Come As You Are

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I am always struck by the profoundness of C.S. Lewis's words (whenever I remember them...):

"We must lay before him [God] what is in us, not what ought to be in us."

~Letters To Malcolm: Chiefly On Prayer~

What a liberating thought!

I don't know about you, but I often feel pressure to pray the right prayers, to say the right words, to be as eloquent and holy as I can when I talk with God. He is, after all, the King of kings, Lord of lords, Sovereign over the world! Like when the biship visits our church. Or when I meet someone with a really posh accent.

I wonder, though, whether God is at all impressed or even influenced by my hollow attempts at articulacy (when is the last time you tried to pray to the Almighty in your second language in front of people?) or profound insight into "what God wants me to pray for." The more I think about it, the more I realise that it is, indeed, futile. God looks at and knows our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7; Romans 8:27). He listens for and hears the quiet groans that big words and beautiful sentences often conceal from a judgmental world. It doesn't matter what I try to hide, God knows anyway.

So maybe it's worth dropping the act when we come to him in prayer. Maybe it's worth being honest in what we want and bring that before him instead of empty, heartless words. Whatever it might be. Whether we are confessing our sins or asking for a payrise. Whether we are scared (even though the Bible tells us not to be) or whether we are really grateful for something childishly insignificant. Whether we are praying selfish prayers or truly praying for enemies to be blessed. Whatever it is, let us bring before God what is in us, not what ought to be in us, because it is only when we are honest and open about what's going on inside our hearts and minds that the Holy Spirit can do something with it (and us).

If our prayers are fuelled by selfish desires, let it bubble up and let God purify our hearts from selfishness. Let him address the issue. If our prayers are full of holiness and kingdom fire, let him hear and answer as he pleases. He is, as we mentioned before, the King of kings, Lord of lords, Sovereign over the world! The best prayers we can pray are the prayers of empty hands, then letting God fill it with what he knows to be best.

It is my sincere belief that God can achieve more of his kingdom's work in this world with a repentant sinner than a 'holier than thou' saint. Contrast what Jesus tells the Pharisees in Matthew 23 with what Jesus says to the criminal who hung beside him in Luke 23:39-43. Christ's message of redemption and forgiveness is more clearly illustrated by a dying man's last words than the multitude of hollow prayers and sermons the Pharisees shouted out.

So the invitation is here: Come as you are with what you have, using the words you know. You know. Like a child: honestly, sincerely, simply. That is all.

Photo by Stormseeker on Unsplash

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