There are so many serious issues that require our prayerful attention. Taking them to God in prayer is not only what the hymn suggests, but a sound, biblical idea. The kicker is this, we either come to God believing that he can handle it, or we don’t. We either believe that no matter how bad things are, God is good or we don’t. We either have confidence that we are conquerors in Christ and that He supremely conquers or we don’t. If the first half of each of those thoughts is true, which it seems to me to be the only viable motivation to pray at all (guilt is not a good motivation), then our prayer must be filled with signs of encouragement in prayer.
Reading the Psalms, it is hard to escape the reality that no matter how hard, disappointing, and evil filled the circumstance, the Psalmist somehow landed on his feet. He invariably concluded that God is his sure answer. Prayer seemed to be more upbeat than downbeat. The Psalmist preceded the prayer sandwich mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always! Pray without ceasing! Give thanks in all circumstances . . . .” Three thoughts: three superlatives. Joy and thanksgiving surround prayer. It is the only way to pray. It is upbeat, hopeful, expectant and faith-filled. The subject matter of our prayer can be hard. But, the trust behind the prayer should not be. I am convinced that perseverance, frequency and intimacy in prayer are never achieved by the doubting and dour. Prayer is not sustainable like that. However, I am convinced that they are often achieved by the joyful and thankful.