I Fall On My Knees

Last Sunday, Fr. David spoke about how God desires for us to pray and to ask Him for things. "Ask, and it will be given you;" "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things which you have not known" (Jer 33:3). God has told us how to speak to Him and promises to give good gifts to those who ask them of Him.

In his sermon, Fr. David focused on how the most profound encounters with God occur in the midst of difficulty. It can't be found in the world, in material things, or in triumphs, but in the places God longs to search us out -- broken and on our knees. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise" (Ps 51:17).

We all know the story of the footprints in the sand: a man is looking back at his life as two sets of footprints. One belongs to himself, and the other to God. Most of the time, the record in the sand shows that the man and God walked side by side. But the man notices that during the most difficult periods of his life, there is only one set of footprints. The man is angry and demands to know why God abandoned him during the times he needed Him the most. God replies: "No, my son, it was then, during those times, that I carried you."

Although this story may be a bit of a cliche by now, it does capture the truth that God is profoundly with us in our suffering. The constant companionship of the LORD's path next to ours reminds us that God wants us to ask things of Him, that He's never too far away to hear us.

However, I'm not sure that God wants us to always be down on our knees, fearful, grovelling, or desperate. I think sometimes God wants us on our feet, praising Him: "Hallowed be Thy Name!" Maybe that's the time it's most important to pray, the time when we feel fortunate. We can ask for what's truly important most easily when all our other needs have been satisfied -- that Christ may find a dwelling place of faith in our hearts.