While reading the Screwtape Letters the other night with a friend, we came across a section on prayer. Screwtape Letters is a fictional account of demonic warfare. Written by C.S. Lewis, I have found the book to be very accurate to what I have encountered in real life. The storyline follows correspondence from one demon to another. Generally, the demon discourages prayer. But he did say that prayer could be rendered ineffective by changing the focus or distorting the perception of the person praying.
Screwtape wrote, "Whenever they are attending to the Enemy Himself (God), we are defeated, but there are ways of preventing htem from doing so. The simplest is to turn their gaze away from Him towards themselves. Keep them watching their own minds and trying to produce feelings there by the action of their wills. When they meant to ask Him for charity, let them, instead, start trying to manufacture charitable feelings for themselves and not notice that this is what they are doing. When they meant to pray for courage, let them really be trying to feel brave...Teach them to estimate the value of each prayer by their success in producing the desired feeling and never let them suspect how much success or failure of that kind depends on whether they are well or ill, fresh or tired, at the moment.
This makes me evaluate my prayer life. Where is God's grace and power in my prayer life? Or do I still try to do things, even in prayer, that only God can do? There is a big difference between surrender and striving.
Sure, I should recognize things that should be different. And instead of trying to change myself, I should dedicate those areas to God and yield to His transforming power. I still have a role to play in carrying out the transformation. But it all starts with God not me. And it is never really about a feeling. My prayer may be very powerful and yet my feelings remain unchanged. Despite how I feel, I step out in faith however the Spirit guides me. Then as I obey, God does the work of changing my heart and attitude toward something or someone.
God works through prayer to build up our faith to trust Him as we take difficult steps into the unknown. Powerful prayer comes from hearing and yielding to God. It is not about the words we say but the things we let God do in our heart. Our words are only secondary to the relationship that gives prayer its power and authority.
Increasingly, I am finding the Word to be a critical tool to guide my prayer. Sometimes I just don't know what to pray. I will freely admit this to God and ask the Holy Spirit to guide my prayers on a particular issue or circumstance. Then I wait and listen. Sometimes I go to the Word and pray verses covering the topic that is on my heart. The more I pray in agreement with God's Word, the greater confidence I have in making my petitions before the throne of The King.
Jesus prayed in faith having confidence that the Father always heard Him and would answer His petitions. I want to be like that. And the more I pray, the more I have discovered Jesus' secret. Jesus focused on God and His plan when He prayed. Jesus prayed only for things that were already on the Father's heart. Jesus truly prayed let God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Where do your prayers come from? Do they originate with your own self-centered desires? Or do you pray the desires of God? The power of prayer starts at the source. What's your source???
