Pop Up Prayer
I noticed about two years ago a notification on my calendar that read, "pray," with a crossed finger emoji. It randomly pops up on my calendar, but seemingly the right time, which is all times because as Luke 18:1 reads, "that men ought to always pray, and not to faint." So now my calendar is out her in cahoots with the Lord? Why can't a few of these meetings disappear on said calendar? 😂 Seriously though, I have no idea when the notification was added, nor by whom. It pops up at unexpectedly. The last time I saw it was October 31st, and then when I looked at my calendar, yesterday morning, there it was (see image associated with this post). No use in me wasting any more brain activity with trying to determine the source; instead, it is most appropriate for me to take advantage of said notification and engage with the Source.
What I additionally love about Luke 18:1 is the ending part. We can get it twisted to believe that if we pray, it will happen. That may be accurate, but the "happening" may not manifest in the timing by which we hope, hence the beauty of a wise God to instruct us to "not faint." That is an invitation to grow in Christ and in all transparency, that is not easy, particularly if you believe that we serve a God that can do anything! There's countless evidence in support of this declaration. There's Jeremiah 32:27, "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” I mean we could have just did the benediction right there, but no, there's Matthew 19:26, "Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible;" and Job 42:2, “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted." If you are low key curious like me, you might be thinking, if each of these scriptures are true, why then should we, must we pray? Why does God send a standing invitation to engage in this practice when He can respond at anytime and respond to what we stand in need of?
The practice of prayer builds our faith. With all that has happened, is happening and shall happen, it is difficult to be sure, but I cannot imagine being in this space in the earth and not holding on to faith. I cannot change the outcome of situations or stop things from happening on my own, but through prayer, I can send my faith in a supreme God to do what I am incapable of doing; and even when it doesn't result in what I desire, that same supreme God can provide comfort that baffles us in our carnal understanding. We loose absolutely nothing from the utility of prayer, but what we can potentially gain is immeasurable.
Later in Luke 18, Jesus says, "Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" Jesus is providing the answers in the "back of the book" so to speak. When I was growing up, the answers in the textbook was at the back of the book. The teacher would say, "Don't look at the back until I grant permission." Some would sneak and do so; never me, my Mother was not not to be played with." But the "answers" were there. That's how prayer works. It provides the answers to what we are being entrusted to carry. God's way of saying "don't peek" is the use of our faith.
I'm convinced that God knows when I need to be reminded to pray, in the space that occupies my time and energy. My calendar is filled with meetings, deadlines and work that needs to get done. I need prayer for every detail, but more importantly, the reminder is set in the balance of time as a gentle nudge to engage in this practice regularly, throughout the course of time, to build my faith in a God that is returning. Whatever pops up in our life, we have prayer as a response.