Disbelief or Unbelief?

Prayer is powerful and effective. Do I believe it? Yes, I do. I know that the Creator of the world seeks to be in conversation with me, and each of us.

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." -James 5:13-18

The positive message here is a picture of the Christian in constant communion with God. The negative is that there are times when I don't act like sending up a prayer in faith really changes anything. Is this unbelief or simply disbelief?

The picture I see as I linger on this question is of the father who says, "Come to me whenever you need anything," and he backs it up with actions. He welcomes the child with a look that communicates welcome. His greeting is with open arms and his words ooze compassion.

But the child grows, and starts to feel that going to dad with every little thing might resemble dependence. And dependence is not something that is desired--dependence is the same as weakness--so the child more and more learns to deal with problems alone.

When the days arrive that the child is no longer able to handle things, the question arises, "Should I go to Father?" and the answer is often, "Well, not unless there is nothing left for me to do. Not unless I have utterly failed." And so the day of utter failure comes. The humble approach to the father looks like a scene from the prodigal son. And the child, expecting reproach, find comfort, and complete forgiveness. Even more, the child finds a closeness that had been lacking due to the wretched independence.

I am pleased to have that father, and to know that he is always waiting for me, regardless of my vain self-confidence.

So, I have lingered on this picture, but, the questions remains, is our lack of prayer disbelief or unbelief?

Sorry, I want to think about this a bit. It's important to let thinks soak sometimes before jumping to a conclusion.

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