What to Pray When Your Whole Life Feels Out of Control

What to Pray When Your Whole Life Feels Out of Control

Posted on by Michele Morin

If your kids and grandkids haven’t already gone back to school and if the retail merchandising freight train hasn’t already whisked you into Halloween and Christmas, the imminent arrival of Labor Day weekend and the month of September have likely put you on notice that summer is coming to an end.

Maybe you’ve spent your summer months canning garden veggies, taking your family to the beach, and scheduling weekly hikes on vertical trails. For you, Labor Day means a return to sanity and structure.

But maybe for you, summertime means “the livin’ is easy” and you dread turning in your hammock for a routine. For you, “back to school” feels more like back to jail.

Living Through Jarring Times

Change, even when it’s welcome and needed, can be jarring, and no one knew this better than the Old Testament prophet Daniel. His prophetic ministry spanned the reigns of four kings, and his world was characterized by idolatry, political shenanigans, and religious persecution the likes of which we’ve never experienced here in North America. Even so, Daniel persevered in rhythms of righteousness.

In fact, Daniel’s habits of holiness caught the attention of his enemies, and, lacking any other way of condemning him, they found a way to criminalize his faith. Even though it meant facing hungry lions, rather than going underground with his faith practices, Daniel’s behavior mirrored the measured precision of a man who knew his world was under the careful control of a wise, all-powerful, loving God.

And that’s not even the climax of the story! The pagan king who sentenced Daniel to the lion’s den was astonished that Daniel’s God had protected him. The content of the decree that tumbled from his lips has all the makings of a psalm, and it provides for you and me the makings of a prayer to the One who overrules chaos with careful control:

In all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.”

Daniel 6:26-27

All along, presiding over all Daniel’s trouble, there was a God of glorious wisdom and grace. When he stepped down into the lion’s den, Daniel had no way of knowing that he wasn’t destined to be cat food, and neither did King Darius.

Let’s rewrite the king’s decree as our own proclamation of faith in the form of a prayer for when your whole life feels out of control:

“Lord, I want to fear you more than I fear the chaos around me and the circumstances that seem always to be beyond my control. Help me to bring what I know about your divine attributes into the days ahead and to face every change knowing that you endure forever, to live in stability and rock-solid trust because your kingdom is unshakeable, and to cast all my worry over onto you because you deliver and you rescue.”

When life doesn’t make sense, when you have run of out patience or strength or answers for what’s ahead, remember that, like Daniel, you can rest in the reality of God’s majesty. He sees through the haze, and his will for you will certainly be accomplished for his glory and for your good.

When life doesn’t make sense, when you have run of out patience or answers for what’s ahead, rest in the reality that God sees through the haze, and his will for you will certainly be accomplished for his glory and for your good.

And Now, Let’s Talk Books…

I have to admit that I had no intention of reading this book. What little I had heard about the Southern Baptist kerfuffle was already just too much. I also knew that the author, Russell Moore, had been treated badly by his own people, and I didn’t want to be reminded of that old quote about Christians being the only army that shoots their own wounded.

But I kept hearing about Losing Our Religion, and the interviews and reviews convinced me that it would be worth it to step up and read about one man’s collision with the conservative, evangelical machine.

In an era of rampant deconstruction, it was a relief to read that Moore had successfully untangled his Baptist roots from his identity as a child of God. He affirms, as the title implies, “I was not losing my faith, but I was losing my religion.” Sadly, the word “religion” for Moore had become larded through and through with an abundance of politics and weighed down with cultural baggage that has nothing to do with the biblical mission of the Church.

I found all of this to be jarring, and, while I can’t say that I enjoyed reading the book, I can report that I profited from it. Evangelicals, those who “believe in the God who justifies the ungodly,” will find in Moore’s story a cautionary tale, for we are distractible creatures, praying for stones and serpents and then wondering why we’re bruised and bitten. However, in keeping with the gospel narrative, what began with loss and disruption traveled all the way to hope.

Even more valuable than Moore’s experience is his response to his experience. Worshiping alongside sinners (there’s no one else to fill the pews), requires a faithful winnowing of our outrage and a careful stewarding of our terminology.

Moore calls evangelicals to the priority of recovering the spiritual authority necessary to carry out the mission of the church. If we are going to stanch the hemorrhage of young adults from the church, we need to be very clear that we ourselves believe what we have taught them all their lives. Maybe if we also “lose our religion” we will become more effective at pointing to Christ and more committed to living the mystery that for 2,000 years has been pointing seekers to an empty tomb.

Holding You in the Light,

“Maybe only when we lose our religion will we be, once again, amazed by grace.” @drmoore #LosingOurReligion

Did You Know that I Also Publish a Monthly Newsletter?

Every month I send a newsletter with biblical encouragement straight to my subscribers’ email inboxes. Frequently, I share free resources, and the newsletter is where everything lands first. I’m committed to the truth that women can become confident followers of God and students of his Word, and it’s my goal to help you along that path.

To add this free resource to your pursuit of biblical literacy, simply CLICK HERE. There, on Substack’s website, you’ll find a prompt that looks just like this image for Living Our Days with Michele Morin. Over on that site, simply enter your email and then click on the purple “SUBSCRIBE” button.

You’ll receive a welcome letter to confirm your subscription and monthly encouragement in your email inbox.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees. If you should decide to purchase any of the books or products I’ve shared, simply click on the image, and you’ll be taken directly to the seller. If you decide to buy, I’ll receive a few pennies at no extra cost to you.

Many thanks to Sentinel (part of the Penguin Group) for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.

Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash

Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four sons, four daughters-in-love, and six adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

27 thoughts on “What to Pray When Your Whole Life Feels Out of Control”

  1. Michele, I can’t even put into words how much I needed this right now. Thank you. Also, I, thankfully, have kept myself from knowing much about the Southern Baptist mess, but I can certainly relate to much of what you have shared from Russell Moore’s words. In the aftermath of leaving “religion,” one of the hardest things is learning how to distinguish God’s approval from man’s. Separating the two, after being in bondage to legalism is extremely difficult. I’m not sure I would read the book you mentioned, but the parts you shared surely resonated with me.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Thank you! I really needed this prayer today! I’m feeling quite anxious about our busy fall and all the changes it’s going to bring and while I know my worries and anxiety don’t help or fix anything I can’t seem to stop myself from feeling anxious.

    Like

  4. Amen. Beautiful prayer.

    I wonder what Moses thought when cornered on the shores of the Red Sea. The water in front and the Egyptians behind. 600,000 people — scared, frightened, and crying. Yet they prayed. In the movie The Ten Commandments, Yul Brynner played the part of Pharaoh and said, “The god of Moses is a poor general to leave him no retreat.” He did not know God, even said so earlier. But Moses knew God and had a trained ear to hear the LORD. That is the key.

    “And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD…” The rest is history.

    Like

  5. That proclamation of faith you distilled from King Darius’ decree declares wonderful, affirming statements. I’m going to copy it on a 3 x 5 and include it with my other prayer cards, to bolster my faith going forward. Thank you, Michele!

    Like

    1. I’m sorry to hear that you are going through a hard time. I don’t know details, but am praying for peace and perspective to fill your heart today. So grateful if my words helped even a little.

      Like

  7. Daniel is such an inspirational leader, Michele! Thanks for the book recommendation, I had never heard of it, but it sounds interesting.

    Like

  8. I am one of those who likes the return to routine and sanity! I enjoyed this post, Michele, and the reminder that I can rest in the reality of “God’s majesty . . . and His ability to see through the haze.”

    Like

  9. Russell Moore has been one of those who has been able to put words to some of my deepest concerns in recent years. As I started reading outside my usual ‘borders,’ it’s encouraged my soul that others far more articulate than I are able to speak truth to power and call things as they are in the church, in politics, in the evangelical world I have always called home.

    This gives me hope. God is in control. And we worship Him alone. No political party of denominational hierarchy calls the final shots. All will be well.

    Like

  10. It appears God has a theme going this week about Prayer Michele, as at the moment we are sitting together at Maree’s Grace & Truth table both sharing about prayer!

    Change is always difficult because we are such creatures of habit, & I talk from experience here. Prayer is my first go to now instead of my last. 😉

    With the book review I haven’t gone into the Southern Baptist controversy but losing ‘religion’ in the church as a whole would be most beneficial, getting back to Jesus’ great commission of sharing the Good News about Him & making disciples is something the church has sadly lost in the mess of too many man made doctrines.
    Blesssings, Jennifer

    Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.