New Christians often feel confused about who to pray to. They hear older Christians addressing their prayers to Almighty God, to our Heavenly Father, to 'the Lord', to Jesus and sometimes to the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps this is because older Christians are themselves often confused about who they are speaking to when they pray! Should we be praying to the triune God, or to God the Father, or to Jesus? Can we pray to the Holy Spirit? Some of us fudge by praying to "the Lord" without attempting to mentally clarify who or what we mean. But what does the Bible have to say?
In the Old Testament, all prayer was addressed to the One God. Various names for God might be used, but the same person was being prayed to.
Jesus prayed to his Father and taught his disciples to do the same (Luke 11:2). Paul more often speaks of praying to 'God'. Sometimes he refers to 'the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ'. (See for instance Colossians 1:3 'We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.')
In the book of Acts, the apostles often pray to 'the Lord'. However, the word 'Lord' is used in Acts to describe both Jesus Christ and God the Father ( eg compare Acts 1:6 and 3:20). Thus it is sometimes difficult to know who is being addressed as 'Lord' in prayer. Who is meant, for instance, in Acts 1:24 'And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen" '?
Only once in the New Testament is Jesus clearly and specifically addressed in prayer, by Stephen as he was being stoned (Acts 7:59). And if Jesus taught his disciples to pray to his Father, we might expect that they would be obedient in this. So it seems the New Testament model is to pray to God the Father.
John's gospel offers another slant on how we are to pray. Jesus tells his disciples that they should pray to the Father 'in his name' and whatever we ask in his name he will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13). In fact, Jesus says we should not ask him directly for anything. "In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." (John 16:23)
The meaning of prayer 'in Jesus' name' is worth a post in itself. Still, I have to admit that although I usually pray to the Father when praying for others, I often find myself praying directly to Jesus about my own struggles. There is something comforting in speaking to someone 'who has been tempted in every way as we are and yet without sin' (Hebrews 4:15). But is this unbiblical? Who do you pray to, in practice?
31 May 2009
22 May 2009
Prayer and the Trinity
In Sunday School we used to sing a song called "The Royal Telephone". I can't recall the exact words, but the gist of it was that Christians have a direct line to God. He's always on the other end of the line, ready to answer.
I haven't heard it for years, and I'm thankful for that. It was an appalling song! A generation grew up believing that God was far away but could be contacted 'long distance' We might be better off than the heathen, who could only shout and hope that God would hear them, but still the distance was maintained between ourselves on earth and God in heaven.
My understanding now is that God is distant from us morally in his holiness and perfection. But in Jesus he has lived among us (John 1:14) and by his Holy Spirit he continues to live within those who belong to him (John 14:17). When we pray "Our Father in heaven" we are not addressing someone "up there" or far away. "Father in heaven" simply distinguishes God from our earthly fathers. Earth and heaven are two different spheres of existence, not two distinct places.
So Paul could say even to non-believers "...He is not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:27-28). He didn't mean that God is present in everything (which would be pantheism) but that no place or time is distant from God or outside his presence.
How does our relationship to God as Christians differ from that of non-believers? The answer, I think, is in our participation in the life of the Trinity. For all eternity Father, Son and Spirit have lived in a communion of love with each other, three distinct persons in one God, united in purpose and will. Through Christ's life, death, resurrection and ascension, God has opened up a way for us into this eternal life of his. When we belong to Christ we somehow enter into the life of the Trinity. We don't become God, but we become participants in the community of love which is God.
How? I don't know. We're told that as Christians we are 'in Christ' and the Holy Spirit is 'in' us (Romans 8:9-10). We are adopted as children of God - and the phrase 'child of God' is far more than just a synonym for 'Christian believer' (Romans 8:14-17). We are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6) and we have access to the Father, through Jesus, by one Spirit (Ephesians 2:18).
I could cite many other references, but what I'm starting to explore here (clumsily) is the idea that prayer involves the whole of the Trinity and our place in the life of the Trinity. God is not some distant being who has given us a phone card so that we can call him up every so often. Our relationship is much more immediate and intimate than that. Something far more wonderful is going on when we pray.
I haven't heard it for years, and I'm thankful for that. It was an appalling song! A generation grew up believing that God was far away but could be contacted 'long distance' We might be better off than the heathen, who could only shout and hope that God would hear them, but still the distance was maintained between ourselves on earth and God in heaven.
My understanding now is that God is distant from us morally in his holiness and perfection. But in Jesus he has lived among us (John 1:14) and by his Holy Spirit he continues to live within those who belong to him (John 14:17). When we pray "Our Father in heaven" we are not addressing someone "up there" or far away. "Father in heaven" simply distinguishes God from our earthly fathers. Earth and heaven are two different spheres of existence, not two distinct places.
So Paul could say even to non-believers "...He is not far from each one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:27-28). He didn't mean that God is present in everything (which would be pantheism) but that no place or time is distant from God or outside his presence.
How does our relationship to God as Christians differ from that of non-believers? The answer, I think, is in our participation in the life of the Trinity. For all eternity Father, Son and Spirit have lived in a communion of love with each other, three distinct persons in one God, united in purpose and will. Through Christ's life, death, resurrection and ascension, God has opened up a way for us into this eternal life of his. When we belong to Christ we somehow enter into the life of the Trinity. We don't become God, but we become participants in the community of love which is God.
How? I don't know. We're told that as Christians we are 'in Christ' and the Holy Spirit is 'in' us (Romans 8:9-10). We are adopted as children of God - and the phrase 'child of God' is far more than just a synonym for 'Christian believer' (Romans 8:14-17). We are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6) and we have access to the Father, through Jesus, by one Spirit (Ephesians 2:18).
I could cite many other references, but what I'm starting to explore here (clumsily) is the idea that prayer involves the whole of the Trinity and our place in the life of the Trinity. God is not some distant being who has given us a phone card so that we can call him up every so often. Our relationship is much more immediate and intimate than that. Something far more wonderful is going on when we pray.
17 May 2009
What is the place of a daily "quiet time"?
What is the place of a daily "quiet time"? Should we all set aside a regular time each day to pray? Consider two scenarios:
Simon wakes every morning at 5 am. He gets out of bed, gets a glass of water from the kitchen, then goes to the lounge room. For the next hour he reads his Bible and prays, using a Bible reading plan and a prayer diary that he carries everywhere with him. The diary contains dozens of prayer points which he works through systematically over the week. If he reads or hears of something during the day that he feels he should pray about, he writes it down in his prayer diary. He's been doing this for years.
Down the road, Cathy wakes at 5 am to the sound of the baby crying. As she stumbles out of bed, she silently prays "Lord, please give me the strength I need for today". By the time she's fed the baby, her two year old is wide awake and wanting her to play with him. For the rest of the day she's constantly busy looking after her family. As she goes about her activities, she silently prays for people and situations as they come to mind. The only time she gets to read her Bible is on Tuesday evening, when the children are asleep and her husband is out at a meeting.
Simon has the more traditional "quiet time". The benefit to Simon is that he begins each day with the Lord and his word, and that has an influence on the rest of his day. Others know that he can be relied upon to keep his word if he says "I'll pray for you." Yet Simon faces the temptation to think of himself as a better, more committed Christian because of the regular hours he spends in prayer (and the sleep he misses in order to pray). He may start to look down on those who don't pray as regularly as he does. He may also become dependent on the routine he has established rather than on God himself, and find himself rattled if anything keeps him from his morning prayer time.
Cathy has a vital, if less concentrated, prayer life. She's learning to depend on God and communicate with him moment by moment. She comes to Tuesday evening hungry to spend more time with him. The temptation she faces is to let her need for approval from other Christians lead her into feeling guilty that she doesn't have a daily quiet time. And there's always the risk that she will let her busy life become an excuse for gradually forgetting to pray and read altogether.
I don't know of any Biblical mandate for insisting that Christians have a daily "quiet time". A commitment to pray at a regular time each day is certainly a useful technique to help overcome the distractions that can keep us from ever praying. But it's not an end in itself, and carries no special merit. We're told to pray without ceasing. Each of us knows for ourselves whether or not we're praying "without ceasing", and with the right attitude towards God.
Simon wakes every morning at 5 am. He gets out of bed, gets a glass of water from the kitchen, then goes to the lounge room. For the next hour he reads his Bible and prays, using a Bible reading plan and a prayer diary that he carries everywhere with him. The diary contains dozens of prayer points which he works through systematically over the week. If he reads or hears of something during the day that he feels he should pray about, he writes it down in his prayer diary. He's been doing this for years.
Down the road, Cathy wakes at 5 am to the sound of the baby crying. As she stumbles out of bed, she silently prays "Lord, please give me the strength I need for today". By the time she's fed the baby, her two year old is wide awake and wanting her to play with him. For the rest of the day she's constantly busy looking after her family. As she goes about her activities, she silently prays for people and situations as they come to mind. The only time she gets to read her Bible is on Tuesday evening, when the children are asleep and her husband is out at a meeting.
Simon has the more traditional "quiet time". The benefit to Simon is that he begins each day with the Lord and his word, and that has an influence on the rest of his day. Others know that he can be relied upon to keep his word if he says "I'll pray for you." Yet Simon faces the temptation to think of himself as a better, more committed Christian because of the regular hours he spends in prayer (and the sleep he misses in order to pray). He may start to look down on those who don't pray as regularly as he does. He may also become dependent on the routine he has established rather than on God himself, and find himself rattled if anything keeps him from his morning prayer time.
Cathy has a vital, if less concentrated, prayer life. She's learning to depend on God and communicate with him moment by moment. She comes to Tuesday evening hungry to spend more time with him. The temptation she faces is to let her need for approval from other Christians lead her into feeling guilty that she doesn't have a daily quiet time. And there's always the risk that she will let her busy life become an excuse for gradually forgetting to pray and read altogether.
I don't know of any Biblical mandate for insisting that Christians have a daily "quiet time". A commitment to pray at a regular time each day is certainly a useful technique to help overcome the distractions that can keep us from ever praying. But it's not an end in itself, and carries no special merit. We're told to pray without ceasing. Each of us knows for ourselves whether or not we're praying "without ceasing", and with the right attitude towards God.
6 May 2009
Why pray?
Prayer takes time - time that could be spent doing other activities. Often it takes effort, perseverance, maybe even courage to pray. Sometimes it seems pointless or frustrating. It can feel as though we're talking to the walls. Meanwhile, the people around us seem able to live their lives quite successfully without praying at all. So why should we pray?
I can think of many reasons. Prayer is God's way of allowing and enabling us to relate to him. Prayer acknowledges our dependence on him. Prayer brings us together with other Christians in fellowship. Jesus promises his presence amongst those who pray together.
Prayer is a form, perhaps the form, of spiritual warfare. In prayer, the Holy Spirit helps us by interceding for us in ways we're barely aware of (Rom 8.26). Prayer helps to keep us in line with God's will and in some mysterious way helps to bring about God's will on earth.
As Christians - followers of Christ Jesus - two of our most important reasons for praying come from Jesus himself. Jesus prayed, and he encouraged his disciples to pray. We are called to honour Jesus as Lord and to become more like him. Prayer is essential to both those callings.
Jesus prayed. Sometimes we're told the content of his prayers. At other times we're only told that he spent time in prayer - often many hours. His life seemed to follow a pattern of withdrawing from the world for a while to pray, followed by a time of activity. He prayed out of gratitude (Matt 11:25) and out of anguish (Matt 26:39). He prayed for himself and for his disciples. He prayed for us (John 17:20). To be like Jesus is to pray.
The Jews were a prayerful people, but something about the way Jesus prayed caused his disciples to beg him to teach them to pray. And he did teach them, both by word and by example. He told them to pray for those who abused and persecuted them (Matt 5:44). He told them to pray to God for more labourers for the harvest. (Matt 9:38) He taught them to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). He said they should pray with humility, privately, with their eyes on God and not on others. He said they should pray in faith. To be a disciple is to learn to pray.
I can think of many reasons. Prayer is God's way of allowing and enabling us to relate to him. Prayer acknowledges our dependence on him. Prayer brings us together with other Christians in fellowship. Jesus promises his presence amongst those who pray together.
Prayer is a form, perhaps the form, of spiritual warfare. In prayer, the Holy Spirit helps us by interceding for us in ways we're barely aware of (Rom 8.26). Prayer helps to keep us in line with God's will and in some mysterious way helps to bring about God's will on earth.
As Christians - followers of Christ Jesus - two of our most important reasons for praying come from Jesus himself. Jesus prayed, and he encouraged his disciples to pray. We are called to honour Jesus as Lord and to become more like him. Prayer is essential to both those callings.
Jesus prayed. Sometimes we're told the content of his prayers. At other times we're only told that he spent time in prayer - often many hours. His life seemed to follow a pattern of withdrawing from the world for a while to pray, followed by a time of activity. He prayed out of gratitude (Matt 11:25) and out of anguish (Matt 26:39). He prayed for himself and for his disciples. He prayed for us (John 17:20). To be like Jesus is to pray.
The Jews were a prayerful people, but something about the way Jesus prayed caused his disciples to beg him to teach them to pray. And he did teach them, both by word and by example. He told them to pray for those who abused and persecuted them (Matt 5:44). He told them to pray to God for more labourers for the harvest. (Matt 9:38) He taught them to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). He said they should pray with humility, privately, with their eyes on God and not on others. He said they should pray in faith. To be a disciple is to learn to pray.
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