When You Pray...

And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace. (Matthew 6:5-6, The Message)

On Sunday, Aaron told a story about UK worship leader and songwriter Matt Redman and his song, "The Heart of Worship." He said Redman was "famous" among worship leaders, and said that it was "a little weird" to think of someone becoming famous for leading people into God's presence. I agree. I've attended "worship concerts" before (even paying money and getting searched at the door at Bogart's, but that's another story for another time). It can be a great experience. But sometimes you wonder where the focus is. Is all the fancy stuff happening on stage helping me focus on God? Should I be paying money to experience God's presence? Am I geeked out over meeting with God or about seeing some sort of worship rock star?

Similarly, there are some people who are sought out for how they pray out loud. Someone I know (a dedicated follower of Jesus who happened to have a little experience in acting and public speaking) was asked once to pray in front of a group gathered for (I'm totally serious) a "concert of prayer." (In all fairness, the intentions behind such events are good. It's an opportunity for a group to gather and participate in a structured prayer experience. The "concert of prayer" terminology, in my opinion, is a bit unfortunate.)

 

Prayer is not meant to be a performance before other people. Honestly, we don't even need to approach prayer with "performance anxiety" before God. Romans 8:15 tells us, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" (A couple of helpful hints... The "Spirit of sonship" referred to here is the Holy Spirit. When someone starts a relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit fills that person. And that person is adopted into God's family. Therefore, "Spirit of sonship." And "Abba" is Aramaic for "Daddy.") We're to approach our holy God with the respect and honor He's due, for sure. But we are to approach Him confidently. Prayer is simply having a conversation with a God who loves us so much that He gave His Son for us. He gave His life so we could approach Him. He's our Father in heaven. He loves it when we spend time with Him. And it's pretty good for us, too.  Prayer is a key tool God gives us so that we can participate in the work of His kingdom. And it helps us stay connected to Him.


The Bible is filled with examples of people whose lives were shaped by prayer, by intimate encounters with God. Moses was described as someone God talked with as if He were talking with a friend. Hannah (mom of Samuel, the judge and prophet who led Israel in the transition between the judges and the kings) poured out her heart in the tabernacle (where the Israelites worshiped before Solomon's temple was built), crying out about her struggles with infertility. David had a very open, honest relationship with God. At times, he was singing and dancing with joy before God. At other times, he was confessing sin or stricken with fear or sadness as he was faced with opposition and betrayal from others. The Psalms (attributed to David and others) show a full spectrum of real, authentic prayer.

 

There's so much to say about prayer that many, many books have been written on the subject. Lots of great resources are out there. For now, let's get practical. :) If you're new to prayer or just needing a prayer pick-me-up (we all do sometimes), here are some tips:

-Establish a regular space and time for prayer. Life gets crazy. Some married couples need to plan date nights in order to keep the flame going. And sometimes we need some structure in relating to God stay focused on Him.


-Journaling is great for capturing one's journey with God. You can pour out your prayers on paper, if you're so inclined. Or you can jot down things you're learning from God or things you're praying about. Or you can use some sort of recording device, if that's closer to your inclination. It's just good to have something you can look back on over the years to remember how far you've come. I've found it helpful for processing things on a short-term basis, too. (Are there any recurring themes in what I'm learning, for example? Is God trying to tell me something with that?)


-Talking to God out loud. (For this one, it's probably especially important to follow Jesus' words in Matthew 6 about finding space alone with God. :) Talk to Him as if He were in the room. If you belong to Jesus, He is in the room.


-Praying during walks or runs is great, especially in colorful times of year. You can thank Him for the beauty of creation. It's also a good prompt for praying for your neighborhood.


-Come to the prayer gathering Thursday night at the South House! It will be an informal time of people chatting with God together and seeking out what He might add to the conversation.

-Receive prayer at Sunday gatherings. This is a little random, but I was watching the film Juno recently, and I was struck that Juno has her BFF come with her to tell her parents the news of her pregnancy. Juno was scared to talk to her parents, and having her friend there made it a little easier. We can always talk to God, and He always wants to talk to us. There's no need for fear. But sometimes it's good to have someone talk to God with us (with us, not for us). And Jesus tells us that He is present whenever two or more people come to Him in prayer. People are ready to pray with you after each gathering in the loft.

-Worship (meaning any act meant to show love, admiration, and respect for God) and prayer go together. I'm a little biased, of course, but I think worship through music is pretty meaningful. I've heard musical worship described as "prayer set to music." When we sing as a group at our gatherings, that's the goal. And because worship through music is helpful for me, I try to listen to other people's "prayers set to music" on a regular basis, sometimes during my not-so-quiet times :), other times in the car or while doing stuff around the apartment. Of course, music's not the only way we can worship God. Other spiritual disciplines (like fasting, as Aaron's blogged about, or digging into the Bible) or creating art or service or seeking justice for others can all be ways to show God that we love Him. For more ideas, check out this helpful website <http://common.northpoint.org/sacredpathway.html>  to get a sense of how you were wired to worship.

-Let the Bible guide your prayers. Prayer is conversation with God, and one of the ways we can hear Him speak is through the Bible. (If you think you're hearing something from God that contradicts the Bible, you're not hearing from God.) Again, there are lots of great resources for learning to understand the Bible (and we are all learning to understand, trust me :), so I won't go into all that either. Incorporate reading the Bible into spending time with God, and see what happens!


All of this is simply to say that there is a God who wants us to spend time with Him, who made us for unending conversation with Him. Let's press on to know Him more deeply.

 
- Candyce