“When I fail to pray . . . I forfeit my spiritual potential. But when I pray, the best I can do is no longer the best I can do. The best I can do is the best God can do. And He is able to do immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Prayer is one way we overcome the assumptions and escape our space-time limitations.”- Mark Batterson
“Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him.”- Genesis 21:1-3 (NIV)
Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 4 of Wild Goose Chase as he reminds us that God doesn’t always answer our prayers how or when we want Him to. Yet, we need to live our life with this fundamental conviction: God is able.
Certainly, Pastor Batterson observes, the twenty-five years Abraham and Sarah waited for God to fulfill His promise must have felt like an eternity. In addition, they likely experienced spiritual confusion and emotional exhaustion. Perhaps, Mark posits, Abraham and Sarah even lost some of their laughter. Because it is hard to laugh in the midst of deep sadness that never leaves.
Finally, Mark refers to Abraham as the patron saint of Wild Goose chases. By faith he ventured into the unknown, leaving behind his family, home, and assumptions. And medieval cartographers used a Latin phrase to describe such a journey into the unknown: terra incognita. In conclusion, Mark applies this to Wild Goose chases:
“The Wild Goose is always calling us into terra incognita. That is where adventure is found. But you have to come out of the cage of your assumptions. You have to be willing to go somewhere you’ve never been or do something you’ve never done. And if you have the faith to take the first step, God will have the last laugh.”
Today’s question: How does failure to pray cause you to forfeit spiritual potential? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Beyond the reach of grace? Never!”
