This novel teaches us many things about life. Here are four lessons that stood out to me the most.
The first time I attempted to read The Screwtape Letters, I was fifteen. My best friend and I were notorious for reading and discussing books; this was her pick. Unlike our previous novels, however, this book delved deep into some serious topics: sexual temptation, distraction, and pride. Highlighting elements of the seven deadly sins, I struggled to understand this challenging read. Nevertheless, we finished the book with dozens of theological conversations.
Years later, I found The Screwtape Letters in the high school library where I was teaching. They were giving it away for free and replacing the old and worn copy with a new one. I felt drawn to pick up the pages again, but it sat on my bookshelf for another two years.
Flash forward to April of 2025. My husband and I were finally going to have a date night, and I saw The Screwtape Letters playing in a local theater. Something in my spirit compelled me to attend the play. Ninety minutes later, I saw why. Though it'd been decades since I read C.S. Lewis' profound words, every word the New York actor spoke pricked my heart. Why? This novel teaches us many things about life. Here are four that stood out to me the most.
1. The Value of Prayer
As followers of Christ, we know the importance of prayer. Jesus was always slipping away to talk to God in solitude or rising early in the morning to ensure it stayed a priority. And yet, we struggle to communicate with our Savior and Lord daily. Between the grind to do and be more, and the pressure to be busy with even our spare or few precious moments, little time for prayer remains. Instead of being the last on our list, it tends to be the first.
C.S. Lewis depicted these words through Screwtape, a high-ranking devil in Hell, writing to his nephew Wormwood, in an attempt to deceive his human "patient" on earth: "The amateurish suggestions in your last letter warn me that it is high time for me to write to you fully on the painful subject of prayer...The best thing, where it is possible, is to keep the patient from the serious intention of praying altogether" (pg.15).
Satan's goal isn't just to stop us from praying, as C.S. Lewis writes, but to make our prayer life one of vague devotional writing based on our mood or circumstances. In other words, we will forgo the practice altogether if we don't feel a certain way. No real will or intelligence or how we're feeling will seep into these prayers because it'll all be superficial. Either we won't pray at all, or we will pray half-hearted prayers, we're repeating out of routine regulation rather than heart.
"It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality, our best work is done by keeping things out" (pg.16).
In Matthew 4, Jesus reminds us that Satan, our enemy, the accuser, knows Scripture. Even while He, Jesus Himself, was tempted, the tempter twisted and distorted Scripture. This is why praying and studying the Scriptures is crucial to our faith. Satan knows there is power in prayer, and that's why his goal is to keep us away from it.
2. Spiritual Battles Are Real
In the preface of this novel, Lewis notes two overarching problems that exist in the world when it comes to demons: 1. Those who don't believe in their existence at all, and 2—those who believe but have an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. Humans either don't care or believe Satan exists, or are obsessed with him. According to Lewis, these are "two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall...They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight" (pg.IX).
Upon my study and research, I'd have to say that Lewis is right. I know that Satan is real, but I probably don't think about him as much as I should. Not because I don't believe, but because I'm often overrun by fear and anxiety. On the flip side, some worship Satan out of their obsession with him. They find it too difficult to believe in a gracious God, yet easier to believe in someone depicted with a red tail and a flaming pitchfork.
Here's the truth: Whether you believe in them or not, demons (and Satan) are real. And they tend to come as everything you've ever wanted. It's this exact reason that Ephesians 6:11-12 tells us our battle is not against flesh and blood, but rulers of the evil world: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (ESV).
Yet, if we have Jesus, we need not be afraid. I'm not saying that we won't be fearful at times or need to overspiritualize every situation in our lives. But we must have a healthy reality and understanding of the world. We don't need to live our lives in fear or apprehension of the Devil, but we do need to understand that he and his demons are real.
"Our policy, for the moment, is to conceal ourselves. Of course, this has not always been so...When the humans disbelieve in our existence, we lose all the pleasing results of direct terrorism and make no magicians. On the other hand, when they believe in us, we cannot make them materialists and skeptics" (pg.31).
3. Lust Can Derail Love
If Satan can't get you to avoid prayer or ignore his presence altogether, he may surely attack you with lust.
In letter 20, Screwtape pens these words: "We have engineered a great increase in the license which society allows to the representation of the apparent nude (not the real nude) in art, and its exhibition on the stage or the bathing beach. It is all fake, of course; the figures in the popular art are falsely drawn; the real women in bathing suits or tights are pinched in and propped up to make them appear firmer and more slender and more boyish than nature allows a full-grown woman to be. Yet at the same time, the modern world is taught to believe it is being 'frank' and 'healthy' and returning to nature. As a result, we are more and more directing the desires of men to something which does not exist—making the rôle of the eye in sexuality more and more important and at the same time making its demands more and more impossible" (pg.107).
It's a sad truth, but love and marriage don't fix lust. Why? Because lust is a heart issue, not an attraction issue. In Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus compares lust to adultery. While there is a significant difference between the two, what Jesus is getting at is that both should be taken seriously: "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (ESV). There is a difference between temptation and lust. Temptation is a choice; lust is an action. It's up to us what we do with that temptation that can derail the most faithful of loves.
4. Noise Is One of the Greatest Forms of Distraction
One of Satan's most excellent tactics when all else fails is "noise." We live in a society driven by media—social media, news media, and music. Moments spent in solitude are rare, and the number of Christians participating in the Sabbath is declining.
While media can connect us, the noise of this world has drawn us away from God's original design. Did you know that before the lightbulb was invented, we slept 11 hours daily (The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry)? Sounds crazy, but it's true. If Satan can't get into your mind, he will get into your hobbies and everyday habits.
"We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in this direction as regards the Earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end. But I admit we are not yet loud enough, or anything like it. Research is in progress..."(pg.120).
Why is noise so powerful? It distracts and averts our attention elsewhere. Prayer, awareness of our spiritual battles, and love keep us aware and in tune with our Heavenly Father. But if we're too distracted by the noise of this life, we will forget about the next one, one much more important and eternal.
A Call to Reflect
C.S. Lewis was just one of many influential authors during his time, but he inspires me to think about and reflect on my awareness of this life. And so, I have to ask you some questions:
-Do you take time to pray, or are you just going through the motions?
-Are you aware that a spiritual battle is going on around you, or do you forego the idea altogether?
-Do you actively seek to fight off lust, or do you think marriage will solve all your problems?
-Does noise infiltrate your mind, or do you take time to sit in the presence of God?
As I reflect on these same questions, I encourage you to reflect on your answers. I think God has wanted to teach me these lessons for years, but instead, I set the book on my shelf and let it collect dust. Not anymore.
Today, you have an opportunity to make these life lessons a reality. To take time to prioritize, pause, and ponder. And when you do, don't be surprised if the Holy Spirit teaches you something new. Fresh. An awareness of a life lesson is living around you.
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