Preparing in prayer
by Pastor Tim Castle-Schmidt
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Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray (James 5:13a).
Read James 5:13–20
How often don’t we pray in the rear-vision mirror? Something unexpected – even tragic – happens, and we turn to prayer.
And, yet, as we move through the liminal space of Advent – and, indeed, the liminal space between the resurrection and the new creation – we are invited to take every step in prayer.
What a privilege!
We are invited to bring our hopes and concerns to our Father through our Brother, confident we will be heard. We may not receive as we expect; however, be assured we will be heard.
This allows us to prepare in prayer and take every step with the confidence that Jesus is in our shoes with us.
And so, we can prepare in prayer; nothing is out of the question. An upcoming exam – prepare in prayer. An important meeting – prepare in prayer. Finding it hard to get out of bed – prepare in prayer.
Things won’t change immediately, but they will change. God promises to listen to the voice of his children.
So, rather than thinking of prayer as something done in the rear-vision mirror, take it with you in every moment.
That’s a small thing to do, but a Copernican Shift in your perspective. Suddenly, God is looking at things through your eyes, and you can glimpse things through God’s eyes.
Lord Jesus, the invitation to pray is remarkable in its simplicity yet profound in its effectiveness. Help me to take each step with you in mind today as I learn to prepare in prayer. Amen.
By his own admission, Tim Castle-Schmidt is a broken man. Broken in body, mind and spirit, he says he is learning that God is at work in and through human brokenness. He says that while God has not ‘fixed’ him, God continues to work through his brokenness to connect with the world. Tim is the Pastor of Nunawading–Waverley Lutheran Church in Melbourne. After spending many years as a teacher in Lutheran schools, he finally listened to God’s call to the pastoral ministry. Tim is passionate about social justice and engaging the church with contemporary society. Tim shares his life with Fiona, Miranda, and a Jack Russell called Otto.
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