“Lord you know I’m not a praying man.”
That’s how it starts in the old movies any way.
The main character, usually a cowboy, or perhaps a cop
Is a man of action; he does things.
He doesn’t have time for womanly things like prayer
Except for just now
When nothing else seems to work,
When all the others have gone away,
When the skills and plans where he put his trust
Have split in two like rotten floorboards.

Now, he’s ready to give it a try.

“Here I am Lord. I’m at your place of business
and I know, I ain’t got no business here.
But you said if I ever got so low I was busted
You could be trusted”*
And in the movies, God always comes through.
The hero says, “Thank you Lord” with a smile
And goes back to being what he was before.

Truth be told, unless you are a praying man
Unless you are a person of faith
You wouldn’t come near to God at all.
The scripture says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God
Because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists
And that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”**

And yet even as a Christian
I often can’t seem to reach that high.
It’s especially so when I am in pain
I cocoon deep within myself; my eyes turn inward
And seek what comfort I can create.
I do not look to God for help
For God is just another burden,
An overwhelming responsibility
That I am too weak and tired to carry.

“When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you;
You hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
And afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart
And my portion forever.” ***

And so I will pray.
I pray and God will hear my voice.
I pray and things begin to change.
I pray and the searing sun stops in its place.
I pray and the world turns around.
I pray and you change me.
Thank you Lord.

* Lyrics of “Some Folk’s Lives” by Paul Simon
** Hebrews 11:6
*** Psalm 73:21~26