C.S. Lewis: Seven Prayer Helps

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Scripture

 And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

~Romans 8:26, LSB

Quote

There is a moment in every soul’s journey when the noise of life becomes unbearable and it aches to be heard; not by another person, but by the One who created it.

~C.S. Lewis

My Thoughts

Foolish me, I thought I had read practically everything that C.S. Lewis wrote and then as I was driving to the point last Friday for the 49ers meeting I heard Lewis on YouTube talking about prayer and I was spellbound. I have listened to it two or three more times and I am still spellbound. You can listen yourself on YouTube, HOW TO TALK TO GOD {21:53}, but in case you don’t; allow me to share with you the seven helps that Lewis shares.

  1. COME AS YOU ARE, the door is open. Don’t pretend, don’t clean yourself up…come as you are. Never try to impress God. He wants you to be rawly honest. If you have doubts, talk to Him about them. He wants you to be real, to be honest, humble and broken. No performance is necessary and do not worry about your vocabulary or choice of words; God can hear hearts and he is not impressed with polish. Remember the story of the Pharisee in Luke 18. He tried to impress God with polish and performance but God did not hear his prayer. He was listening to the tax collector who was being rawly honest. Remember Hannah the mother of Samuel; she was so burdened that she could not speak aloud, yet God saw her heart and He heard her prayer.
  2. BE HONEST, you don’t need a filter. Tell God exactly how you feel. Why try to hide something from the all seeing One. He already knows what you are up to and into so why be dishonest. Remember Jesus prayer in the Garden. “Father if it be possible, take this cup from me.” This is raw honesty.
  3. HONOR GOD’S HOLINESS but don’t hid from Him. There should be some awe or fear but remember God is our Father and He invites us to come. Jesus made this possible through His death. The curtain or viel was ripped top to bottom opening the way to the throne of grace. Hebrews 4:16 reads, Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Lewis says there is a sacred tension is prayer: we don’t need to be too casual. There is nothing ordinary or common about God. He is the high and holy One, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, but on the other hand we must remember that God is our Father and He bids us come.
  4. LISTEN AS MUCH AS YOU SPEAK. This is where I really struggle. Lewis says, “Sit in silence without an agenda and listen.” Think about your earthy relationships. Is is good for one person to do all the talking? You know the answer: good friends talk to each other but they also listen. I don’t mind telling you, I really struggle with this one and I would not be offended if you prayed for me to do better.
  5. PRAY IN THE SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit is present in every believer life and He is here to help. He is our Divine Helper. Folks we desperately need His help. I am totally convinced; He is the preacher not me. I may speak without His help or guidance but I will not preach. The same is true with prayer. I may say words without Him but I will not pray, not in the real sense. Prayer may be the most spiritual thing we do and we need His help.
  6. USE SCRIPTURE WHEN YOU PRAY. This one you have heard me say before. Lewis has had a heavy influence on my life so he may be to his credit that I pray the scriptures constantly. I especially like using the Psalms. I don’t know if I can pray without the Psalms. Lewis says we should also pray the promises and when we pray using God’s word it is like swinging a sword. In other words, it keeps the demons at bay.
  7. TRUST GOD’S TIMING. Again, I know this, but my impatience gets the best of me on most days. You have heard me say, “There is no such thing as a wasted prayer.” Since Lewis says the same thing, I suppose that is where I got it. God will honor His word; He will keep every promise in His time. Of course when we pray, we expect an immediate answer, but it seldom works that way. If we are going to have peace and rest for the soul, we must trust His timing.

I hope these notes will be helpful but it might be even more helpful to go to YouTube and listen.

Extra

God is good. We enjoyed another great Sabbath celebration at the POINT. Jesus was exalted as we thought about His atoning death. I thought it was a good service and I loved Tim’s solo. DBC had a children’t event last night so I got some extra rest which was good. Big Mama got to go to worship and she was pumped. She is doing great. Gets around like the Everyready Bunny on TV.

I hope you have a great Monday and I hope you have less to do than I do. I also hope I get something completed. I got a lot of things started.

Extra/Extra

~Sunrise Service at New Center April 5 at 7:00 am followed by breakfast

Fish Fry April 8, 6:00 pm

Mem’s Breakfast April 11, 8:00 am

~National Day of Prayer May 7, 5:00 am-11:00 am {Grace Point has from 5:00 am to 6:00} We gather at the Associational Office on highway 31.

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