There are no tricks to prayer. The crucial thing is not the method we use or the pattern we follow. The crucial thing is confidence in the God to whom we pray.
Who is that God? He is the eternal God. For us, what’s done is done and what’s done cannot be undone. We are bound to time, and feel sometimes as if we’re chained in time.
God is not like that.
He forgives past sins and treats us in the present and future as if they never happened. He triumphs over sin, and even uses it to bring in His glorious kingdom of righteousness. We can’t see beyond the horizon of death, but for God, death is entirely reversible.
Who is the God we pray to? He is the unchanging God. We flit here and there, starting one project and abandoning another, faithful one day and faithless the next.
God is not like that. He has a purpose, and He pursues that purpose until He finishes it. This doesn’t mean He’s predictable. Because He is alive, He surprises us, but every surprise reveals more of His unwavering faithfulness.
When you pray, remember that you’re praying to the eternal and changeless God who raised Jesus from the dead by the power of the Spirit. Remember that you pray to the faithful God who will do all He has promised. Remember that, and cast all your cares on Him.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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