storiesofvalue

Once we learn to worry less about the logistics of prayer, we can enjoy it for what it is: communication and communion with our Creator.  This doesn’t mean we should disregard what God might be calling us to do at any moment.

For example, if we have been asked to pray at a large community function, we might not want to spend all of our time thanking God for the blessings He has poured into our personal lives.  Instead, we should understand God has given us an opportunity to help our audience catch a glimpse of His heart.  As well, when we are kneeling beside a dying brother or sister in Christ, we might not want to focus on government and world affairs, but rather the immediate hope we find in Jesus.

Some people are uncomfortable with public prayers because they seem to be more about what others hear than what we honestly need to be discussing with God.  But this doesn’t have to be the case.  Before I pray publicly, especially at non-religious events, I spend personal time with God asking Him how I can use my words to draw others to Him.  I will confess, sometimes I circumvent this step and my prayers before others feel formal and cold.  Yet, when I talk with God first about how He might want to use me, it is no longer me but rather the two of us coming before the world to call people home.

Prayer is always about what God wants.  If I remember this, I can expect Him to use my conversation with Him in many ways to accomplish His will on earth.  I take my cue from Jesus who cried out in the midst of His anguish, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

What Can I Expect Here? 

The real question is not where we pray, or even our method of prayer, but rather the expectations God and we, His creation, bring into our encounters with one another.   God’s desires are clearly stated in scripture.  He wants us to approach Him with a humble heart, as in the case of Jesus’ parable of the tax-collector and the Pharisee.  We are also to come into the Lord’s presence without pretension, and willing to do His will.  This is why Jesus’ model prayer included a petition for grace as well as a declaration that God’s will be done here (Matthew 6:9-13).  It is also why Paul wanted his Ephesian readers to know he was praying to the Father concerning their hardships, on “bended knee” (Ephesians 3:14).

Our expectations of God are a little more complex, but at the same time somewhat simpler.  In simplest terms, what we can expect from God is that His will be done.  This request becomes difficult, however, when we dispute His apparent answer to our prayers, or when His timing throws our lives into chaos.  We expect God to give us what we want, and that on our schedule.  He has promised neither.  He has promised to give us what we ask, but since He also commands us to ask according to His will (1 John 5:14), ultimately our expectation should be God’s desire, not ours.  This doesn’t means He will not give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 20:4), but since it is our wish to do His will, we should  be pleased when we are in agreement with His perfect wisdom.  It is also at this point God can work mightily through us.

What can we expect here?  We can expect God to hear us and help us align our life with the story He is writing.  We can also expect Him to guide, direct, comfort and forgive us as we stumble down the path He has placed before us.  This path is our “here”.  His will is our “where.” Prayer is the conversation where God helps us put all of the pieces and places together.

Is There A Wrong Place to Pray? 

As I write this devotion, the U.S. Supreme Court has just decided by a vote of 5-4, that it is permissible to offer public prayer before government meetings.  There is plenty of opportunity for debate when it comes to this subject.  But as they say, “I’ll take it!”  The judgment not only gives communities the freedom to exercise their religious freedom, but it also removes some fuzziness for some of my friends who have previously been told they can no longer pray at government meetings.

However, if the court decision had gone the other way, public prayer at government gatherings would have no longer been permissible.  But would it have been wrong?

Occasionally, I am asked to visit people dying in the hospital who are loosely connected to believers I know.  If I don’t know them I always ask for permission to pray before I leave.  I have never had anyone in this situation turn me down, although I have had those who are not as seriously ill tell me they would prefer I didn’t.  Certainly, I feel a call from God to pray for everyone who is sick, and especially for those who might meet Him in person soon.  But do I really have a right to pray against someone else’s wishes?  Would it be wrong?

Perhaps you have already discerned my question is a set-up.  Obviously, we can always pray silently, even when others have asked us not to pray publicly.  So absolutely, if the court had ruled against public prayer we could have still prayed in a government meeting, and even if others don’t want us to pray for them when they are sick, we can pray silently while we talk with them about other things.

There might be inappropriate ways to pray, but I can’t think of a single place where it would be wrong to pray.  Jesus once told a parable about a tax-collector and a Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14) that went to the temple to pray.  The Pharisee prayed about himself and thanked God he wasn’t like other sinners.  But the tax-collector beat his breast and asked God for mercy.  Only the tax-collector left his place of prayer justified, although they were both praying to the same God in the same location.  It seems where we are when we pray really isn’t the issue.

But how do we pray continually?  Do we need a strategy, agenda or date book, or does our time with God occur more organically?  I think both.

I can compare my walk with God with my relationship with my wife.  No, I am not a god to my wife, although she is certainly an angel!  As a couple serving in ministry, we attend many events together with a common set of expectations.  We enjoy sharing with others at weddings, birthday parties, anniversaries, retirement ceremonies, and community celebrations.  Although Jane and I are surrounded by crowds of people, we are still able to talk quietly to one another, and in fact enjoy processing what is going on around us in conversation.  After many years of attending important gatherings, we are seldom surprised  by order or agenda.  However, our familiarity with our setting doesn’t diminish our opportunity to enjoy it as husband and wife.

On the other end of the spectrum are our walks on a beach boardwalk near our home.  I love to “amble” on the boardwalk, drifting in and out of shops as we go.  We both know we aren’t going to buy anything, with the exception of some cherry sours at our favorite candy store.  It doesn’t matter.  We love life without structure, and conversation free of protocol and cordiality.

In the same way, my prayers to God are often highly structured.  In fact, as a preacher I voice at least one public prayer a week and am additionally called on to pray before meals and meetings.  I believe these prayers have great value and I take inviting others into the presence of God with me very seriously.  But I also yearn for my private time with God.  And sometimes I ache to escape the cares of the world and pour my heart out to my Rock and Salvation.  Therefore, when I consider where I should pray, as well as Paul’s exhortation to pray continually, I cannot help but think in terms of a relationship that weaves naturally through my entire existence.  At any point along the journey I might converse with God in a specific way, but my prayer is more of a continuum than an interruption.

Pray Where? 

Prayer in the Bible occurs in many locations for a variety of reasons.  I have two personal favorites, perhaps because they are indelibly etched in my mind by Flannelgraph pictures I saw as a child.  If you have never heard of Flannelgraph be sure to do an Internet search.  It was once the medium of choice for elementary Sunday School teachers throughout the world.  It was also a source of mischief for children who were left unattended.

Anyway, the two images burned in my memory are that of Jonah in the belly of a whale and Daniel in the lion’s den.  I realize now the Bible doesn’t specifically say the creature that swallowed Jonah was a whale.  But it also doesn’t say he had room to pray on his knees in the belly, or that there was a strange light that illuminated the stomach interior like a living room.  The picture I remember of Daniel was a little more realistic, although the lions looked alike and my teacher always placed Daniel dangerously close to the lions for effect.

Both Jonah and Daniel prayed at a moment of crisis, one self-imposed and the other a result of injustice.  Yet in the Flannelgraph pictures both men were calm with hands folded as they made their petitions known to God.  Now I am inclined to think Jonah was a sloppy mess, unable to manage more than a strained whisper as his body fought against contractions in the belly.  And I suspect Daniel prayed at a maximum distance from the lions.  If God was good enough to shut their mouths why should he make himself any more appetizing?

Prayers in times of crisis were one of many occasions for God’s people to seek Him.  Many came before Him broken by sin, desperate for divine mercy.  Others came in times of celebration or to ask for guidance.  The apostle Paul summed up the prayer life of believers in two words: “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).   And pray they did, anywhere the need or notion arose.

Prayer is a means of discerning God’s will, as well as an avenue through which we journey in that will.  Sometimes we ask for God’s leading and at other times we react to His prompting.  But regardless of the circumstance, prayer is how we move forward as disciples.

In the midst of trouble, more than one believer has cried out, “I don’t know what to say to God”.  Perhaps you have even pondered, “Is this really a matter of prayer?”  Certainly God cares about everything in our lives, but are we to bring everything before Him.  Is it possible to pray for the wrong things?  Or can we pray for the right things in the wrong way, or the wrong place?

We can be sure God wants to hear from us, and His grace is big enough to cover any misguided protocol.  But He is unable to answer us if we fail to ask.  Our silence does not prohibit God from working in other ways, but it impairs our ability to understand how.

Therefore, every situation in our lives shouts “Pray here!”  Our response determines our future.

Prayer Partner 

Prayer partners, as we define them, are people in our lives who hold us accountable for our walk with the Lord, and agree with us as we petition Him.  Jesus said, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19).  Partnering in prayer is not for the purpose of coercing God, but rather building consensus as we seek His eternal purposes.

However, even as we draw others alongside us to pray, our ultimate partner is God.  Anything we agree on as His people must be in submission to His will (1 John 5:14), and our spiritual communion with each other is bound by His grace.

As already stated, we are not God’s equal, but He intends to form us in a collaborative relationship, together with His Son who pours love into our hearts and His Holy Spirit who transforms with power.  And while we are commanded to love one another, our goal is to be found perfect in Christ.  In other words, we want to know the Father, Son and Spirit above all else.  The Apostle Peter wrote, “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth,the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.” (2 Peter 3:13-14)

God is always ready to partner with us for the sake of His kingdom.  The question is whether or not we are willing to partner with Him.  Prayer is how we interact with God, but if we overlook His ways, or His will, we might mistake His voice for our own.

It seems the purpose of prayer should be to know God and celebrate being known by Him.  In other words, prayer is the means by which we live in relationship with our Heavenly Father.  The form prayer takes is dependent on the experience being shared by Creator and created.

This doesn’t suggest we are equal partners in prayer, or that we can always dictate the when and how of our conversation.  In truth, God is much more active in directing our prayer life than we might think.  Sometimes His Word drives us to our knees by conviction of the Holy Spirit and in other moments His grace brings us to our feet in applause and adulation.  Yet, our walk together is personal, and as we hope to know all about God, He desires to direct us into His holy purposes.

Perhaps the place to start in the subject of prayer is not prayer itself, but rather the nature of our relationship with God.  Friends seldom stop to analyze how they communicate, and although the tone of a conversation is important to lovers they aren’t nearly as concerned about inflection as intent. This explains why a wife will still kiss her husband when he is covered from head to toe with dirt and sweat, and why a father will pick up his bleeding child to carry her in the house and nurse her wounds.

Prayer is not always reactionary, nor is it fully predictable.  But it is foundational.  No relationship can survive without communication.  Certainly it is an integral part of our walk with our Savior Jesus.  As He said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.^” (John 15:7)

It is easy to devote ourselves to prayer in the midst of a crisis.  Difficult circumstances have a way of bringing life into focus and stripping of us the external distractions that keep us from falling headlong into the arms of our loving God.  When tragedy strikes, entire communities come together to seek God’s protection, comfort and deliverance.  We might say, “It seems we always come to God when we need Him, but fail to thank Him when things are going well.”  Nevertheless, trouble has a way of humbling us and bringing us to a place in our lives where we are willing to let God take control.

The subject of prayer is at the same time a blessing and a burden.  Please don’t misunderstand.  I am not saying prayer itself is a burden, for it is indeed the means God has given us to know Him and draw close.   But our desire to be a people of prayer can drive us to depression if we are unable to meet our personal expectations or the expectations others set for us.  Unfortunately, prayer has become a marketing tool for religious people with private ambitions, and creating a sense of guilt over the insufficiency of our relationship with God can become a means of manipulation bent on creating a need for their product.

Yet, we should be burdened by the need for prayer.  Our burden should not be one born of unrealistic or ungodly expectation, but rather a sincere desire to know the heart of God as well as His will for our lives.  We have one life to live, and we want to please our Father in everything.  We know, instinctively and scripturally that prayer is foundational this discovery process.  As the Psalmist wrote, “Come and see what God has done!” (Psalm 66:5)

Introduction

Prayer has been a part of my life as long as I can remember.  This doesn’t mean I have always been, or even now claim to be a “prayer warrior.” I am definitely a member of the corps, but I have always struggled with regimented or structured prayer.

Still, I pray, and have always prayed.  My resume is impressive.  I have prayed at dinner tables, picnic tables and communion tables.  I have employed prayer wheels (charts that organize key prayer topics), e-mail prayer chains and prayer reminder magnets slapped on my office file cabinets.  Others have prayed with me in prayer rooms, on prayer walks and at large prayer gatherings.  I have prayed on my knees, on my face, standing, sitting, in a circle, inside, outside, and on my pillow at night.  My prayers have risen from hospital rooms, river banks, trains, planes, prisons, grave sides, military bases and highway shoulders.  And yes, I have prayed in principal’s offices and in front of more than one police car with a flashing light.

But as I look back over a life-time of prayer, I must admit my prayers were sometimes a formality.  There is a big difference between the motion of prayer and an authentic encounter with God.  This is not to suggest all of our prayers must leave us feeling profoundly changed by God.  In fact, it is contrary to my personality to be in the business of analyzing anyone’s conversations with God.  “Authentic” cannot be accurately measured by the human senses.  We may loosely define an honest and sincere prayer life, but our attempts to evaluate what makes prayer good or bad can quickly take us into realms where we are grossly unqualified to know the difference.

Still, most of us know in our hearts when we are seeking God, and when we are merely exercising a habit.  We also have a general sense of our relation to and posture before God.  We long for a healthy and powerful prayer life, yet our apprehensions as well as life’s distractions inhibit us.   We could merely accept this reality and move on if it were not for the nagging exhortation of scripture such as Paul’s words in Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”