Something serious had happened. A woman in her twenties was on a call, walking quickly and speaking urgently. Phone in hand, headphones connected, she declared loudly, “WE MUST PRAY!”. It was the only logical and sensible advice she could give her friend. Whatever they were facing, prayer was the answer. She didn’t suddenly lower her voice in hushed solemnitude or opt to send the praying hands emoji. She was full of faith. It was a battle cry.
For me, it was a jolt. Faith in the public square! What boldness! Revival! But. Wasn’t she a bit loud? A little overly expressive? Does she really believe that, or was she just saying it?
I’m a Londoner, and unfortunately, cynicism is the air I have been breathing since birth. “Cynicism is the God of the thinking person”, said one pastor, and it often masquerades as discernment or a ‘healthy’ mistrust of people as it unpicks motives and dissects even a genuine smile. Of course, there are times when we ought to exercise significant caution and wisdom. Many of us have listened to The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast, experienced the disappointment of those we should have been able to trust, or faced real pain that remains hard to fully understand.
The cynic, however, has allowed negativity and suspicion to become chronic, so much so that it distorts his view of God's character and paralyses his prayer life. Yes, we need to acknowledge what is truly broken about our world. Yes, the devasting effects of sin have infiltrated our hearts, our relationships and all of creation. But the Christian also knows that on the other side of brokenness is a real, solid, grounded hope. We have a Father who is more trustworthy than we can comprehend and the wonderful hope of redemption through Christ.
“The opposite of a childlike spirit is a cynical spirit” (Paul E. Miller). In Scripture, we are repeatedly reminded about how much Jesus loves children. Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18). I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children (Luke 10). What is it to have a childlike spirit? A child is full of wonder and curiosity, not anxious about societal power dynamics or insincere motives. He knows he is pretty helpless and isn't ashamed of it. He also believes that his daddy is good and trustworthy, and is happy to rest in his embrace. This is the posture we are called to as we pray.
In our family, we’ve started declaring “WE MUST PRAY!” for the smallest things. Partly as a joke, but partly as a jolt out of cynicism. Brothers and sisters, let’s not confuse intelligence for cynicism, or childlike trust for naivety. Join me in repenting of cynicism and enjoying the wonderful hope of the gospel.
Some practical suggestions for journeying out of cynicism:
Go to bed. Sleep-deprived people struggle to pray and are more negative about most things
Read A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller. I can’t recommend it enough, and this email was inspired by it
Redeem the prayer hands emoji 🙏 by only sending it when you actually pray
Swap city breaks for forest breaks. Let the creativity of God move you to awe and prayer
Note down short notes every few days where God is showing you glimpses of his goodness, his work in the world, and how he is renewing all things
Spend time meditating on Psalm 91