God and the prayers we’ve lost the hope to pray

It was a heartbreaking situation. Worst of all, Mark could do nothing to bring peace to the fractured relationships, shattered under the weight of harsh words and troubles he couldn’t fix. “All” he could do was pray. So he did, again and again. Then one day he made a note of his prayer in the margin of his Bible; a record of his longing for God to act. Eventually, he prayed about the problem less often. What was the point? The chance of anything resolving became more remote with time. Other things took precedence and the hope faded, and with it the prayers.

I wonder of Elizabeth and Zechariah were like that? The years marched on, and her child-bearing years waned. Did Zechariah comfort his weeping wife, holding her gently and promising his love would be enough, knowing it was not? Did prayers fade in the reality of hopelessness?

Mark lost the hope to pray and so, in time, he didn’t. Years later, he came across the note in the margin. The Bible tumbled to his lap. God had answered that forgotten prayer though it had taken years. Gentleness and grace had replaced acrimony in the hearts involved. He had been aware of the change; it was impossible not to be. Yet somehow, he had not connected the resolution of the situation with God’s answer to his desperate prayer. He had failed to keep praying but God had not failed to act. A faithful God answered the prayer he had lost hope to pray.

Today we read the story of an elderly couple’s joy. We remember stories of Hannah, the rescues of God’s people in Egypt, in the desert, and in captivity. We remember that our agendas do not limit God. Even our hopelessness does not limit God’s resolve to bring reconciliation in a broken world. In God’s grace and time, the great plan of redemption works out in unexpected ways in the lives of ordinary people. Ours is to be faithful. The prayers keep our hope alive, not the other way around. Ours is to trust that the unseen hand of God is working, to notice God’s grace in action, and like Zechariah and Elizabeth, sing songs of praise and thanksgiving.
(See Lent for Everyone, N.T.Wright Pg.3: Luke 1:57-80,) #NTWright#Lent#Morningmusings