“I Want to be a Baby”
Bonnie, our two-and-a-half year old granddaughter, who is usually determined to keep up with her 5 older siblings and twin brother, was in our back yard playing in the snow. She wanted something and started crying and complaining. Grandpa Jack started explaining that big girls talk and say what they want and don’t need to scream and cry. He continued to explain to her that babies cry to get their way. He asked, “Don’t you want to be a big girl?” She looked up at grandpa and firmly stated, “I want to be a baby.”
We all laughed, but then a little later, I was contemplating the many tumultuous situations occurring in our world and feeling a little overwhelmed with it all. I saw I had the same choice of crying and complaining or choosing to use my voice.
It is easy to get discouraged with what we are seeing in the newsfeed concerning our nation or other nations or by what we are encountering closer to home. In each case we too have a choice like Bonnie. We can exercise our voice to seek the Lord and make requests, declare His purposes, release wisdom, or to advocate for the hurting.
In contrast, when things seem uncertain or desperate, we can also step into a place of avoidance. We can just choose to put our head in the sand and avoid any responsibility or involvement. Many of us have well-worn paths to our place of avoidance. As Alicia Britt Chole states in 40 Days of Decrease, “Uncertainty is quite revealing. The unknown triggers different reactions in different hearts and exposes our souls’ defaults. Ambiguity reveals where we instinctively go to feel the illusion of security again. In response to a yet-unnamed but imminent storm, some hide, some run, some live in denial, some escape into fictional worlds, some feast and some stake out their territory.”
When Jesus brought up the topic of His death and resurrection again with His disciples, he spoke “…the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.” (Mark 10:33-34 NKJV) I am sure the disciples felt great concern for Jesus, but also probably felt concerned and uncertain about their own future. It’s interesting to see James and John’s response in verses 35-38. First they come to Him and say, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.” Doesn’t that sound like a little child, “Mom, will you say yes to what I’m going to ask you.” I am kind of scared to ask so I am going to try to control your answer before I ask. In the face of uncertainty, many times people try to control what they can. James and John couldn’t control what was going to happen to Jesus or themselves, so they asked if they could sit “one on your right and the other on your left in your glory.” They sought as much security as they could by asking to be near him when all the dust settled.
As intercessors, it is vital that we acknowledge our feelings about what is going on, but we don’t want to step into a place of control or a place of avoidance. If you are facing a difficult personal situation, there can be great pain as you focus on a problem to pray about it. It’s difficult, but we have to acknowledge these feelings. We also may need to repent of wanting to control things or people. Admitting we want to head down that path of avoidance, may prevent us from taking that fruitless trip. We can acknowledge the temptation we face to just want to be a baby like Bonnie and let someone else take care of it. It is a choice, by the grace of God, to step up and use our voices as the Lord leads us.
The Psalmist in Psalm 131 states,
God, I’m not trying to rule the roost,
I don’t want to be king of the mountain.
I haven’t meddled where I have no business
or fantasized grandiose plans.
I’ve kept my feet on the ground,
I’ve cultivated a quiet heart.
Like a baby content in its mother’s arms,
my soul is a baby content. Ps. 131:2-3 MSG.
When we position ourselves in a place of contentment, we’re not trying to hear in the midst of chaos and turmoil. We’ve quieted our hearts so we can press into the Lord, to seek Him as to our role in these tumultuous times. We don’t immediately go to war saying all the prayers we can think of, but from a place of calm we listen to get into agreement with what the Lord is saying over the situation.
We acknowledge that we are tempted to walk down these avoidance trails, but in this critical season we are going to press into Jesus in the uncertainty and trust Holy Spirit to guide us into what the Lord desires or requires of us.
I find it helpful to rehearse the faithfulness of the Lord in my life and in others’ lives. Rehearse his faithfulness to your family, your church, your city, and your nation. Recite His faithfulness until you sense faith arising and then declare the Lord’s faithfulness and your trust in Him.
Next, seek the truth concerning what you are feeling overwhelmed about. You might do this by waiting on the Lord and hearing His perspective. You might do research to see if the report that has upset you is accurate. Talk to trusted people who might have more information. Listen to others who are praying. What are their prayer strategies?
You may still not have all the answers you desire, but you can embrace the mystery and press into the One who knows all. Mystery is part of this walk with Jesus. When we encounter mystery, it is an ideal time to press back into Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Our prayers may be a simple, “I trust you, Lord. I’m not sure what you are doing in this season, but I choose to trust you. Show me how to pray.”
Whether your assignment is praying for a nation across the globe or a person in your own family, be courageous and resolve to be bold and partner with the Lord in these strategic times.