Wishy-washy Prayers

Is Prayer Worth It?

When you pray, what do you hope the outcome is? Maybe you’re praying for something specific, or about something that is happening soon. When you do, what do you hope happens next? Prayer is an interesting part of the Christian walk because regardless of what happens regarding what you prayed for, prayer is still worth doing. In the New Testament epistles, we are given some great examples of prayer, both how to do it and its purpose. And more often than not, the Bible isn’t too concerned with the outcome of prayer. Instead, Scripture points us towards the fruit of being a prayerful person, or, in other words, what comes out of a prayer filled life.

In this series, we’ll use the epistles to help us better understand how and why we pray. Whether or not what you pray for ends up how you wanted, it is worth to be a person who can’t help but pray.

3. Wishy-washy Prayers Verse: James 1:5-8 (cf. Mark 9:24; Hebrews 11:6) Big Idea: A wishy-washy prayer isn't really trusting the God it's talking to. Faith-filled prayer brings even your doubt to a God you're sure is good.

Introduction

ICEQ | Tell me about a time you just could not make up your mind

Series Summary

When you pray, what do you hope the outcome is? More often than not, the Bible isn’t too concerned with the outcome of prayer. Instead, Scripture points us towards the fruit of being a prayerful person, or, in other words, what comes out of a prayer filled life.

In this series, we’ll use the epistles to help us better understand how and why we pray. Whether or not what you pray for ends up how you wanted, it is worth to be a person who can’t help but pray.

Where We’re Going

The last two weeks, we've been re-thinking prayer through the epistles. We started with Paul, who thought he was giving God everything until God stopped him on the road, and on Straight Street he finally started praying to know God, not just to get an outcome. Then we talked about how prayer can quietly turn into idol worship when it's only "God, I need," instead of "God, you give me everything I need."

Tonight we're looking at a different way prayer goes sideways. What happens when you pray, but you're not even sure the God you're praying to is going to come through? James has a lot to say about the person who prays like that.

Introductory Questions

Before we do that, let’s talk about idols!

Q | Before we get to James, let's talk about making up our minds.

Q | When's a time you wavered on something, went back and forth and just couldn't land?

Q | Think of a character from a show or a movie who "jumped ship" the second things got hard. What did that do to how you saw them?

Q | How much do you trust someone who can't make up their mind?

Q | What makes a decision hard to make?

Getting Into The Text(s)

We've been saying prayer is really about knowing God. So here's a fair question: when we come to God and ask him for something, what does he actually want that to look like? James tells us.

Read James 1:5–8 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Think About It | James starts with a promise. If you lack wisdom, ask God, and he gives it generously, to anyone, without holding your past against you.

But then he adds a condition. And notice the condition isn't about how much wisdom you've earned or how good you've been.

Q | What's the one condition James puts on asking? What does "ask in faith, with no doubting" mean to you?\

Did You Catch That? | The doubter is a wave, driven and tossed by the wind. Never settled, never still.

And then the word that stings: double-minded. Unstable in all his ways.

Q | Why would James say a doubting prayer makes you unstable in everything, not just in your prayer life?

Here's the connection back to what we've been studying. James isn't talking about being indecisive at lunch. He's talking about asking God. That's prayer.

So the wavering he's describing isn't "I can't pick a side." It's "I'm not sure the God I'm praying to is really there, or really good."

Q | What are we actually saying about God when we pray like we don't expect him to answer?

If we go back a few verses, we see why James says this. Read James 1:2–4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Discussion

Let's name it. What does a wishy-washy prayer sound like out loud?

Q | Give me some real ones. What do these prayers actually sound like?

Point them toward the tags they'll see on the handout in a minute. "God, if you're even up there..." "I doubt this'll change anything, but..." "I mean, probably nothing will happen, but I'll pray anyway."

Q | Where do those come from? Is it disrespect, or is it something else?

Here's the part I don't want you to miss, because James can sound harsh.

The problem James is after isn't the person who brings their doubt to God. It's the person who lets their doubt keep them from really praying at all.

Q | What's the difference between honest doubt you bring to God, and doubt that keeps you from praying in the first place?

Activity

We're going to put this to work right now.

Introduce the handout: Prayer Diagnostics. Down the sheet are some wishy-washy prayers. Your job is to reword each one into something that actually trusts God. Not louder, not fancier. Just honest and sure of who's listening.

Then at the bottom there's a space that's just for you, no one's reading it: what's something you need to be praying for, but you haven't been?

Take time to work. Share the rewordings if the room's willing. Leave the bottom private.

Conclusion

Prayer is worth doing not because you get something out of it, but because your life depends on it.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–19 ESV

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.

Q | Why does Paul say you should pray?

Two to three sentence re-statement of the conclusion statement.

What should we walk away from these readings having understood?

How does it fit into our series?

How can we contemplate this throughout the week?