Making the Ask (Chapter 2) (Thursday in the first week of Lent)

PAUSE
As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly to recenter my scattered senses upon the presence of God.

(pause)
I pray Psalm 62: 5-6, repeating the words slowly, several times: “For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken” (NRSV).

REFLECT
Book passage and comment: The great theologian Karl Barth said that true prayer is primarily very simple. “In the first instance, it is an asking.” This is reassuring for those of us who struggle to issue anything more than six-year-old “Dear God” type requests when we are under intense pressure.” (p.25)

Maybe our simplest prayers are enough.

Bible: [Jesus says] “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply.” (Matt. 6: 7-8 MSG)

ASK
Ask myself: When my simple “Dear God” prayers don’t work, what “formulas and programs and … techniques” do I tend to try “for getting what [I] want from God”? Jesus tells us to remember the Father’s love when we pray. Could there be a link between getting over-complicated in prayer and forgetting the simplicity and immediacy of His love?

Ask the Lord: I take a little time now to “pray very simply,” laying my requests before You once again, telling You how I’m feeling, and remembering as I do so that You are not scowling but smiling with an expression of tender affection.

YIELD
The well-loved hymn of surrender, “All to Jesus I Surrender,” by Judson W. Van De Venter:

All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him In His presence daily live
I surrender all, I surrender all All to Thee, my blessed Savior I surrender all
Amen.