Daily Devotion

“It is, no doubt, impossible to prevent his praying for his mother, but we have means of rendering the prayers innocuous. Make sure that they are always very 'spiritual', that he is always concerned with the state of her soul and never with her rheumatism. Two advantages will follow. In the first place, his attention will be kept on what he regards as her sins, by which, with a little guidance from you, he can be induced to mean any of her actions which are inconvenient or irritating to himself.”

C.S. Lewis · The Screwtape Letters, Letter III (the demon Screwtape speaking)

Scripture

Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Reflection

In prayer, we often unconsciously treat God as an assistant in realizing our plans, rather than a sovereign king. "Your kingdom come" is not merely a spiritual slogan, but a declaration of relinquishing sovereignty. Through the mouth of a demon, Lewis warns that intercession can quietly turn into a list of the things in others that irritate me. When I truly intercede for others, I realize that what truly needs adjustment is often not the environment, but my own heart. Intercessory prayer dismantles self-centered beliefs and invites me into God's greater love and patience.