Letters to Malcolm Chapter 7

Asking God for things is scriptural and okay

My copy of the book

What is “Petitionary prayer?” It is the type of prayer when we ask God to make something happen, stop something from happening, or cause life events to occur a certain way. We are petitioning God. We are asking Him for something. Lewis opens Chapter 7 with a reference to “…in your last letter…” as if he had received a letter from Malcolm suggesting what he opens with. The fictitious suggestion from Malcolm is supposed to be the idea that we don’t ask God for anything in prayer and restrict our prayers to just thanking Him or apologizing for something we did. Lewis disagrees with Malcolm on that point, and I do, too.

Lewis references a scripture when he says, “Lord, I am not high-minded.” This is from Psalm 131 and an Anglican chant of that Psalm.

A Song of Ascents, of David.
¹O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me.
²Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me.
³O Israel, hope in the Lord From this time forth and forever.
Psalm 131:title–3 (NASB95)

The Anglican chant can be listened to on the Internet. Here is a link to a 1:30 YouTube video. The video has no visual component other than a still shot as the title. Note the first verse of the Psalm is different from the chant. This is a peculiarity to the Anglican chant. You can find that chant HERE.

After mentioning the Psalm, Lewis suggests the New Testament is filled with “petitionary prayers,” including Jesus. Lewis adds an aside that Christ didn’t get what He asked for, but I think He did. Let’s look at that.

³⁹And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Matthew 26:39 (NASB95)