Paradox of Prayer

Seasons of challenge have taught me infinitely more than my times of ease. Hard times have brought about deeper levels of trust, dependency and prayer that good times don’t require. In fact, good times should be prayed against. That our lives be spent in the crushing between where we are and where we want to be, so that we never adopt the spirit of self-sufficiency, and we never think we’ve arrived in such a way that we don’t look to our Father for daily provision. 

That’s the paradox of petitionary prayer: that we fervently seek, fast and beg for the situations that make our lives easier, and once they become easier the need for prayer becomes less. We then venture into a new season of abundance with our guards down, believing we can make it on our own, which always leads us back into a fresh season of challenge. This is the cycle I’ve lived much of my spiritual life in.

What I now see as a mark of spiritual maturity is cheerfully greeting hardships and frustrations with the same enthusiasm I do for my victories. I stretch my desires beyond appeasing every immediate request, to the bigger picture of growing in my character, dependency and reliance on the Lord. For these are the everlasting virtues that far outweigh living on easy street. I am grateful for my challenges.