What struggles do we encounter when we pray?
Prayer is a breathing of the soul that acknowledges with every breath the soul's dependence on something other than itself. But who of us, at some time or another, hasn't had trouble breathing?
Allergies, asthma, mowing the yard on a day clinging with humidity, jogging the track, catching a plane...giving birth.... Who hasn't struggled to breathe then?
And who of us doesn't struggle now? A child may grow out of her asthma, a teenager out of his allergies. But even as adults, we still live with steep stairways, smoggy freeways, and secondhand smoke.
We still struggle in breathing...and we still struggle in prayer...all of us.
We may have different struggles, but we all struggle. But maybe if we could just talk about them with each other, we could all breathe a little easier. How many of us do that...are willing to talk about our struggles in this area?
Though Jesus did not teach his disciples to preach, he did teach them regarding prayer. Andrew Murray tells us that knowing about prayer is very good, but it won't teach us to pray. We get nothing without exercise and practice. Listening to a professor lecturing on music, good as that may be, will never teach me to play an instrument or make music. Time in the practice room, struggling with the principles learned in class does that. The whole idea of struggle lies in the transition of knowledge and desire to practice and success. ...And most of us would have to agree with Anne Morrow Lindbergh that many times the problem with prayer is not entirely in finding the room of one's own, the time alone, (difficult and necessary as that is) but more on how to still the soul in the midst of its activities.
Prayer, the greatest privilege and maybe the greatest challenge. But struggle as I may, it still is the most precious and treasured joy of my life and the path to everything I'll ever really need in this life. Regardless, I've determined to press on into the "much more" the scripture talks about, knowing that there will always be "greater grace" to come. I just wanted you to know....
Blessed, and then some,
Mitch
