” … that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17: 21, NIV)
“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one–as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” (John 17: 21, NLT)
I’ve heard it said, often before and recently, that the prayer meetings in churches are usually attended by, at most, 10% of the congregation. Apparently, we’re still downsizing and the number is getting smaller! What is it about prayer or the psychology of prayer that attracts us, and at the same time, puts us off? We’re rather schizophrenic, I think. But let me be honest. When I don’t turn up for a prayer meeting, it is usually because I’m bored. Whether or not that is my fault, it’s still true.
I have been ruminating on this prayer thing for some time. Providentially, I was flipping through my devotional (another Oswald Chambers one), and lo and behold! what should be my reading for yesterday and today but … prayer! Chambers just has this knack of turning up with the right word at the right time. I believe that is called wisdom! His wise words were a simple explanation of what prayer truly means to the child of God. And it hit me on the head with just the right amount of ouch! to remind me of that.
His little reading is from John 17: 21. The single thing that today’s devotional said to me was Chambers’ first line: “Prayer is not getting things from God: that is a most initial stage.” And there you have it. Though Jesus tells us to ask our Father for all our needs, nevertheless, prayer is not about just that because that is simply saying your A,B,C’s. Of course, we are taught and encouraged to persevere in prayer to train ourselves in seriousness and focus and faith. Most books on prayer focus on this bit that Chambers insists is but “an initial stage.” The nub of this prayer matter, for him, is elsewhere.
It lies in the fact that we have a relationship with God, our Father. Pray because of that reason–we have a Father who loves us magnificently, and who is, the minute we ask for something, all ears and attentive love. So asking is not something we need to worry about: God will give us an answer when we ask. Rather, when we engage in prayer, we are in communion with God, the Divine. Jesus prays that his disciples will experience that indeed–oneness with God that changes us, draws us close to him, and makes us like him. When we place ourselves before him, acknowledging his greatness and our smallness, his Spirit takes hold of us and prays through us and in us. Irrespective of our spiritual perfections or imperfections, the Spirit prays. This interaction between God’s Spirit and our spirits is necessary for his transforming power and work to take place in us. When we pray, the life of God in us is nourished and strengthened. No Bible hero ever became heroic or did exploits for God without having spent long hours in prayer to God. We can only be spiritually strong if we purposefully nourish that spiritual life in us by prayerful communion.
The rich life of the prayer closet extends itself outwards in this way. When the life of prayer is strong in us, we inevitably breathe prayer–that’s unceasing prayer! It then becomes second nature to us to live prayer. In this sense, we publicly pray.
I’ve also heard it said that public prayer ought to be short. True, long, sonorous prayers have a soporific effect on most of us. But some short prayers ought not to be prayed either! The length is not what matters. It’s what comes out of the prayer, short or long. But I like what D.A. Carson says about public prayer: in public prayer, there is a pedagogic angle that many people don’t think about. When we are asked to pray publicly, we ought to remember that our prayers should reflect as much of God’s mind as possible, not our mind or our needs or our whatever. So our public prayers can help to set others thinking about God and believing in God in good, biblical ways. There’s no better example of such a praying person than the apostle Paul. So it’s really what comes out of us that makes the difference in our praying, and not how long it takes. (I’ve heard Carson pray some long prayers, and been totally encouraged and strengthened by those prayers.)
Will my (or your) pondering on prayer raise those dratted prayer meeting attendance percentages from 6% or 10% to >10%? I haven’t a clue. But it will make me a better pray-er and Christian, I think; it will certainly realign my eyesight to see prayer more thoroughly as “getting into perfect communion with God” rather than “getting things from God.”
