Prayer vs. Action

[Mattie]

Several weeks ago, I found myself facing a perilous situation in which I was very frightened. Normally, my reaction in such circumstances is to immediately turn to God in prayer, and hope that things turn out for the best. However, in this particular situation I decided to very deliberately to not pray.

I have been constantly taught over the past five years that prayer is the key to success in any situation, and that only by reliance on God can I overcome the seemingly impossible. So naturally, when I made the decision to experiment with my own fate I felt like I was doing something terribly wrong. I felt like I was sinning, and taking control of my life away from God.

But something else happened too - with my eyes open, I could see the situation around me, evaluate the options and make a decision on my own. That decision turned out to be correct and favourable.

Now, still calling myself a Christian, I'm not sure how I feel about this. I've had several opportunities since the above scenario to depend only on myself, deliberately rejecting any thought of calling on help from on high. Some have turned out well, others not so well. Something, however, is clear: no matter the outcome, being alert and independent gives me the opportunity to experiment, adapt, and most importantly, learn from my mistakes, whereas having eyes closed and hands clasped renders me completely useless when action is needed.

I still believe that prayer can be beneficial to the mind and character of the individual praying. Taking time to focus one's thoughts and deeply consider one's needs and desires is quite a valuable thing to do. However, intercession is starting to appear of questionable value. Completely removing one's self from a situation and leaving the results up to "God's will" may indeed prove harmful in many circumstances.

I'm not sure where my faith is going. If I'm to take this more moderate view of prayer, then it may as well not be prayer at all - it becomes simply meditation. When intercession is taken out, prayer becomes self-reflection. Talking to God becomes talking to Myself.

Maybe that's what it's been all along.