Renew Your Prayer Life: Scripture and the ArtsExemplo

Supplication

We've all been in a situation when we have asked God for something. For many, this may be the only time we remember to pray. When we humbly ask God for personal help, it is called a prayer of supplication. When we request assistance for others, it is called a prayer of intercession.

Supplication comes from a Latin word that means “to kneel.” It’s a reminder that God, the Lord of Hosts, has the power and abundance to handle any request we might make.

When Jesus walked the Earth, He would often immediately answer a humble request. Sometimes He does so now! There is usually no guarantee of a quick response to our prayers of supplication.

However, even when we have to wait a long time, or the answer is not what we expect, or God responds in invisible ways, these prayers give us hope. We remember God is both willing and able to help, and our faith in that God WILL answer our prayer gives us strength.

Sometimes it is tempting to think we shouldn’t “bother” God with trivial concerns, as if God is rather busy and would prefer we try to handle things on our own. This thought couldn’t be farther from the truth. God delights in our requests!

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest,” says Jesus in Matthew 11:28.

Consider this artwork.

“Stand against the Wiles: Alpha and Omega” is a linoleum cut on paper by artist Steve A. Prince. Steve reimagined the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Jesus, portraying the myriad burdens that a parent carries and keeps away from their innocent child.

“The relationship between Mary and Jesus bubbled to the surface and I saw their lives reflected in every mother and every child who has entered a beautiful, perilous, awe-inspiring, and uncertain world. The mother is adorned with a headdress that symbolizes the weight of the world on her mind.” Steve A. Prince

We “flip the script” and invert the paradigm when we turn to God in supplication. Now God, our Heavenly Father, shoulders our burdens and gathers us under His wings. We are the child He cradles and protects.

How about you? Do you feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world?

Are there responsibilities you’ve been shouldering on your own for far too long?

Just Ask! You might begin by lamenting—which means telling God about your pain, burdens, confusion, frustration, and complaints. Let it all spill out of you and lay it at His feet. Let God know how you hope these problems are solved if you have preferences. If you are interceding for someone else, explain their burdens and place their situation in His hands.

Ask God to resolve these problems in the way He knows is best. As you do, you might imagine yourself wearing an invisible backpack. One by one, you take your concerns out of your bag and put them in God’s hands.

Thank Him for helping. You can thank Him in advance because you believe He will help you, even if you don’t always understand or see how He does it.

How can you ask God for help today? What burdens do you want to put down?

Do you trust that God is both able and willing to respond?