“It’s Okay to
Pray”
August 14, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and
peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Amen.
There are many things I continue to
enjoy about being your pastor, but one of the most rewarding things I get to do
is be able to pray for you. Believe it or not, it’s wonderful and rewarding to
be able to listen to your struggles and concerns, and be able to bring them to
God in prayer for you. I also have really appreciated your prayers for me, especially
the ones you offered on my behalf during my struggle with chronic pain a few
months ago – and, as you can see, your prayers worked, and they continue to
work, for which, once again, I thank you all. I also want to encourage all of
you to keep praying for each other; each of us have specific needs which we’ve
asked each other to pray for, but we also have things we’re choosing to keep to
ourselves, but we still need prayer for. So we can pray for each other’s unspoken
and secret needs as well as the ones we know about. Prayer is the best way we
can help each other feel supported.
(Slide:
Lord’s Prayer cross)
There’s one part of our worship service which still needs to be covered, and one which we may take for granted because we do it every Sunday, but which is still important: the Lord’s Prayer. And it’s especially important because it’s part of today’s Gospel reading. Usually, when we pray the Lord’s Prayer it’s simply as a rote ritual, but it’s meant to be much more than that. The reason we pray the Lord’s Prayer as part of the worship service is because it covers everything: we start by calling God our Father, believing that is who He is, and that, as our heavenly Father, He has a special care and concern for us. We ask God to keep His name holy by living the way He wants us to live, living as people who are part of His Kingdom. So we pray that how we live here on earth would reflect how things are in heaven. We ask God to give us everything we need to live every day; especially during this time as many of us are struggling financially and are worrying about certain other necessities, we pray, and believe, that God will give us what we need out of His fatherly love for us. We recognize that we need God to forgive us of things we have done to hurt ourselves or other people, and ask Him to help us forgive people who have hurt or wronged us in any way. In times of temptation, conflict, or any other kind of trial, we ask for God to fight our battles for us, and bring us safely through those moments to victory. Finally, we are praising Him for who He is, acknowledging Him as our glorious and powerful King who reigns supreme forever. We end by saying “Amen,” which is an ancient word meaning “Yes, it shall be so”: by saying “Amen,” we are saying that we believe everything we have prayed for is true, and is going to happen the way the prayer promises. Also, it’s important to note that the version we pray, while it’s the one most familiar to us, is not the only one in use today. Our brothers and sisters at the UCC and Slifers, for example, use the words “debts” and “debtors” instead of “trespasses” and “trespass,” because those words are taken from the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew rather than Luke, which is the version we use. In our LBW, there is also another version, one that is in more contemporary language and is meant to be one that can be prayed by all Christians. All these ways of praying the Lord’s Prayer are equally valid. What is important is that we recognize why we pray the Lord’s Prayer, especially why we pray it together: when we do so, we are asking for God to give all these things to us individually, to each other, to our church, and to the whole world, asking Him to give everyone the same good things He gives us. But, of course, the Lord’s Prayer, while it is a prayer that covers every area nicely, is not the only kind of prayer. So, with that in mind, let’s start by remembering one of three special things about prayer:
- Prayer takes many forms, and
all those forms are equal.
There are many different ways to pray, and there is no right or wrong way to pray. Some of us may prefer to pray in silence, others out loud. Most of us may think of praying by bowing our heads, folding our hands, and closing our eyes, which is fine, but we can also, if we’re comfortable with doing so, also pray just by talking to God while we’re doing what we’re doing. When I was on Internship, one of the shut-ins I visited told about how the woman who came in to clean for her complained that she never had a chance to be able to pray because she was always so busy. The shut-in suggested to her that she could just pray while doing the dishes – something she had never really thought about before. Praying doesn’t have to be limited to one time or place, and we don’t have to feel like God doesn’t hear our prayers just because we’re doing something else while praying. Some of my own best prayer time, for example, happens while I’m mowing the lawn. Just as every version of the Lord’s Prayer is valid, every way to pray is perfectly valid. We don’t even have to keep our eyes closed, or our hands folded. Some of us may like to raise our hands while praying, which is actually the way the earliest Christians prayed. Also, the way we end up praying depends on the circumstances: for example, the way we pray at desperate moments can be different from more calmer, regular times. God hears our prayers either way: all He wants us just for us to talk to Him. Which leads to the second point:
- Prayer is an open and honest
conversation with God.
God is our friend. God wants us to relate to Him one on one, on a personal level. He is our God and King, yes, but He is also our friend, someone who wants to be close to us, and who wants us to feel close to Him. We might tend to worry about whether we’re using the right words, or the right kind of prayer. God wants us to feel free in talking to Him. Sometimes we might also worry about what we tell God is appropriate, whether it’s the right thing we ought to be praying for. Believe it or not, God still listens to us whether we use formal or informal words, we use certain phrases, we say something once or we repeat it over and over, or we just speak what’s on our minds. All that matters to God is that we’re talking to Him openly, freely, and we’re pouring out our hearts to Him, without holding anything back.
Also, when you pray, believe in the power of prayer. But, believe that prayer is powerful not because of your own effort with prayer, or the words you use. Instead, believe in the power of God to hear and answer your prayer. God hears and answers your prayers because He loves you, and, whoever you are, He looks on you with special favor. If you ever wonder whether prayer really can make a difference, the answer is yes. Prayer even has the power to change situations. We especially see this in today’s First Reading from Genesis, where Abraham pleads with God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of the righteous people, including Lot and his family, who are still living in them. God heard Abraham’s prayer because He looked on Abraham in a special way. And you also can believe that, since you have the same trusting faith in God that Abraham did, that God looks on you in the same special way He looked on Abraham. That means that, just as God heard and answered Abraham’s prayer, He also hears your prayers. You also have the promise that God hears your prayers because Jesus died on the cross, then rose again, giving you free and full access to God – meaning that God hears you and takes you seriously. On the other hand, prayer does not depend on the strength of your faith: how strongly you believe at any time in no way influences God – He still hears and answers your prayers no matter how much you actually believe and trust Him at any moment. Sometimes there may be times when you pray not even knowing if God is really there, but He still hears your prayer. Also, never stop praying. Jesus Himself encourages us to be persistent in prayer, meaning to keep praying until our prayers are answered. If there is any one particular thing we’re worried about or struggling with, we can keep praying about it until God gives us a response. Which also means:
- Prayer is listening as well as
speaking.
We
usually think that prayer is just a one-way conversation, where we talk and God
listens. And that’s only partially true. When we pray, we also listen to what
God has to say, as well as speaking to Him. Sometimes the answer we get may not
be the one we expect, but, with God, everything has a way of turning out for
the best. Jesus promises us that whatever we ask for from God, especially if it’s
something He wants for us, will be given to us. So while we’re praying, after
we’ve talked, we can take some time just to be silent, to listen to our minds
and hearts, to see if God answers us through those. If not, then we can pray
about it again, and expect God to give us an answer in some other way. I myself
had an experience earlier this week, for example, where I was struggling with a
decision, but not getting an answer, which, I’ll admit, was a little frustrating.
Well, as it turns out, later on in the day, I got the answer in a conversation
with my dad. So God can answer our prayers in many different ways – if we are
willing to listen. But the important thing is always to pray. Never be
afraid to pray – God wants to hear you. You’ll be amazed even at how much your
day will change just by praying. No matter how you pray, or when you pray, just
pray. It’s okay to pray – God’s always waiting for you.
Now may the peace of God, which
passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment