Screwtape and Prayer

     Just one more thought related to our wonderful night watching the stage adaption of C.S.Lewis' Screwtape Letters.  A particularly powerful and memorable moment of the play occurred when Screwtape brings up the subject of prayer.  The moment he merely mentions that one word, "prayer," his assistant, the odious Toadpipe,  throws up .  Seriously-vomits on stage.
       I don't think I will ever forget it, for it was such a tangible reminder of the power of our prayers, and the hatred the enemy has for this, our most powerful of all weapons.  Samuel Chadwick once wrote: "The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying.  He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion.  He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray."
     Or Oswald Chambers "The prayer of the feeblest saint who lives in the Spirit and keeps right with God is a terror to Satan.  The very powers of darkness are paralyzed by prayer; no spiritualistic seance can succeed in the presence of the humblest praying saint.  No wonder Satan tries to keep our minds fussy in active work till we cannot think in prayer."
     Boy is that not the truth?  Get me down on my knees and suddenly my mind races with something I need to do right now!  It's so much easier to do, do, do than to pray.  And I'm convinced that's because it is the absolute last thing the enemy ever wants us to do--again, because "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees."  (William Cowper)
     Father, teach us to pray!  Help us to pray!  Might we cease waiting for the proper feelings that we assume are necessary in order for us to pray.  No, just pray!  It's not about our feelings but about our faith in the One who has all power.  He doesn't need our feelings--He just wants us.  I've heard it said that if you can't feel Him with your feelings, feel Him with your faith.
     So today, as the old Nike ad says, let's "Just do it!"  And believe me, I'm preaching to myself, since I can be the worst when it comes to prayer.
     I have to close with just one more quote--from bad, old Screwtape (remember, this is reverse psychology at work here, since a devil is talking!): "Whenever their is prayer, there is the danger of His [the Lord's] own immediate action.  He is cynically indifferent to the dignity of His own position, and ours, as pure spirits, and to human animals on their knees.  He pours our self-knowledge in a quite shameless fashion."
     Yep, Screwtape's got that right--it's the scandalous Gospel all over again--the Almighty Holy God willing to listen to and heed the prayers of us, such infinitely inferior, sinful, and underserving created little dust people.  Shocking... and glorious.  But it's called grace.  And praying is all by grace, too, isn't it?   Start to finish and everywhere in between--amazing grace in the privilege of prayer and the power of prayer.  Help us Father to come to You.  To God be the glory.