The one person I quote more than any other in preaching (OK, not counting Jesus) is C. S. Lewis (1899-1963). People in my former church came to expect at least one C. S. Lewis quote with every sermon. I couldn’t help myself since he is so eminently quotable. Every time I ran into a theological brick wall, he became my “go-to” guy. C. S. Lewis was a prolific author–sixty-seven books are attributed to him. His radio messages during the London bombing in World War II evolved into the book Mere Christianity and became my first introduction to Christian literature. The last book he wrote, Letters to Malcolm Chiefly on Prayer, was completed six months before his death (he died on the same day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated). His book is a series of twenty-two letters C. S. writes to an imaginary friend named, you guessed it, Malcolm. While there are so many memorable quotes from this book, I mention only two. The first is vintage Lewis, whimsical and humorous about prayer, “It is easier to pray for a bore than go to visit him.” The second quote about prayer is far more substantive, “We must lay before him what is in us; not what ought to be in us.” Our ambition in prayer, he writes, is to bring the “real I” into line with the reality of God. Prayer is most efficacious when we bring ourselves as we really are to God in prayer, rather than some idealized version of what we want to be.
While C. S. Lewis could be outspoken in print, he was shy and reticent about sharing his personal prayer life with readers. In his book, Reflections on the Psalms, he identified Psalm 19 the greatest poem in the Bible and one he often revisited as a guide in prayer:
C. S. Lewis
The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
Th precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
even than much fine gold,
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
By them your servant is warned,
in keeping them there is great reward.
But who can discern their own error?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant from willful sins,
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth
and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.