Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Pray continually,

• 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

• Philippians 4:5-7

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

• 1 John 5:14

“I call upon Him in prayer. Often He might reply — I think He does reply — ‘But you have been evading me for hours.’ ”

• C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm, mostly on prayer

Oh, how I have often had that feeling in my life, that I have evaded God all day rather than talking with him throughout the day.

But I have another laundromat observation.

A few weeks ago, I had heard the song Need a Favor by Jelly Roll, while drying my laundry.  I also heard how Jelly Roll cussed all the time, and how he told his audience that he even cussed while praying.  But he did have a softer side.  Then I heard the song again a few weeks later, and the words sounded familiar, except for the cussing.  They sounded like the prayer of so many people.  “I only talk to God when I need a favor.  …  And God, I need a favor.”

But Need a Favor is a song collaborated by Rob and Joe Ragosta and Jason Deford.  Jason Deford is better known as Jelly Roll.  The song speaks volumes on the subject C. S. Lewis states in a single sentence.  We evade God until we need a favor.  And Jelly Roll sings, “And, God, I need a favor.”

He cusses his way through the song, but he speaks of the incongruity of the faith of most people.  Is God constantly on our minds? No.  Do we always keep our eyes on Jesus?  No.  But when we need a favor, we are in fervent prayer.

In his cussing, he asks why he is there (before God needing a favor). Why would God listen when he doesn’t pray unless he needs a favor and his old King James Bible is collecting dust on the nightstand?

As I have warned, the song uses a lot of cuss words.  The drama played out is a tearjerker also.  Viewer beware.

This song might not be sung at church, but maybe it should, just before the prayer of confession.  Too many times, the best of us neglects prayer.  Not many are like Martin Luther, who facing a busy day, woke up early to spend even more time in prayer than he normally did.  Martin Luther understood that hours of prayer are sometimes needed just to get you through a busy day.

And when all our days get busy these days, we need those prayers even more.

Are you hanging in there, just barely?  Or are you a prayer warrior.  Jesus wants a life-giving relationship with each of us, and that takes a lot of prayer.

I stumble my way through some days, probably because I did not start the day with enough prayer, but I look to God for my strength.  I need that each day.  We are not perfect  … not yet.  But when we have evaded God and then need a favor, we might be reluctant in praying.  Maybe God would not listen. …  He listens, but He misses us when we evade Him.

But the more time we spend with God, the better prepared we are for each day that comes.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.