The Agonies of Needing Prayer

I hate asking people to pray for me. Scratch that. I hate asking people for specific prayers for me. I don't care who it is. Friends, family, or anyone else. I hate to do it.

I know, I know. You're wondering why. If you're someone that has ever asked others for prayer on your behalf, the answer is obvious. I've found that whenever I've requested prayers about something really important to me, it inevitably has to go through some sort of scrutiny by those being approached. People always feel the need to tell you about what a long shot your request is or how you need to be prepared for God to say "No" or any other nuggets of advice and wisdom that seem to serve no purpose other than to take the wind out of your sails.

How is that helpful?! I don't need that. Doubt is not a commodity that I have in short supply. I need encouragement and support. I need a reason to believe that God will bless me if I'm persistent. I need to know that when I pray that it isn't some pointless gesture that does nothing. How is any of this being accomplished through the "advice" offered?

I think people tend to forget the vulnerability that comes with asking for prayer. When you make that request, you're opening yourself up to another person. You're letting them know your fears, desires, insecurities, flaws, and ambitions. That's a lot of trust being extended toward another individual. Anything that rings as a dismissal from them can also be read as them not taking your request seriously. It trivializes your needs and wants. It treats your confidence flippantly.

That's not to say that I think people intend harm in their words. Most of the time they're just trying to protect you. In some cases, we'll know that a request runs counter to God's nature or His commands. That can be dicey territory and becomes a balancing act between showing love by prayer and love by speaking truth. In my own experiences, I find it best to just give assurance that you are praying for them and leave it at that. Let the details remain between you and God.

This issue has been on my mind for the last few months. I have my prayer... project, I guess you could call it. I made an attempt to reach out to my parents. I was vague on the details because I had a feeling that the scrutiny and advice were coming. Yup. I called it. Dad advised me to focus on asking God what He wants from me. That's great advice. It's also not mutually exclusive to my prayer request. I find it exasperating to be given advice that ends up making me feel bad for going to God when we're instructed to pray about anything and everything. So I've given up on going to my parents when it comes to prayer requests relating specifically to myself. It's unfortunate but I'm guessing it's not that unusual.

I know that by posting this blog entry that I'm just asking for the unwanted replies from the counsel brigade. But maybe you go through the same agonies of needing prayer. Sometimes it's good to know that you're not the only one that has to deal with it. If anything, use this knowledge so you can be the type of person that you've needed for prayer and not the one that lets you down.

-L. Travis Hoffman

3/27/2018