Have you ever felt like you can’t pray your way out of a paper bag?
Would you like to know how to pop the bag and have deep, meaningful prayer every time?
Then keep reading.
It’s true that sometimes prayer can be difficult. Even E.M. Bounds, that great man of prayer had this to say on the subject of prayer:
“Prayer is the easiest and hardest of all things; the simplest and the sublimest;
the weakest and the most powerful; its results lie outside the range of human possibilities – they are limited only by the omnipotence of God.”
And, while it’s true that prayer indeed can be all of these things- easy and hard, simple and sublime, weak and powerful.-there is a secret in breaking through to sweet communion with God each and every time we bow our knee.
The secret is in surrender.
The more we surrender, the more of Christ and His truths fill our mind.
Our hearts become fixed on Biblical truths.
Our will becomes Christ’s will.
Joy flows.
Peace fills our being.
Anxiety dissipates.
Because, at those moments, our spirit is in sync with the Holy Spirit of God and prayer becomes easy.
So the challenge, the struggle, the hardness that E.M. Bounds speaks of is not in getting to God – He is always with us. It is in the breaking of our self-will, our agendas, our pride.
If we are angry and really don’t want to forgive, or if we are more worried about all the things we have to do as soon as our prayer time is over, then prayer is a chore.
An obligation.
A drudgery.
A duty to be fulfilled.
The more our minds are focused on our needs, our wants, and our discomfort, the less awareness of God’s spirit we feel.
Perhaps that is why we are instructed in scripture to … lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 1:21)
We must first let go of everything that is not like Christ before we can truly come into close, intimate fellowship with Him.
So if you, like me, feel like you’re trying to pray yourself out of a paper bag, look inward. Search your heart and see if there are any attitudes or grudges that you’re holding onto. If you discover that there are, let them all go, ask Jesus to purify you, and to help you to overcome.
A sample prayer might be something like this:
Lord Jesus, we want to live every day in a way that glorifies You. Forgive us of our selfish ways. Help us to let go of hurts and resentments. We want a deep fellowship and closeness with You, and we know that is only possible if first we lay aside the sins that beset us. In Jesus Name. Amen
Pray like this, and you will discover that while you were asking for Christ’s help, He removed the paper bag.
Ever had a paper bag experience? Let’s talk about it.