I believe that there are two reasons why American is in a spiritual recession. First, we do not pray enough. Surveys have revealed that many Christians do not spend time with God on a daily basis. The second problem is that when we pray, we pray amiss. We ask for what we desire rather than asking God what He desires. We need to ask that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
In a scene from Shadowlands (a film based on the life of C.S. Lewis), Lewis has returned to Oxford from London, where he has just been married to Joy Gresham, an American woman. They were married in a private Episcopal ceremony performed at her hospital bedside. She is dying from cancer, and, through the struggle with her illness, she and Lewis have been discovering the depth of their love for each other. As Lewis arrives at the college where he teaches, he is met by Harry Harrington, an Episcopal priest, who asks what news there is. Lewis hesitates; then, deciding to speak of the marriage and not the cancer, he says, "Ah, good news, I think, Harry. Yes, good news."
Harrington, not aware of the marriage and thinking that Lewis is referring to Joy's medical situation, replies, "I know how hard you've been praying .... Now, God is answering your prayer."
"That's not why I pray, Harry," Lewis responds. "I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God; it changes me."
