Pushed to Pray

Written by Jen

Blog

On a recent rainy Monday evening, I had the honor of "visiting" a book club meeting. Not being a regular member, I didn't read the book--nor did I even remember the title I was given when invited--but the ladies who invited me are former neighbors and I relished the opportunity to gather with friends. What a lovely evening it was.

Conversation was lively and interesting. (So much so that I think I'll read that book after all.) Somewhere in the course of discussing man's inhumanity to man, the topic of helplessness arose. What can we do? Atrocities around the world happen. We read about it with disgust and aversion but feel unable to help. Sure, we can write a check. We can protest, participate in boycotts and practice responsible consumption. But does any of this make a difference? Do we alleviate the pain, change attitudes and alter the course of history by doing so?

Maybe. To some degree. Hard to say. It depends.

Then of course we say, we think, "Well, all we can do is pray."

All we can do is pray.

Doesn't that sound like a last resort?

WE CAN PRAY! We should pray! We must pray! We need to be shouting that with enthusiasm, not whispering it as a suggestion after all else fails.

I came away from that gathering wishing I'd said that, wishing I hadn't dismissed that common comment with the usual nod of agreement.

Really, what IF we all did pray? Even if you don't recognize a benevolent God who acknowledges our pleadings, imagine a world where people are humble enough to believe they can't control everything. Goodbye, egos. It's more than a start.

I've pledged to omit the "all we can do" from the prayer equation, and invite you to do the same. Let's encourage each other to go to God first, not last. And let's do it boldly. Then we will, indeed, make a difference.