His thoughts said, The way is rough.
His Father said, But every step bringeth thee nearer to thy Home.
His thoughts said, The fight is fierce.
His Father said, He who is near to his Captain is sure to be a target for archers.
His thoughts said, The night is long.
His Father said, But joy cometh in the morning.
(Amy Carmichael, His Thoughts Said… His Father Said…
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John Eldredge points to the story in Daniel 10, where Daniel has a troubling vision and prays for understanding, but no answer comes for three weeks.
Something has happened to Daniel that he does not understand. I think we can all relate to that. We don’t understand about 90% of what happens to us either. Daniel is troubled. He sets out to get an answer. But three weeks of prayer and fasting produce no results. What is he to conclude? If Daniel were like most people, by this point he’d probably be headed toward one of two conclusions: I’m blowing it, or God is holding out on me. He might try confessing every sin and petty offense in hopes of opening up the lines of communication with God. Or he might withdraw into a sort of disappointed resignation, drop the fast, and turn on the television. In an effort to hang on to his faith, he might embrace the difficulty as part of “God’s will for his life.” He might read a book on “the silence of God.” That’s the way the people I know handle this sort of thing.
And they would be dead wrong.
On the twenty-first day of the fast an angel shows up, out of breath. In a sort of apology, the angel explains to Daniel that God had actually dispatched him in answer to Daniel’s prayers the very first day he prayed — three weeks ago. (There goes the whole unanswered prayer thesis, right out the window.) Three weeks ago? What is Daniel to do with that? “The very first day? But… I’ve… I mean, thank you very much, and I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but… where have you been?” You haven’t blown it, Daniel, and God isn’t holding out on you. The angel goes on to explain that he was locked in hand-to-hand combat with a mighty fallen angel, a demonic power of dreadful strength, who kept him out of the Persian kingdom for three weeks, and he finally had to get Michael (the great archangel, the captain of the Lord’s hosts) to come and help him break through enemy lines. “Now I am here, in answer to your prayer. Sorry it’s taken so long.”
I have no idea how to conduct my prayer life in a way that takes these things into account.
I’m not talking about the “warfare phrases” I sometimes hear people use in prayer. I’m talking about laboring in prayer. Daniel’s response here implies strenuous labor. It reminds me of Elijah’s prayer for rain.
Shoot, I don’t even know how Daniel prays and fasts for three weeks! Three weeks? I’ve never even fasted for three days. And to pray for that long… What does Daniel say? How do you pray for a long period of time? I know there’s talking and listening, but…
There is a deeper life I have never attained — never even known truly how to access.
The Archangel Michael Defeating Satan (Guido Reni)
Good questions and ponderings, Janet. I’ll be curious to see what your other commenters say. I feel like I’m just wading ankle-deep (or even just toe-deep) in something I surely should be swimming in by now myself.
I don’t think it’s a matter of whether we “should be” swimming by now or not. I think it’s more a matter of there being “a time for everything under the sun” — including a time when our need is great enough to push to a new level.
In ‘Sacred Pathways,’ Gary Thomas quoted Thomas Merton in his chapter on the contemplative pathway: “Contemplation will not be given to those who willfully remain at a distance from God, who confine their interior life to a few routine exercises of piety and a few external acts of worship and service performed as a matter of duty… God does not manifest Himself to these souls because they do not seek Him with any real desire.”
I think the key word there is “willfully.” For years, I got up at 5:00 to spend time in prayer and Bible-reading. And there was a return; I felt a richness in my relationship with God, and in life.
But it has dried up in recent years, and gets harder to get out of bed. It didn’t dry up because I stopped getting out of bed (”willfully remained at a distance from God”), but the other way around. I always thought it was because my concentration was getting shallow or formulaic. But the passages in this post suggest that maybe it’s not that I was getting to a shallower place, but to a deeper place, where more — or a different kind of — effort is required.
Ah, yes, there is more to this life than I can usually grasp. . .
Praise God for His mercy that meets me where I am every time I come back to Him after wandering away, like a toddler whose attention span wasn’t long enough to keep her there to wait for the good stuff.
I think these are hard things not just because of our will, but because simply getting to our prayer corner means we must combat Satan. I remember a famous lecturer once stating (and I paraphrase) “When we enter into prayer all the company of heaven is standing there behind us…. but so is the company of hell.” I have been struggling lately with this… I want to be obedient and spend time in prayer, but it can quickly become “a matter of duty”. I know that doesn’t mean I should stop until it feels right – but on the other hand, I do not want to become hard of heart.
Have you read The Way of the Pilgrim? It is a story about a Russian man on a journey to find out what “praying without ceasing” really means. It’s been considered a spiritual classic in Russia for 100+ years. I think I should re-read it too.
Never heard of it, but I just checked the online catalog for our library. Is it by R.M. French, and dated 1884?
I did read Lewis’ ‘Letters to Malcolm Chiefly on Prayer,’ and it was helpful in a quiet way. What you describe about how prayer can quickly become a matter of duty has me nodding. I too won’t just give up till it feels right. But sometimes I get the sense that there is a whole category of conversation with God that I haven’t tapped into yet.
I may request that book through inter-library loan. Maybe I’ll re-read Lewis too. (But not during prayer time.
David Seamands preached once on the posture of kneeling, and concluded with the disciples’ request: not “teach us how to pray,” but “teach us TO pray.”
I love that Amy Carmichael book- it’s been a long time. I remember her writing as being convicting and comforting at the same time- just like that portion you shared.
There is a deeper life. I am convinced of that, though I feel like I am always only playing in surf.
I have read/am reading 2 different books on prayer recently. The first one was Richard Foster and that book truly inspired me and enriched my prayer life alot. The second one, Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets has at times stopped my prayer life in it’s tracks- but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. It has raised more questions for me than answers, I don’t mean questions as in doubts, I mean lack of understanding. I feel like a paraphrase of the children’s book “Going On a Bear Hunt” For me it’s : “We’re going a a God hunt, He is such a big one! What a beautiful day. We’re not scared.” Then, inevitably, we encounter obstacles and questions and we learn- “we can’t go over it, we can’t go under it, we have to go THROUGH it!” stumble, trip, stumble, trip
I like David Seamonds thoughts- we need to be taught TO pray- and then we need to teach others TO pray
I don’t think I’ve ever thought of ‘Bear Hunt’ in quite that way before, Polly — or noticed the “stumble, trip” part quite so keenly!
Those sound like great titles. And you are so right about there being no way over, under or around the difficulties — through is the only way.
The Amy Carmichael book was given me as a wedding gift by my favorite teacher at Asbury.
Janet, I agree – there has to be a whole nothing realm that I have not reached. I’m sure of it. I think I just get in my own way sometimes.
As to the book – it’s probably the same book just a different translator. Here is the trans. I have:
http://www.amazon.com/Way-Pilgrim-Olga-Savin/dp/1570622019/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1246585965&sr=8-1
it was done in 1991.
Polly mentioned Foster- I’ve read one or two of his books (but I don’t think the one on prayer) and he is an excellent writer. I’ve never heard of the others (including Lewis’) and will check them out as well.
So many good titles here, Janet. I’m just a baby in this matters. Oh, to learn more and then to DO it!!
I love eavesdropping on your conversations!
Oh, and that should’ve read “I’m just a baby in these matters.”
Amy, I’m not sure there’s any other choice than to be a baby! The “older” I get as a Christian, the “younger” I realize I am in the things of God.
Deb, ‘Letters to Malcolm’ was Lewis’s last book. I wrote a review of it when I read it last year. The link is on my “Reviews” page.