An Ordinary Delight

In Allen Levi’s The Last Sweet Mile, the author recounts the year he spent with his brother, Gary, as he battled inoperable brain cancer. It is a touching story about how two brothers and best friends found grace and strength in companionship, even in severe trial.

Allen and Gary were both lifelong bachelors. Allen had been a lawyer who turned into a singer-songwriter. Gary invested his life in missions throughout the world. In one chapter of the book, Allen talks about his brother's “small gray book.” This was Gary’s personal prayer book. He used it for at least 23 years. In it, Gary had every one of his family members’ names. In fact, he had hundreds of names in the book – friends, neighbors, acquaintances, colleagues, others.

Allen writes a few anecdotes about Gary’s prayer life, traveling the world for Christ, but remembering each loved one and random person he met. Toward the end of the chapter, Allen writes,

“I know Gary’s prayer book is only paper and ink, insubstantial on its own and destined to go the way of all things temporal. But there is a sacredness about it. In some ways, it was where he loved me—us—best of all. It was the physical place, like an altar he kept in his suitcase, where he met with Christ each day. None, or very few of us, ever saw the small sacrifices he made for us during his quiet hours of intercession. There were no congratulations or profit to him for taking our names into the presence of God. There was no assurance that he would ever see any visible result from his prayers. But pray he did. The book is proof that he did so devotedly. It is a framed reminder of how much he loved God and how much he loved people.”[1]

Humanly speaking, prayer seems quite ordinary. That’s why we struggle to spend time in this essential spiritual exercise. We often feel like nothing is accomplished when we pray (at least nothing on our “to-do list”). The truth is, we don’t accomplish anything of value when we neglect prayer! Remember, Jesus told his disciples, “Abide in me…for without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).

While ordinary on the surface – and an “ordinary means of grace” – prayer is a supernatural activity. Like preaching, prayer touches the unseen world. God uses preaching to awaken the dead heart of the natural man. God has given us prayer so that we may enter into the very presence of God, the Holy of Holies, and find grace in time of need (Hebrews 4:16; 10:19-22).

It’s convicting to remember how often we fail to value this fountain of grace made available to us through Christ. Our prayer life is often atrophied from irregular exercise. We miss the opportunity to experience God’s power in our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Why does this happen? Partly because it’s a spiritual discipline we can fake.

It’s also an area that receives little attention and praise from others. Gary Levi never intended for anyone to get a hold of his “little gray book.” While he’s become a great example to us, that wasn’t his intention at all. He had gotten past the fleshly distractions and desire for men’s praise that keep us from prayer. He realized that prayer itself was a delight, an ordinary, everyday means of grace. Allen again writes,

“The cover of Gary’s prayer book has been worn bare where his fingers rested. He tended to hold it with both hands, thumbs on the inside to keep it open. I can only imagine how many times, and in how many places, for how many hours altogether, Gary had that little book in his grip. Its passport, if it had had one, would be impressive. Whenever he was home, I could look across the pasture early in the morning—he and I typically awoke before sunrise—and see his reading light on. I could be sure he was sitting in the chair beside his fireplace, drinking the strong coffee he enjoyed so much, and spending his time quietly as he began the day. A Bible and the little gray prayer book would be close at hand.”[2]

Gary’s habit is profoundly impactful, not least because it reflects the practice of our Lord Himself, who, though “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), regularly enjoyed this ordinary means of grace as He woke up early and prayed (Mark 1:35).

May we learn (or relearn) this discipline ourselves, so that we might find its delight.


________________________________
[1] Levi, Allen, The Last Sweet Mile, Rabbit Room Press, 2015, 151.
[2] Ibid., 149.