Prayer & Subtext

Prayer has been on my mind a lot recently. It's a mysterious topic, to say the least.

In our Western culture, we've been conditioned to focus on imminent challenges, and what we perceive through our five senses. Even if you believe in God and a spiritual realm, many rarely stop to consider how these realities might intersect with our day-to-day lives. But the Bible says:

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." - Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

Or, as The Message boldly puts it,

"This is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels."

It's easy to blame other humans for the chaos in our world, and allow bitterness to accumulate in our hearts like piles of dirty laundry. And while all of us are fully responsible for our unjust actions, Christianity teaches that there's more at stake. A Story behind the story.

One feature of all good literature is subtext. A sentence in a novel might say, "David gave his grandma a peach". This line has an overt meaning, of course. But why did David give her the peach? What are the circumstances and emotions surrounding this event? What does it all mean? That's subtext.

How does this relate to prayer? Too often, we try to fix the issue at hand without stopping to ponder and pray about what deeper issues (or subtext) might be at play. While many problems have natural solutions, our lives are a complex web of physical, emotional, and spiritual struggles. There is a very real enemy who does not fight fair, and would like nothing better than to pit us against each other so that we miss the heart of what Jesus is inviting us into.

When it comes to the topic of prayer, I find this verse comforting:

"And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words." - Romans 8:26 (NLT)

This proves that anyone can engage in the transformative experience called prayer. Prayer is one of many ways we engage in the vast Story of the family of God, joining forces with countless others to push back the darkness. Yes, it can feel bizarre, and no, it is not a formula. Yet I believe our prayers - whether whispered faithfully in a bedroom or proclaimed from a stage - are actively changing the world.

I'm sure you're each facing your own bundle of challenges this week, so I hope these words come across compassionately. I still have so much to learn, and I'm sure I have the wrong idea about many things. As always, I want you to know that I'm praying (that word again!) for you as you navigate your unique spiritual journey. ❤️‍🩹

(Also...here's a powerful poem related to this subject: https://annaafriedrich.substack.com/p/the-moms-prayer-group)