Pray About...

We've looked at several kinds of prayer in my last few posts, and at why we should pray. What should we pray about?  Here are some topics, from the words of Jesus and others in the New Testament:

• "Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!  (Matt. 5:44)
• "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." (Mat. 7:7)
• "So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields." (Mat. 9:38)
• "Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!"  (Mat. 26:41)
• "Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God" (Rom. 1:9)
• "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words." (Rom. 8:26)
• "Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying." (Rom. 12:2)
• "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." (Rom. 15:13)
• "And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety." (2 Cor 1:11)  
• "We pray that you will become mature." (2 Cor 13:9) 
•  "I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called."  (Eph. 1:18)
• "So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should." (Eph. 6:20)
• "Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart." (Col. 4:2)
• "So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call."  (2 Thess. 1:11)
• "Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity." (1 Tim. 2:2)
• "In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy." (1 Tim. 2:8)
• "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." (James 5:16)

With this much to pray about, it shouldn't be a surprise that Paul would write "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion" (Eph. 6:18) and "Pray about everything" (Phil. 4:6) and "Devote yourselves to prayer" (Col. 4:2) and "Never stop praying" (1 Thess. 5:17).  We can pray alone in our own homes, or in a group with others as the early church often did, or while we're stopped at a traffic light, or whenever a need for prayer comes to us (which is often by a prompting from the Holy Spirit). 

Whatever else you do...pray!

So Are You Praying?

I've been writing about prayer lately, and I hope I've been helpful.  But are you praying?  Here's a parable written by Bill Bright that might help illustrate my point:

Bill Bright tells the story of a man who traveled to a certain city one cold morning. As he arrived at his hotel, he noticed that the clerks, the guests-everyone-were barefoot. In the coffee shop, he noticed a fellow at a nearby table and asked, 'Why aren't you wearing shoes? Don't you know about shoes?' 'Of course, I know about shoes,' the patron replied. 'Then why don't you wear them? The visitor asked. 'Ah, that is the question,' the patron returned. 'Why don't I wear shoes?'

"After breakfast, the visitor walked out of the hotel and into the snow. Again, every person he saw was barefoot. Curious, he asked a passerby, 'Why doesn't anyone here wear shoes? Don't you know that they protect the feet from cold?' The passerby said, 'We know about shoes. See that building? It's a shoe factory. We are so proud of the plant that we gather there every week to hear the man in charge tell us how wonderful shoes are.' 'Then why don't you wear shoes?' the visitor persisted. 'Ah, that is the question,' the passerby replied. 'Why don't we wear shoes?'

Bright says, "When it comes to prayer, many Christians are like the people in that city. They know about prayer, they believe in its power, they frequently hear sermons on the subject, but it is not a vital part of their lives.  [Worldwide Challenge]

So do you pray?  If not, why not?  Since the Creator of the universe loves you and gave you life so you could come to know him and love him, why not talk with him and let him talk with you?  Why not give him a larger place in your life, and more influence over you, by more conversation with him?  

A Little More about Prayer

Last time I wrote about prayer, describing very briefly two different types of prayer.  We should recognize that some of our prayers are, as M. Robert Mulholland Jr. describes, "an attempt to manipulate the symptoms of our lives without really entering into a deep, vital, transforming relationship with God."  Prayer is a way of bringing -- sometimes dragging bodily -- our stubborn and flighty selves to rest before the Eternal God of all hope, comfort and love.  So today, let's look at two more types of prayer. 

Contemplative Prayer:  This type of prayer helps develop "an open, restful receptivity to the Trinity that enables me to always be with God just as I am" (Adele Ahlberg Calhoun in Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, page 211).  We might think of the sheep lying in the green meadow (Psalm 23) or the weaned child, no longer needing to nurse, but simply resting in his mother's arms (Psalm 131).  This is, as Calhoun describes it, "a way of waiting with a heart awake to God's presence and his Word...in the presence of the Holy Spirit deep in our own spirit."   To practice this type of prayer, you might try sitting quietly, without distractions (I have to leave my office and cellphone behind!) and simply declaring to God, "Here I am, just to spend time with you."  Then wait, and if you like, think about the goodness of God and his gifts, or how his love is expressed to us.  Be ready to express your love to God and receive his in return, not necessarily in audible words but in a peaceful assurance.  The result, if we practice it often, should be deeper awareness of "Christ in you" (Col. 1:27) and a greater trust in his presence.

Intercessory Prayer:  When we pray for others, we are joining Jesus, the mediator between God and humanity, (1 Tim. 2:5) and the Holy Spirit who intercedes for us and interprets our words to the Father (Rom. 8:27).  In Eph. 4:6 we are told "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."  So then, intercessory prayer is not a frantic attempt to convince God to do something for us -- that is not necessary, and feeds our tendency to worry!  This is a way of joining with God's concern and love for the person we pray for, and releasing our concerns to God for his solutions.  Intercessory prayer can be done alone or with others, and should be done regularly, not just when we think of some need.  A weekly prayer list, with different topics for each day, could be a good tool in intercession, as it would move us through different needs and help reveal to us any unhealthy patterns such as a narrow focus on our own immediate priorities. 

I am asking God to help you, dear reader, to understand him better through the tool of prayer, and to be blessed in every part of your life with him. 

A Little about Prayer

Many Christians think of prayer as our list of requests, worries and admissions of guilt with requests for forgiveness, given to God in a one-sided stream of words and thoughts, and we hope we get it right.  But that's only part of the Bible's teaching on prayer.  In my reading, I've found more than a dozen different types of prayer, each appropriate for a specific time or use!  Today I want to outline two of them for you.  I am grateful for the detailed descriptions given in Adele Ahlberg Calhoun's excellent work, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook:  Practices that Transform Us.  (The link will take you to christianbook.com where you can purchase it if you like, but I don't get any commission or anything.)

But first, why pray?  Jesus said "your heavenly Father already knows all your needs" in Mat. 6:34 shortly after teaching the disciples how to pray.  So prayer is not informing God of our needs or worries or fears or pain.  To paraphrase many different authors over the centuries, prayer is entering into an intimate conversation with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, where we may freely speak but where God also may freely speak to us.  It includes becoming quiet before God so he can respond to all our temporary concerns with his eternal love.  

Breath Prayer:  perhaps the simplest form of prayer, certainly the shortest.  A breath prayer might consist of breathing in while thinking of one of God's names such as "Lord of heaven's armies" or "Jesus, Son of David;" then breathing out and saying "Hear my prayer" or "You are my God forever" or another term of praise or a request.  It's helpful to do the same prayer several times in a row as a way to slow down and focus, perhaps in preparing for another spiritual activity.

Conversational prayer:  you may have experienced a prayer group, where people take turns praying, often about many topics at once.  In conversational prayer, like in a discussion among friends, everyone takes turns, briefly, praying about a specific topic and listening to one another pray.  It is like a discussion with God and one another, prompted by the Holy Spirit moving within each of us, until we feel prompted to move to a new topic. It's a type of prayer that takes sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's voice in ourselves and in one another. 

These are only two forms of prayer that you may not have practiced.  I suggest you give them a try, though, as they can enrich your prayer life and your appreciation for the Lord's intimate concern for you and others. 

Lazarus, the Rich Man, the Older Brother...and Us?

You might want to read this post from my brother pastor / writer Jonathan Stepp:
http://trinityandhumanity.com/2012/02/16/lazarus-the-rich-man-and-the-prodigal-son/

What do you think?  Tell him, and let me know too.

God's Love, Our Life

I've been writing about how God tells us he has already redeemed us through Christ, and we don't have to earn his love.  So how we can more fully live in that amazing reality of God's love and acceptance?  How can we deal better with everyday life, with its struggles, temptations and failures, learn to "imitate Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1) and show God's power and love to others?  We will find that the answer to all these questions is the same:  a more focused daily walk, using some common and very useable tools.

We were created "in the image of God" (Gen. 1:26) with the capacity for a relationship with God.  But because of humanity's initial and ongoing rebellion against God, we have been wandering around in the dark and subject to death (Rom. 5:12-14).  It took another "Adam" -- Jesus Christ -- to set things right, including restoring that broken image of God in us (1 Cor. 15:45).  Because of Jesus, and only through Jesus, we have a new, clear and open relationship with God.

A few points to remember before we start to talk about specific tools:
First, these are 'tools' not 'rules.'  These help us on our journey, they're not more and burdensome commands (sigh) to remember. 
Second, these are not ways to convince God to reward us; they are part of "a process of involvement in God's gracious work" through the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, according to M. Robert Mulholland, Jr. in his well-written book, Invitation to a Journey.  
Third, we don't change ourselves; we are changed by God in the process of walking with Jesus, caught up in his relationship of love with the Father.  We are not in control, God is; so the best thing we can do is surrender to his plan for us "to become like his Son" (Rom. 8:29.
Fourth, these are ways to remove the veil that is over our eyes so we can see Jesus more fully.  Paul writes in 2 Cor 3:16-18, "But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."
Fifth, it's a process, not something we do just once.  Life with Jesus is a relationship, like two friends taking a long walk together, or a marriage. 
Sixth, being conformed to Christ means new and renewed relationships with others.   As we become more like him, we will be able to relate to others with his love and not our own brokenness.  (Isn't that alone worth the whole journey??)

So as we look at these tools one by one, we will see why each one fits into God's plan to conform us to a whole new Person, Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:13). 

Facing Jesus and Reality

Last week I wrote about spiritual reality:  that we have already been given "every spiritual blessing in Christ," and that we can learn to live in those blessings every day, by perceiving and focusing on that reality.  In this pattern of life, when God speaks to us, we actually hear his will for us and are ready to respond. 

The Triune God said "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us" (Gen. 1:26), and we were created as relational people, so God could have a mutual relationship of love with us.  We are, at the core, spiritual beings (1 Thess. 5:23) so having a spiritual connection with God should be a natural part of life.  The Holy Spirit, who is our guide and helper (John 14:16-17) has come to help us perceive and live within that.

Some think that, if they "get more of the Holy Spirit" then they will achieve mastery over life, sort of like a Jedi in Star Wars.  But that's emphasizing our self-will, when in fact, it is God who gives us both the idea of pleasing him and the strength to follow, Phil. 2:13.  Our life with God is a matter of becoming quiet before God and surrendering our will to his; placing ourselves before God, deliberately, day by day, through practical, useable tools of spiritual development.

These tools are not mysterious matters that can only be practiced by monks in a cave somewhere in France.  They are exercises any of us can do, nearly anytime or anywhere, to experience a deeper Christian life:  "And this is the secret: Christ lives in you" (Col. 1:27).  Human life gets chaotic and broken because we neglect this spiritual journey we are on with Jesus.  Wholeness, the repair of our thinking and our emotions, can only take place as we surrender our self-will in the only truly safe place there is:  the arms and heart of the Father, as we are brought there, in Jesus, through the Holy Spirit's guidance.

We're going to continue exploring, slowly and one little piece at a time, what that spiritual journey is like.  This is not something any of us achieves in a short time, dear reader, so as we journey together with Jesus, let's allow him to lead us one step at a a time, being patient with the process and with ourselves.  I believe we will both find spiritual riches as we go.