Powerlessness and Prayer

I felt somewhat desperate about a couple of situations this past week. I was not stressing, so much as distressing, because there was absolutely nothing I could do. I was powerless. And so I prayed.

I don't know what it is about prayer that it becomes my last resort. I should pray. All along, in between, and at the end, when I feel powerless, I should pray. And yet that point of powerlessness is what most often brings me to my knees.

Someone asked me how I was processing the deep sorrow of these situations. I responded that I was thankful that my mom taught me the power of prayer. And therein lies the rub. I know that prayer works. I know the power of it, and yet I don't always call on God first.

Praying about my powerless situations provides solace. It provides peace. It didn't necessarily change anything, and it might not ever. But it helps me know that I have agency to do something. And that changes me. Now if God can only change my heart so that I more readily come to him first, rather than last. It is when I forget the truth of God's power that I am truly powerless, because without Him, and access to Him through the power of prayer, I truly am nothing!