“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work“ (Oswald Chambers).
When I try things on my own (even unintentionally) I end up sounding like Young Simba from The Lion King. He thought he was all that and a bag of chips because he was in line to be king someday. However, when the hyenas surrounded him, his roar sounded pretty pathetic. It wasn’t going to scare anyone.
And then something amazing happened. He roared again. And this time it sounded like the real deal (giving the hyenas quite a scare). The truth, however, is that it wasn’t Simba’s roar. It was his father’s roar drowning out everything else. Nevertheless, when he saw his dad, it gave him the confidence he needed.
This is how I feel when it comes to prayer. When things start to happen it’s because He’s acting in His power. He wants us to be a part of it. We are along for the ride. But He does the heavy lifting so we don’t have to. In fact, we can’t. Our roar is quite pathetic when it comes to the battles we face on a daily basis.
Personally, I need reminded of this all the time. Over the past few months God has revived my prayer life and reminded me of these truths. And He has answered in profound ways. Prayer shows our complete dependence on God. When we trust Him, talk to Him, and have no backup plan, we are in the right place to hear our Father roar.
And when it comes to living on mission, church planting, missional communities, and reaching our friends who don’t know Jesus, only the roar of the Father will wake people up and make them able to listen. So let’s not forget to come to Him and depend on Him constantly to do what only He can do.
Therefore, if you’re in a time of great need, pray to the Father and thank Him for the time you get to spend with Him and depend on Him in humility. If you’re in a time of abundance, pray to the Father and thank Him for acting and providing whatever success you are experiencing. After all, it’s not you accomplishing anything. Listen up and look around because it’s your Father’s roar you hear. Amen.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”
Written by Keith Hartlaub, pastor of The Way Church of Harford County