From the Coach's Desk - January 2025

C.S. Lewis once said that the prayer preceding all prayers is “May it be the real I who speaks.  May it be the real Thou that I speak to.”  In the following poem, entitled “Prayer,” Lewis peeks into what prayer looks like.  

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Master, they say that when I seem

To be in speech with you,

Since you make no replies, it’s all a dream —One talker aping two. 

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They are half right, but not as they  

Imagine; rather, I

Seek in myself the things I meant to say,

And lo! The wells are dry.

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Then, seeing me empty, you forsake 

The Listener’s role, and through

My dead lips breathe and into utterance wake

The thoughts I never knew. 

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And thus you neither need reply

Nor can; thus, while we seem

Two talking, thou are One forever, and I 

No dreamer, but thy dream.

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This poem illustrates the fascinating truth that in prayer, we are not the only ones praying! Prayer places before us a God who not only hears but also speaks on our behalf.  Remember what Paul said in Romans 8:26: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”  (Romans 8:26). 

All our Preaching Coach podcasts for January will be focused on prayer! It’s the best way I know to start the new year!

So in 2025, pray…when you know what to say…and trust the Holy Spirit to pray through you when you don’t. 

David L. Allen