I’d like to tell you that I’m a man of regular, constant, deep prayer that moves mountains, calms seas and sends legions of pigs running over a cliff to their bacony death.  I wish I could claim the status of a prayer warrior, standing in the gap like clockwork and altering the trajectory of human history because of my outlandish faith and unwavering conviction.

But that would be stretching it.

I’m… well…  I’m more like a kid who wants some ice cream.  Oh, I pray.  Often.  But I desire more.  A prayer warrior I want to be; I prayer warrior I am not.  Yet God continues to develop in me a deeper desire to pray, especially within the last few weeks.  I have seen answers to my feeble but bold prayers — prayers that were indeed outlandish and certainly unwavering in conviction, keeping the “but whatever you want is fine, Lord” disclaimer off the table, because I didn’t really feel that way, and I didn’t have the energy to add the pious angle.  I tried praying my actual concerns — my actual prayer requests — and it seemed to help me know God better.  It has been energizing to see how God has heard me, little ol’ me, and has graciously responded.

I am bummed that we had to postpone our All Church Prayer Hour this evening because of (more) West Michigan snow, but I do look forward to next week, because I’m ready for us to be drawn by the Holy Spirit into the deeper places of prayer.  We need it.  I need it.  God answers prayer.  When we work, we work.  But when we pray, God works.  I’ll take the latter.