. That, my friends, means healed friendships.
Restored relationships are a miracle of prayer that causes us to reconsider our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. God wants us to be one (John 17). Together, we can listen more carefully for the call of God on our lives. As our relationship with God is restored, we can better know what God desires us to do.
And when we pray with God’s desires in mind, we show our faith in God. We do not doubt that God has our best interests in mind. It is in these circumstances that we can pray with confidence, knowing that what we pray for will happen. It might not happen in the way that we anticipate, but it will happen.
Spiritual atrophy and apathy will be healed. Our God is faithful and strong. Spiritual renewal depends upon our continually returning to God and to His adopted family, the church.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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