I don’t know about the rest of you ladies, but I have trouble praying. I struggle with the fact that so many prayers seem to go unanswered. I fight the idea that I could possibly change the God of the universe’s plan that has existed before the creation of the world. And yet I know I need to pray. In this weight loss journey, especially, God’s grace is the only thing that will help me stay disciplined and have perseverance. But often my feelings of shame for my gluttony keep me from God. I came across this passage in my reading last night and wanted to share it with all of you in case I’m not the only one who feels this way.
“One hindrance in particular tied Luther’s tongue: feeling unworthy. Like a person abused in childhood, he could not rid himself of a sense of shame. As a young monk, some days he would spend hours trying to identify every stray thought and sin. No matter how thorough his confession, as he knelt to pray he felt himself rejected by a righteous God. His great breakthrough came when he realized that Jesus had revealed God’s character by offering grace and forgiveness to the foulest of sinners, the least worthy. From then on, whenever feelings of unworthiness plagued him, Luther would view them as the work of the devil and roar back in opposition.
I am convinced the main requirement in prayer is honesty, approaching God “just as we are.” Nonetheless, many pray-ers labor under a Luther-like pall of inferiority. We feel guilty, or unfocused, or irritable, and assume those negative feelings will disqualify us from God’s attention, as if God only listens to good people. Until we come to terms with an ornery classmate, we think - or straighten out a bad marriage, or stop yelling at the kids, or conquer the addiction that fetters us like a ball and chain - we don’t deserve to pray. Consequently we turn away from the only source of forgiveness and potential healing.
As if in rebuttal, the Bible gives a detailed record of God listening to prayers from “unworthy” people: from short-fused Moses to puerile Samson to the rough sailors who threw Jonah overboard, let alone the sulky prophet himself. God responded to King David’s prayers of repentance after the sins of murder and adultery, as well as the desperation prayer of wicked King Manasseh. Jesus commended the prayer of an unworthy tax collector above that of an upright Pharisee.
A sense of unworthiness hardly disqualifies me from prayer: rather, it serves as a necessary starting point. Apart from feeling unworthy, why call on God in the first place? Unworthiness establishes the ground rules, setting the proper alignment between broken human beings and a perfect God. I now consider it a motivation for prayer, not a hindrance.”
~Phillip Yancey in Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?
So, ladies, let’s not forget our biggest and most perfect Resource. Yes, Weight Watchers and South Beach and counting calories and ounces of water are tools to help us. But those thing alone won’t make a lasting change. We need the grace and discipline that comes from our Father. I need discipline - not only in my eating habits, but in my prayer habits.
Good post and great quote!! Thank you Carrie!
Comment by blestwithsons — August 18, 2006 @ 7:11 pm