March in Bangalore marks the beginning of the pre-monsoon season. The view from our balcony is a sight to behold. The sky looks like a different canvas each day – painted by the very hand of God. The weather is punctuated with sudden thunderstorms and shorts bursts of intense rainfall.
No matter how many times I’ve witnessed it, I cannot help but sneak a few moments to watch the sky from the warmth of our home. In those flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder, I am enveloped in an overwhelming sense of awe and humbled by the magnitude of God’s creation.
Last week, our family huddled by the large glass door in the living room to catch a glimpse of the first thunderstorm of the year.
Joseph (my eight-year-old), was yet to witness a bolt of lightning this year and waited by us – electric with anticipation. Although we scanned the sky again and again, we weren’t met with any sight of lightning.
Joseph decided this needed divine intervention – and insisted I join him.
Then, all at once, for a fleeting half-second, the night sky turned to day – lit spectacularly by a magnificent bolt of lightning. I turned to him wide-eyed. “Did you see that?!”
“Noooo..”
“How could you have possibly missed that?!”
“I was praying with my eyes closed.”
After we all had a good laugh at his expense, my husband asked him why his eyes were closed if he expected God to answer his prayer.
That question lingered with me.
It made me wonder how many things in life I tend to go through in the same manner – offering long prayers that I don’t expect to be answered. I know it sounds awful but many times I’ve prayed simply because it was the right thing to do – the only thing to do – the path I was taught to take and the “method” I’ve learned to practice. Turning to God is second nature to me, as it is to most of us. However, it is also second nature to us to pray without actively exercising our faith.
The Lord knows how prone we are to this weakness and Scripture speaks directly to this tendency. Hebrews 11:6 clearly states that “without faith it is impossible to please God”. And James 1:6-7 warns, “When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”
In essence, what the Word teaches us is that we ought to believe that all prayer must be made with the confidence that God, who gives generously, will answer. So, I ask you, dear friend – if you truly believe that the Lord will help you overcome, would your burden not feel far lighter? Would the load not seem far easier to carry once you have placed it in His hands? And yet, we often hesitate to hand over our burdens – we fear it will not be doted upon as much as we do. We try to convince ourselves that worrying about something will inherently make it better – more manageable – almost creating a sense of control.
This tendency reminds me of the story I read as a young girl.
An old lady, carrying a heavy bundle of firewood on her head, set out on a long walk to the neighbouring village. She started out strong but got very tired even before she had travelled half way. As she trudged along, a farmer passed by on a bullock cart. When the farmer saw the struggling old lady, he took pity on her and offered to give her a ride.
Gratefully, the lady accepted.
She climbed on to the cart and took her seat. After some distance, the farmer heard her grunt and sigh and turned to check on her. To his astonishment, he saw her sitting upright with the pile of sticks on her head. In disbelief, he enquired about her behaviour to which she replied, “You were kind enough to let me ride on your cart. I didn’t want to impose by setting my load on it as well.”
Dear friend, as unreasonable as the old lady’s actions might seem, we tend to do the same thing with the Lord. We go to Him with our troubles and failures – addictions and patterns we cannot seem to overcome. However, we do not really allow him to take our burden – we do not fully release them into His hands. We hesitate to let him take charge and we struggle to believe the answer is on its way. The Lord invites us to come, to rest, to lay our burdens at His feet – and yet we continue to carry them.
Walking in faith isn’t merely about praying – it’s believing that the answer has already been set in motion. It is choosing to walk in victory even before we see the breakthrough. When we live this way, our perception shifts. The heaviness lifts away. We feel empowered by an unusual strength. What once felt overwhelming begins to lose its hold.
We move from weariness to strength, from doubt to confidence, from feeling burdened to living a fruitful life in the quiet assurance of victory. For when we truly trust in Him, when we lay our burdens down and leave them there, we begin to walk not as those still waiting, but as those who have already received.
The hymn written by Joseph Scriven comes to mind: What a Friend We Have In Jesus. Oh, what peace we often forfeit, what needless pain we bear when we neglect to turn over our fears and worries to the One who holds our future in His hands. But when we take it to Him in prayer, He will meet us in our despair and we will find solace in His presence.
Dear friend, true freedom flows from a deep and abiding relationship with the Lord. Victory comes from knowing who God says you are and walking in it confidently and freely.
Go forth – not as one waiting for an answer – but as one who already carries the victory.