We have all heard of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. This old adage conjures up a graphic picture of the process of discarding the unwanted and outmoded while failing to extract and re-examine the essentials that we associate with the thing we now want rid of.

For many of us who are re-examining and emerging from the traditional evangelical models in which we were raised, prayer does not escape scrutiny either; the formulas, the frantic hectoring of the heavens, and the protocol of prayer comprising elements of supplication, adoration, confession and more—which we had better get in the right order, by the way—to be sure God will hear. Another mode is to quote the promises of the Scriptures back to God in an attempt to be biblical and beyond reproach. After all, how could he contradict or deny his own Words and not grant our requests? Those are some of the babies I threw out.

But behold the empty tub! So now what? When the glorious revelation of Christ as my life dawned on me—that I was included in the great embrace of the Trinity—the relief was immediate; no more striving to gain his attention, approval, or his ear to open to my entreaties. Now what I had always suspected—and longed for the liberty to enjoy—was that I have a heavenly Father who knows what I need before I ask him—a Papa who loves me and longs for a simple conversation. A triune God who has every eventuality covered and has my best interests in mind—always.

Now I understand what Paul meant when he exhorted us to pray without ceasing. We are now included in, and in union with, the Father, Son and Spirit. That results in a breathing in and breathing out exchange of communication—a perpetual conversation with one closer than our very breath. When we accept this astounding truth and live in its awareness, then we have 24/7 access for the little and the large issues of life. We have the voice of the Shepherd who directs us, the wisdom of the Counselor who enlightens us, and the internal energy of the God within who wills us to do his will. (Philippians 2:13).

However, we cannot disregard that the same apostle of grace, whom we have already quoted and who attests so strongly to prayer being rooted in relationship with our Creator, Savior and Friend, firmly reminds us that we have an adversary who is poised to impede the process of prayer. In Ephesians 6:10-18, he here exposes the evil one with whom we must wrestle and travail in our intercession both for others and ourselves. This is the one who blinds our eyes so that we cannot see the goodness and nearness of our God, who baffles us and causes doubt to give way to despair and despondency. But wait; no need to resort to the formulas because our Father has provided an amazing alternative—one that I am learning to rely on, and exult, in.

Where the battle is engaged with our unseen adversaries, where the fray is fierce and the wait long, hear these glorious words of comfort, sufficiency, and supply that Paul writes of in the letter to the church in Rome—and thus to us: That is why the waiting does not diminish us, any more that waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more our joyful expectancy. Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That is why we can be sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. (The Message)

He has us completely covered. We can pray without ceasing because of the intimacy of our relationship; when we do not know how or what to pray, which is most of the time for me, then the Spirit intercedes—perfectly! Even when we do not like the way life turns out despite our praying, we can rest in the unassailable fact that our Father loves us and will work everything together for good.

So, back to your bathtub and be sure that whatever else you have jettisoned from religion, you still hold dear the treasured truths of prayer; as a vehicle to facilitate your journey to dependency, a place of sweet communion to celebrate your union and a place of awesome privilege to intercede on behalf of another. Prayer is powerful, positive and purposeful. I like the words attributed to the beloved Mother Teresa, and they are my sentiments exactly, “I look at him and he looks at me is the most perfect prayer.”