Prayer in the Night: Growth Series Reflection

This is the third post in a series of Growth Series reflections. In this post, Taylor Logan writes about what she gleaned from being a part of the Growth Series book study on Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren which was led by Rev. Ashley Davis and Angela Kaye Hawkins during the summer 2021 session of our Growth Series courses.

This growth series focused on Tish Warren’s book, Prayer in the Night which expands on the premise that when things get messy, hard, and sad, we can rest on the prayers of the church.  The author shares that in one of her darkest seasons (a devastating miscarriage & losing her father) she clung to the practice of compline: “We need practices that don’t simply palliate our fears or pain, but that teach us to walk with God in the crucible of our fragility.” (p 19)   

“When I could not pray the church said, ‘Here are prayers.’ When I could not believe, the church said, ‘Come to the table to be fed.’ When I could not worship, the church sang over me the language of faith.” (Prayer in the Night, p. 31). 

This book and the conversations in my small group helped me to refine my view of God’s purpose and presence when we are in difficult circumstances.  For context, some of my difficult circumstances have included long seasons of infertility, heartbreaking miscarriages, and seasons of financial insecurity.   

One of the first things we did in our group was share about times in our lives when prayer and/or our relationship with God has been difficult—an exercise that is intimidating for anyone to go through.  But as we began, one of my first thoughts was, “Wow, I am not alone.”  I am not the only one who has lost babies, waited for an adoption, felt insecure, questioned God’s goodness, etc.  The feeling of community is always important, but especially during these COVID times when we can feel so isolated. 

While reading this book, I realized that during some of my hardships and even daily woes, I have viewed my relationship with God as a more transactional, almost business-type relationship.  Tish shares this analogy when things don’t go our way: “We are not pleased with the job God is doing, and the customer [me!] is always right!”(p 49). The book challenged my perspective because, of course, I knew the perfect time to grow our family, I knew the job that Luke needed to get—all thoughts that were centered around my timing, my needs, ME ME ME.  And when those things did not happen, I was upset at God.  But as this study reminded us, God never promised an easy life, but he did promise to be with us in all circumstances. 

Tish’s words that, “God can take what is only sorrow and transform it into the very path by which we learn to love God and let ourselves be loved,” still resonate with me (p 126).  She also quoted Scott Carins: “Affliction, suffering, and pain are – even if they are nothing else – remarkably effective.”  How true this is!  Listening to women share their stories and how God used them for good was an incredible blessing to me.  In each of our stories, I heard repeatedly how we all experienced deep intimacy with the Lord through our suffering.  What a good and beautiful God that we serve who would choose to meet us in this way. 

In the last chapter Tish writes, “If this compline prayer walks us slowly through a long, dark night, then this last line—‘And all for your love’s sake. Amen’—is the glint of sun rising in the east.” (p 165) And with that, we ended our time together with fellowship, food, and praying compline outside…in the rain. As I reflect on that experience, it was kind of fitting that we would finish our prayer in the rain.  We can experience beauty (prayer together) during unexpected circumstances (in this case, the rain).  And God is with us—with those that work, watch, or weep (Book of Common Prayer).