Jayber's Prayer

I cannot remember the number of times I have read "Jayber Crow" by Wendell Berry.  Those who know me know I am prone to read a good book more than once, but "Jayber Crow" is in a class of re-runs all to itself.  Those who have journeyed with Jayber have shared some memorable moments, but by far, one that is the most etched on my mind is the moment when he comes to a life changing spiritual change.  It not only caused him to leave Pigeonville College where he was learning to preach, but also brought him to a new place in his spiritual journey.    

At a time when he was struggling to understand new things which were unfolding in his life, we find these words,  "But now I was unsure what it would be proper to pray for, or how to pray for it.  After you have said, 'thy will be done,' what more can be said?"   It is a word which mostly shatters many of our definitions of prayer and causes us to wonder about those persistent prayers for specific blessings from God.  Does God ever just turn away from all our begging and bargaining wishing that we would simply pray, "thy will be done,"  and then say "Amen.?"    

I must confess old Jayber's words have shattered many of the things I thought I had figured out about praying.  If it is so simple then I have really complicated a simple thing and muddied up heaven's waters.  Maybe Jayber's prompting has had something to do with it, or maybe it is the new awareness of God being present in everything and everyone around me, but more and more I find myself coming to a place of regarding prayer as a moment for being in the presence of the Holy One who knows both my heart and the things for which I would pray until heaven's doors were broken down if such a thing were possible.