Sometimes the Devil Loves It When You Pray

By Rev. Harrison Goodman

Paul tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Luther writes that prayer chases away the devil who cannot abide where God’s name is called upon. Sounds great. So who would have a problem with prayer? The truth is, pretty much everyone who’s ever actually tried it. The very needs that drive you to pray put you face to face with the giant contrast between all the things God promised and what the world actually looks like.

Who could have a problem with prayer? Bitter ex-Christians who think it’s a joke. Heartbroken Christians who tried it and failed. “God, let me be healed. Let me quit this stupid awful vice. What’s wrong with me?” Christians burdened by the weight of having to pretend to be happy in the worst moments of their lives, desperate to find some positive spin. “God, I just want to thank you for this beautiful sunshine while I bury my love. You did great today. I’m so happy with this horrible suffering and loss. Let this fake smile that nobody believes shine as a light to others about how great thou art. Amen.” Sometimes the devil loves it when you pray.

That’s because you’re doing it wrong. Jesus says there’s actually a wrong way to pray. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:7). That means be honest, not empty. Are you really fooling God by pretending to be happy when you’re furious with Him for letting you down? He’s God. He already knows. You’re only lying to yourself. Stop. Those are empty words. Just tell Him what you need.

We hate being truly honest because such prayers can sound angry, ungrateful, and full of doubt. They make us look like the sinners we are. We’re afraid God won’t listen to those prayers—at least, not unless we sweeten the pot.

The devil loves it when we try to bribe God. “God, I promise, I’ll do anything. I’ll quit this sin. I’ll give you money, time, whatever you want from me. Just listen. Not for the sake of your love, your Son, or your promises to me, but because of what I can do.” The problem with a bribe isn’t just that we actually can’t hold up our end of the deal, it’s that it drives us farther from Christ, who already paid for our access to God with His blood. We don’t need to bribe God if the price was already paid. Prayer apart from Christ crucified is always going to be like dealing with a shady used car salesman. It becomes the worst kind of transaction where you come away feeling dirty and pretty sure you just got ripped off.

If you can’t trust God to keep His promises, then you can’t trust the ways He’s promised to work, either. The devil’s favorite prayers are those that show we are only willing to accept a God who works apart from His normal means. “God, I want to be loved, but not by the people you’ve given me. I want stuff, but it has to feel special so it can’t come from something as boring as a paycheck from a job you’ve given me. I want to feel better about myself, but I don’t want that from your Word and Sacraments you’ve given me.” Those prayers are doomed to fail because God never promised to work that way. If your prayers are going to be made of lies, bribes, or demands for an answer outside of how God works, you can be sure the devil says amen with you.

Jesus prays differently. “Our Father who art in heaven...” It doesn’t matter how many words are in your prayer, or how heartfelt it is, or what you bring to the table. It matters who your God is. It is just like we read in the Small Catechism: “God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.”

God is your Father. That’s enough. You’re baptized. You’re God’s child now. God takes care of His kids. In Baptism, you are united with Christ in His death and in His resurrection. Pray in light of your Baptism. See that God actually wants to give you more than just nice stuff until you die. Pray as your Father’s child.

Be honest. Sound brash and angry. Your God prayed that way for you. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” No polite, forced smile. No empty words. Jesus prayed in pain and anger for you as He bore your sin. This cross makes sinners righteous, and it sanctifies their prayers, too. Every “awful” sounding prayer is cleansed by the blood paid for you. Jesus prayed for you on the cross, and then He cried, “It is finished,” and died for you.

Godly prayer looks like death, yet it gives way to life. Pray from here. God drags us from heartbreak, anger, despair, and even death to resurrection. Not someday. Every single day. That’s Baptism. Daily we die with Christ. Daily, He raises us up. Daily we are tied to His cross. Daily, His resurrection. Every day, heap every bit of anger, fear, doubt, and sin upon Him. Every day He unites you with victory. Pray from here.

Prayer is about comfort. Pray without ceasing isn’t an obligation to put on a happy face. It’s a promise. God has already worked. He has given you salvation. You are baptized. He will bring you with His Son through death and into life. The rest? The right now? The stuff of this world? Be honest. But know that You are God’s child. Look to the means by which He does it. He saved you by means of a cross. He delivered you by means of your Baptism. Even now, He’ll care for you by the means He works here. Then see that this world isn’t everything. It doesn’t need to be. God has something bigger in mind for you. You have a Father who is in heaven.

Rev. Harrison Goodman serves as pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Carroll, Nebraska. He taught a sectional on this subject at the Montana conference this summer.