Why Prayer is a Response to Isolation
This is a devotional meant for young adults seeking to become more like Jesus.
John 10:10
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”.
Prayer confounded me as a young believer.
Prayer confounded me as a young believer. Why would I confidently talk to someone if I knew I wouldn’t hear an audible voice. As I grew up, I learned to appreciate it as a discipline, as a time of quiet reflection and confession. Prayer works on more levels than I’ll be able to comprehend. I’m thankful for the ability to freely approach the Creator of the universe as I am.
And yet… when I received devastating news this past week, prayer fell to the bottom of my list.
Because of the current circumstance, prayer has became jarring. Even the proudest introverts are hitting their limit of solitude and crave personal interaction now. The silence in prayer can be mistakenly heard like the gong of rejection, denial, isolation. Then it occurred to me to question the inner critic speaking in my head. The enemy will use our past, our hurts, our hang ups to create a narrative that feels so real, it’s tempting enough to eat.
Even the proudest introverts are hitting their limit of solitude and crave personal interaction now. The silence in prayer can be mistakenly heard like the gong of rejection, denial, isolation.
When we have want the peace that comes from community, it’s easy to desperately grab at whatever promises a glimmer of ease and belonging. For me, during times where I feel vulnerable and alone, I want to shut down. I believe the lie that safety will secure more joy, not the Savior. I see this is a common story in the lives of my friends. Maybe its not safety for you, but money, or likes on a post, or another promotion.
This barren season becomes the opportune time for the enemy to distract from God’s promises in order to rob us of our peace, not restore it. Jesus makes this really clear in John 10:10; “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”.
We do not doubt prayer is good, but it does not offer the immediate satisfaction that our flesh so often desires.
But the time of what is gained equals its lasting impression. “Easy come, easy go,” as it is often quoted. All good things, like lasting community, trust, patience, joy, are acquired slowly. On a very basic level, prayer allows our hearts the time to catch up with what what we know is true. It forces us to recognize the Giver of all good things and that His timeline does not follow our own. It is better that way, too, because God doesn’t just meet us in the answer of our prayers; he meets with us in the requesting, the crying, the waiting.
So, while I preferred to hug my friends and grieve in their living room, I am so thankful for our phone call. I can joyfully press on because the Spirit was already there for He cares more than I’ll ever comprehend. The gift of prayer is a reminder of our fellowship with Him.