I don’t think anybody likes to be helpless. I certainly don’t. Strength is better. Being in control is more comfortable. But is being helpless necessary for sincere and effective prayer? I’ve been reading a book called “A Praying Life” by Paul E. Miller that has made me think about this.
The people who came to Jesus needing help came because they were helpless. They couldn't get help anywhere else and they knew it. Knowing it, though, is the key. I've been thinking a lot about dependency lately--our need to depend on God and how hard it can be. But actually, we do not need to depend on God. We need to acknowledge our dependency on God. We are already dependent--for our very breath, for our next heartbeat. He is the Sovereign Being of the Universe and we exist only because He wills it. We are completely dependent on Him.
But humans have the incredible capacity to create an alternate reality and then live it in. We can say there is no God, and then live as if there is no God, but our belief does not make God disappear. He certainly still exists. And we can say and feel like we are not dependent on God, and then live that way, but in reality, we are still completely dependent on Him. The key is to admit our helplessness, to acknowledge our dependency. If we do not feel dependent on God, then we will not pray, or if we do, we pray out of duty, because it seems the right thing to do, not because we really need anything, or expect God to do anything. Haven't you found that it's when we are weakest that we experience and appreciate God's strength the most, that our prayers really mean something? Like God's words to Paul: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I think a lot of the time, we'd rather our own abilities be sufficient for us. We'd rather be strong than weak. But actually, we're not strong in ourselves. We're not meant to be. We were created to be dependent.
Wow. Just another of the ways Jesus turns our "normal" upside down. So very opposite to what our culture tells us. I want to grow in acknowledging and even embracing my helplessness. The things I feel helpless about normally lead to anxiety for me, but really they should lead to an opening of myself for more grace. Make it so, Lord Jesus!
