An Alternative to Prayer
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray
and not lose heart. Luke 18:1
Here is an interesting article on prayer and worry by Lee McGlone.
Prayer.
Prayer is the alternative to worry. Instead of wringing our hands in a frenzy, we are to be busy at the great work of prayer. How glad I was, only a couple of months ago, when our liturgical dance team traveled to New York City and shared a word of hope in and around Ground Zero. When I watched the videotape of our young ladies reaching out to share the love of God in downtown firehouses, on street corners, with people in need, I was overwhelmed. They proclaimed the God of all comfort who comforts us in our affliction, who stands by us faithfully when the earth shakes and the mountains are cast into the sea. The video ended with these words from Jeremiah 31:13: “The young women will dance for joy. I will turn their mourning into laughter. I will give comfort—and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.” As the video ended, I cried. I cried because what I saw wasn’t about a performance; what I saw was a prayer. It was a bold declaration of grace and the all-sufficiency of God to heal our deepest wounds. And I thought, in a troubled world like this there really is hope, as long as there are young people like this who so boldly declare faith in God.
How often do we seek for an alternative to prayer? We do every time we choose to worry.
Pastor Greg
