LRC, Houston - the weekends-free church in Houston, Texas

William Ralph Inge (1860 - 1954) was an English author, Anglican prelate, and professor of divinity at Cambridge. And it is to him that the lead line is attributed. Luke 18:2-5 has become the theological mode and practice of prayer for way too many. You’d think that after months and years of praying the SAME petition over and over and over again, one would get the message. God isn’t answering this prayer! Give it up. In fact, God doesn’t GIVE anything- neither does He WITHHOLD anything. God just IS and while He IS actively involved in our lives: in more in ways than we know.

Way too many Christians think that prayer is bringing to God’s attention something that He has overlooked. God’s been so busy doing other miracles, that He’d forgotten your situation. Right? So, keep reminding Him and eventually He’ll get the message and respond to your numerous requests. NOT!

I didn’t say don’t pray! Don’t hear that.

And then there ar those who have essentially reduced prayer to God responding to those who please Him. and in this case, one need not even pray because God so loves those who please Him, that He’s always looking out for them, even when they don’t know it.

I’m reminded of the G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936 an influential English writer of the early 20th century whose prolific and diverse output included journalism, philosophy, poetry, biography, and Christian apologetics) story wherein a person slips on a banana peel, misses the bus which later crashes and kills all aboard. That person so pleased God that God arranged the “banana-peel fall” to save His life.

What can I add?

God is intimately involved in our daily lives, but we have to be quiet and still enough to allow His voice to come through. Prayer = COMMUNION with GOD! Psalms 46:10 you know. He is I, I am, and we ARE. There’s a Oneness between the Creator and the creation at various levels and to varied degrees of intensity. Pestering God doesn’t work. You might have had a coincidence or two where it “seemed” that’s what happened; however, that not how God works.

How close, how intimate do you want to BE?

It’s up to you. Free will you know! At least in this dimension!