The Efficacy of Prayer

Today is Tuesday, November 13, 2018.

Day 22,160

Fallout 76 releases tomorrow!!!

“The best way to compile inaccurate information that no one wants is to make it up.”
Scott Adams, American cartoonist
The Quotations Page

The word of the day is sequacious, “Archaic. following, imitating, or serving another person, especially unreasoningly.”

We had a nice evening, yesterday. At one point, we had planned to go to Hoffbrau for dinner, but at quitting time, C decided she would rather have something picked up and eat at home. I called in a couple orders of “Italian Nachos” from Chef Point Cafe and picked them up on the way home. They were delicious! And, of course, we had chocolate cake afterward. While eating, we watched the last two episodes of Saturday Night Live. The one from two weeks ago, with Jonah Hill hosting, was bloody awful. It was like all the writers took the week off, or something. This last week’s, with Liev Schreiber, was much better, and he was actually quite good, even though, as he admits in the opening monologue, he is not known for being funny. The only downside in that episode was the musical guest, Lil Wayne. I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it. And I don’t think it’s because I’m old. I think it’s because I’m actually a trained musician.

S gave her present to C after we got home from work. We got her one of those triangular bed pillows, so she can prop herself up when laying in bed watching TV or whatever. I suppose it could also be used on the other end, as well, should the need to elevate feet arise. My birthday present to C was the Cinderella show, which we will be seeing this coming Sunday. For real, this time.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
All Scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise noted

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:2

Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!
Psalm 96:9

(From The Business of Heaven, C.S. Lewis)
The Efficacy of Prayer

C.S. Lewis recounts a time when he had planned a visit to London. He arose one morning with the intention of going to get a haircut to prepare for this trip. But the first letter he opened that morning made it clear that his trip to London was now unnecessary. So he decided that he didn’t need to get the haircut, either. “But then there began the most unaccountable little nagging in my mind, almost like a voice saying, ‘Get it cut all the same. Go and get it cut.'”

Eventually, he could stand it no longer, and made his way to the barber shop. At this point, he reveals that his barber “was a fellow Christian and a man of many troubles whom my brother and I had sometimes been able to help.” As he entered the shop, the barber said, “Oh, I was praying you might come today.” If, in fact, he had delayed his visit, it would have been of no use to the barber.

“It awed me,” says Lewis,” it awes me still. But of course one cannot rigorously prove a causal connection between the barber’s prayer and my visit.” This is, primarily, the point that he continues to address in this reading.

How can we prove the efficacy of prayer? “The thing we pray for may happen, but how can you ever know it was not going to happen anyway?” Even if it were miraculous beyond all explanation, we could still not prove that it happened because of our prayer. “The answer surely is that a compulsive empirical proof such as we have in the sciences can never be attained.”

There are things that can be proved by “the unbroken uniformity of our experiences. The law of gravitation is established by the fact that, in our experience, all bodies without exception obey it.” But even if everything that everyone prayed for happened (which does not happen), it would not “prove what Christians mean by the efficacy of prayer.” Prayer is, after all, a request, and requests are not compulsive, but “may or may not be granted.” And our infinitely wise Creator, who hears our requests, sometimes grants them and sometimes does not.

The reading rather abruptly cuts off at this point, which, to me is a somewhat unsatisfactory ending. I suppose the point of all this is that, no, we can never prove “scientifically” that our prayers work, or that anything at all happened because we prayed for it. But proof and faith are different things. I can believe that something happened because I prayed for it. Or because a number of us prayed for it. And that is why I believe in “the efficacy of prayer.” Not because I can prove it, but because I have the gift of faith.

There are many things that happen in our lives, that, just as Lewis’s visit to the barber, appear to be coincidental. The thing is, I don’t believe in coincidences. I don’t believe in “luck.” I do believe that God is sovereign, and that He will arrange things, sometimes based on the prayers that we pray. Perhaps the thing that we prayed for was already going to happen! But maybe it was going to happen because we were going to pray for it! Mull that one over for a while!

Father, I praise You for Your sovereignty in our lives. I thank You for prayer, and for leading us to pray. I thank You that You hear and answer our prayers. That, in itself is most miraculous, I believe. Help me to be more faithful in prayer, and to believe that You will hear and act, especially if my prayers are in line with Your will on earth as it is in heaven.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Grace and peace, friends.