Prayer II

The following are some lines from one of my favorite scenes in Shadowlands, a film based on the life of C.S. Lewis starring Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger. Context: Lewis just received word that his wife’s cancer is in remission. Harry is a clergyman, and Christopher is their skeptical friend.

Harry: Jack, what news?
Lewis: Good news, I think Harry, yes, good news
Christopher: Very glad, Jack.
Lewis: Thank you Christopher, thank you.
Harry: Christopher can scoff, but I know how hard you’ve been praying. And now, God is answering your prayer.
Lewis: That’s not why I pray, Harry, I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray, I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God; it changes me.