Some treat prayer as

a crutch. “When you can’t stand on your own two feet, lean on God.” Others see prayer as a last resort. “Well I guess there’s nothing else we can do but pray.” For me, prayer is also a means of celebration. “Thank you, God. Praise God! To God be the glory, great things God has done.”

Henri Nouwen, a modern theologian, calls prayer an adventure with God. “This new relationship (with God) is greater than we are and defies all our calculations and predictions. The movement from illusion to prayer is hard to make since it leads us from false certainties to true uncertainties, from an easy imagined support system to a risky surrender.” (p. 34, The Only necessary Thing)

We may think we know the best way to fix the problem. We may think we are talking with God about the only possible paths ahead. Bottom line – When we truly pray, our shopping list of demands, requests, pleadings are put aside. We surrender. We wait upon the Lord.

The problem with this kind of prayer is that God’s response can be perplexing, beyond comprehension, lead us down a totally new path, make even greater demands, and even give us cause for an explosion of celebration. True prayer, true submission to God, is an adventure. Isaiah said, “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall rise up on wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

We don’t have to live as if we’re hanging onto a rope over a deep ravine, praying for rescue in a particular way. We can join life’s adventure with God. We can give up putting limitations on God and let go of control. God is as limitless as outer space with its endless galaxies. We can live prepared for God’s surprises. We don’t have to be careful what we pray for, because we can trust in God’s endless love.