Yancey On Prayer And Perspective (Conclusion)

Hey, Y'all,

Back from a couple of days in NAF El Centro ("The Pearl of the Desert"--I just don't get tired of that slightly ironic moniker). The Blue Angels were also at their part-time home so it was cool to watch (and hear) them practice overhead, in addition to the usual large volume of other aircraft getting their training in 24/7 --- Marine Hercs (C-130s and variants), F-18s (Hornets and SuperHornets), T-45 Goshawks, MV-22 Ospreys, AV-8B Harriers, helos of various types/variants (-60s and -46s and -53s), well, you get the picture: my not-so-inner aero-geek was in heaven--too bad pictures are a no-no without prior authorization (memo to self for next time...). Anyway, it was a good if busy couple of days. Here's another thought of Yancey's...

How odd that prayer seems foolish to many people who base their lives on media trends, superstition, instinct, social pressures, even hormones or astrology or other similarly steady bases.

For most of us, much of the time, prayer brings no certain confirmation that we have been heard. We pray in faith that our words somehow cross a bridge between visible and invisible worlds, penetrating a reality of which we have no proof. Faith.

It occurs to me, thinking about prayer, that most of the time I get the direction wrong. I start downstream with my own concerns and bring them to God, as if God did not already know them. I plead with God, as if hoping to change God's mind and overcome some divine reluctance. I realize I should start upstream where the flow begins. When I shift direction I realize that God already cares about my concerns--my uncle's cancer, world peace, a broken family, unpaid bills--more than I do. I begin with God, who bears primary responsibility for what happens on earth, and then ask what part I can play in God's work on earth. With this new starting point for prayer, my perceptions change. I look at nature and see, not only blue sky and flowers and birds, but the signature of a grand artist.

I need the corrective vision of prayer because all day long I will lose sight of God's perspective. Prayer, and only prayer, restores my vision to one that more resembles God's.

You've been prayed for today...