Thoughts are powerless.
Prayer is powerful.
Culture isn’t tired of us praying – they don’t even have a real understanding of how powerful prayer truly is (and sometimes I question whether the church at large fully understands, but that’s a conversation for another day). I think culture is just tired of seeing us fail to act on the things that God reveals to us in prayer.
They’re tired of seeing lawmakers fail to protect human life, unaware that the author of life Himself is just as heartbroken as they are. Our country has lumped God in with legislation, and I fear that we are now reaping the harvest we have sown.
He’s not political. He is holy. Set apart. The anti-politician, refusing to align with a single party.
And yet, still refusing to vacate the throne.
We don’t pray just because we feel powerless. We pray because He holds all power.
Our country has lumped God in with legislation, and I fear that we are now reaping the harvest we have sown.
This is not a defense of the “thoughts and prayers” terminology. Nor is it an attack on those who mock it. This is a call to action. A call to understanding. A call to know the God to whom we pray. And a call to engage in the one activity that can bring heaven to earth.
If we really want to see change, then “prayer” can no longer be a cultural buzzword. It has to be a biblical action word.
“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Scripture is full of promises, but they are contingent upon our response. Let’s break down the above scripture from 2 Chronicles. God promises to hear, forgive, and heal. Can we all agree that we need healing? Healing from our grief. Healing from our self-inflicted wounds. And healing from the evil brought into the world through sin.
We don’t pray just because we feel powerless. We pray because He holds all power.
But God can’t do that unless we do our part: humble ourselves and pray. Seek Him and repent. This tells me that impactful prayer begins with humility. We can’t walk around acting like we have all the answers as though we are exempt from unrighteousness, then pray for the Holy Spirit to come fill in the gaps of what we couldn’t do for ourselves.
That’s not prayer. That’s arrogance in the name of Jesus.
Jesus echoed this when He taught the disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” If Jesus – God in the flesh – begins His prayer by elevating God above Himself, above His requests, above His circumstances… then who are we to think we don’t need to do the same?
By the way, if you’re reading this, cheering yourself on, thinking of all the people in your world who need to humble themselves and repent, then you’re missing it. This isn’t about them. It’s about us. “If my people, who are called by my name…”
Don’t be mad when ungodly people behave in ungodly ways. Be angry when people who bear His name act in ways contradictory to God’s character.
If we really want to see change, then “prayer” can no longer be a cultural buzzword. It has to be a biblical action word.
You might be thinking, “Ok, but the Bible says we aren’t supposed to judge people, so what are we supposed to do when we see these things?”
At this point in our weekly conversations, I think you probably know how I feel about protecting the authenticity of Scripture, as if The Word needed any assistance from me. But quite honestly, I’m exhausted by the continual dismissal of biblical truth and wisdom as antiquated and anti-woke. I apologize for my frank delivery here, but…
…if that’s how you think of the Bible, then you simply don’t know Who you’re dealing with.
What are we supposed to do? My friend, it might be time to flip a temple table or two. We actually can call out our fellow Christians – the ones in legislation and the ones in the cubicle next door – when they behave in ungodly ways. That’s in the Bible (Matthew 7:17-23). Our instructions are not actually “Do not judge.” Our instructions are to judge correctly (John 7:24).
If something a brother or sister in Christ does is not God-honoring or is downright sinful, say something. Accountability is not judgment. It’s love.
Accountability is not judgment. It’s love.
Pray in faith. Act in love.
I love how you said, “This isn’t about them. It’s about us. “If my people, who are called by my name…” That’s so good!
I also love “Pray in faith. Act in love.”
Yes – we have to read scripture correctly or risk applying it incorrectly.
Love this, Kylie. I often think of that scripture in James. And the one that says that if you see someone without bread and tell them you will pray for them, but don’t give them bread, you’re missing the point. I wonder if God cries. I think He does, especially when people say there is nothing more to do. There are studies about decreasing gun violence. It often starts with community members having a designated person they can talk to when they see worrisome in someone. That person, a social worker, guidance counselor, someone like that, can talk with the individual. Find out what’s going.
And, of course, commonsense gun laws.
And as those openly pious legislators, who often remind me whitewashed sepulchers, they really need called out. They aren’t hard to identify. The evil one is a liar. So are his minions. AND the love of money really is the root of all evil. So, follow the money. Who is working for the disenfranchised? There’s not much money in that. But Jesus wasn’t rich. In money, that is.
Thank you for God-centered, thoughtful blogs.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I’m so grateful for opportunities like this where God’s people can encourage one another to recall the power of prayer for our broken world. 🫶🏼