The long weekend allowed me to lean into the haze of a good cigar and the friendship of a brother in Christ. (During our herf, this same fella said, “The Bible is awesome when you read it like an actual instruction manual for your life.” Ya, that’s another series coming to this website soon.)
Amid bellowing clouds of first-, second-, and third-hand tobacco smoke (I miss Rush, too. We sure need his voice today.), we lamented recent horrors – specifically the tragic shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church. Two children were mown down during Mass, a place that should have been the safest room in the world.
Then there’s the political theater freak-show that always follows. The predictable calls for gun control? Sure, leave mental illness unexamined, and voila – political virtue signal achieved. But this time, the screaming from the left took a uniquely demonic turn: nobody talks about mental health or the shooter’s trans identity anymore – Gavin Newsom and Jen Psaki are now targeting prayer itself. That’s Romans 1 on display: humanity worshiping the created rather than the Creator, tearing down any spiritual lifeline.
Psaki posted, bluntly, “Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers do not end school shootings. Prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers.”
Newsom, not to be outdone, scoffed at sanctimonious “thoughts and prayers,” reminding us that those very kids were literally praying as they got shot at.
When society starts cursing prayer, that’s our cue to drop to our knees harder. Because Romans 1 isn’t just political jargon, it’s a diagnosis: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie…” (Romans 1:25). Which means in times like this, we need spiritual surgery on our knees, not on legislation alone.
The Struggle of the Average Joe
Been born again nearly 30 years now, but talking to the Creator of the universe still trips me up. That’s why I titled this “So, You’re Bad at Prayer. Welcome to the Club.” We’re not painting ourselves open-hearts and eloquent phrases. We’re fumbling in traffic jams of “God, help?” and “Thank You – uh, fix this too.”
Romans 8:26 gives us a divine permission slip: “The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Even when we’re tongue-tied, Heaven’s got auto-correct – no, wait, scratch that – scripture’s got it covered. (Mixed metaphor, but you get it.)
So yeah, your formless prayer, your whispered mess of a “thank You” while you’re pulling out of the driveway – that counts. Your silent stare at the ceiling in fear counts. Presence, not prose. You don’t need Hebrew fluency; you need to show up.
Scripture Speaks Louder Than Politics
Let’s anchor ourselves in a few verses:
- “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” – James 4:8. Tomorrow, I’ll begin writing a whole series of articles on drawing near to God (again, something I have struggled with), and that’s the series anchor verse, and it doesn’t come with a footnote: God shows up when you do.
- “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:7. Yes, even anxieties about evil politics, evil people, and evil suffering.
- “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” – James 5:16. Doesn’t say only if the prayer is perfect. Says righteous people praying – messiness included – hits its mark. (But I am far from righteous! Ya, we’re not, but He is, and I’ll be writing about that, too.)
So What Do We Do Now?
- Pray, plain and simple. Not because it magically fixes everything. Because God is not mockable, and our society’s sneering at prayer just shows how afraid they are of what it can do.
- Be honest – in your prayers, your fellowship, your newsletter. Admit that you flinch when you face the Almighty. That you don’t know what to say. That you’re tired.
- Lean on Holy Spirit translation, per Romans 8:26. When you’re out of words, He steps in.
- Let prayer lead to action – but not instead of it. Our church canonically says, “action without prayer is presumption; prayer without action is hypocrisy.” Pray and act.
- Remember who you are: Average Joe. But average Joe with a Savior who hears, who answers, who draws near even when we’re fumbling.
My Bottom Line
So maybe you’re not a prayer warrior with dramatic pauses. You’re an Average Joe who whispers “help” and wonders if God is even paying attention. He is. And when jerks like Psaki and Newsom dismiss prayer – in effect telling you your spiritual lifeline is worthless – that’s our cue to pull harder on the rope.
The One we pray to didn’t send His Son just so we could “think” our way out of darkness. He came to be in it with us. He came to the dark pews. He came to carry us when we can’t carry ourselves.
Average Joe, here’s your reality: you can’t talk like a theologian, but He hears you like a Father. Keep praying. Keep drawing near. And watch – He’ll show up. Always does.
