In 1986, Bon Jovi released a song called “Livin’ on a Prayer.” The song reached number one on two different Billboard charts. The song itself has been covered by numerous artists and even Bon Jovi has reworked and rerecorded the song a few times over the last 35 years since the song’s original release.
The gist of the song is about a young man, Tommy, who loses his job as a dock worker because of a strike and his girlfriend, Gina, a waitress at a diner and the struggles of trying to make ends meet. The title line of the song, livin’ on a prayer, is an implication of not knowing if they are going to make it or not. It seems that it can all fall apart at any moment.
As a music fan, I like the song. As a Christian, I believe it sends the wrong message about prayer. Prayer is not a last resort nor is it a safety net, “just in case we fail.” Prayer is about laying our lives bare before God and allowing Him to direct our lives and guide our steps. Prayer is about laying our life down before God and revealing our hopes, our dreams, our desires, and even our fears. It is about putting our life in the hands of God and saying, “Not my will but your be done.”
It has always made me cringe inwardly when I hear somebody say, “all we can do now is pray.” This usually comes after they feel that other options have been exhausted. I believe that prayer should be the first thing we do before we undergo anything. I have heard it said, and I am sure you have too, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” To me, this makes God look like some sort of egotistical tyrant that just wants to prove us wrong because He can. God wants us to share our plans with Him so He can guide us with love and wisdom in right direction. That may include changing our plans, but that is only because God knows how to make us successful in all we do.
I do believe that we should be “livin’ on a prayer.” But not in the sense of hanging by a thread. I think our “livin’ on prayer” should be descriptive of who we are as children of God, prayer warriors. Prayer should begin our day, end our day, and have a lot of time in between. Prayer is what keeps us in contact with God. One thing we don’t like in this day and age is being disconnected. Think about it, how do you feel when your internet and/or cable goes out? What about when you have no cell service? It is annoying. With prayer, there is nothing that can keep us from being connected to God.
Maybe, we need to change the line from livin’ on a prayer to living on prayers. After all, being connected to God is the most important connection of all.
Read I Thessalonians 5:16-28