From time to time I'd like to provide examples that seem to capture the 'trust and necessity' of prayer. Here's one from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, written while he was imprisoned in Nazi Germany.
O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.
28 June 2009
21 June 2009
The role of the Holy Spirit in prayer
We've seen how prayer involves our relationship to the first two persons of the Trinity. We address our prayers (generally) to the Father, and we pray 'in the name of Jesus', the Son, with all that is implied in that phrase. But what is the role of the Holy Spirit in our praying?
We would have no relationship with God if it were not for the witness of the Holy Spirit to what God has done for us (John 15:26). It's the Holy Spirit who brings us to repentance and faith (Titus 3:4-7). This is fundamental to our communication with God in prayer. The Holy Spirit's presence in our life then becomes the pledge and seal of our place in God's kingdom life (1 John 4:13).
In our new relationship with God, it's the Holy Spirit who enables us to experience the love of God (Rom 5:5) and to address him as Father (Gal 4:6). Sometimes this seems so natural to those who have been Christians for a while that we forget just how strange it really is, and how privileged we are to be in such a position. The Spirit also helps us to know what it means to be a child of God, in all its wonder (1 Cor 2:9-12). It is a good practice to ask the Holy Spirit to remind us of who we are in Christ and what God has done for us before we pray.
It's also good to ask the Holy Spirit to show us what and how to pray, so that we are truly praying 'in Jesus name' and in step with God's will. One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to show us what to pray. But the Spirit also prays for us, particularly at times where we are unable to shape our thoughts into words (Rom 8:26-27). When our desire to pray far outweighs our ability to pray, our relationship with God is not severed, but kept alive by the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit conveys messages from God to those who are praying. In Acts 13:2, for instance Luke records that 'while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ' Sometimes he equips people for the work that God has provided for them to do through prayer (Acts 4:31). Often he reminds us of God's words in scripture as we pray.
Our prayers and the work of the Holy Spirit in the world appear to have a complementary role. Paul tells the Philippians that 'through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance' (Phil 1:19).
As the Holy Spirit is active in our life, we become more like Jesus. He produces in us the 'fruit of the Spirit' - love, joy, peace, patience and so on (Gal 5:22). These qualities then affect the way we relate to God and to other people and influence the way we pray. Clearly, then, the Holy Spirit plays a vital role in our prayers, and our life in relationship to the triune God.
We would have no relationship with God if it were not for the witness of the Holy Spirit to what God has done for us (John 15:26). It's the Holy Spirit who brings us to repentance and faith (Titus 3:4-7). This is fundamental to our communication with God in prayer. The Holy Spirit's presence in our life then becomes the pledge and seal of our place in God's kingdom life (1 John 4:13).
In our new relationship with God, it's the Holy Spirit who enables us to experience the love of God (Rom 5:5) and to address him as Father (Gal 4:6). Sometimes this seems so natural to those who have been Christians for a while that we forget just how strange it really is, and how privileged we are to be in such a position. The Spirit also helps us to know what it means to be a child of God, in all its wonder (1 Cor 2:9-12). It is a good practice to ask the Holy Spirit to remind us of who we are in Christ and what God has done for us before we pray.
It's also good to ask the Holy Spirit to show us what and how to pray, so that we are truly praying 'in Jesus name' and in step with God's will. One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to show us what to pray. But the Spirit also prays for us, particularly at times where we are unable to shape our thoughts into words (Rom 8:26-27). When our desire to pray far outweighs our ability to pray, our relationship with God is not severed, but kept alive by the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit conveys messages from God to those who are praying. In Acts 13:2, for instance Luke records that 'while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ' Sometimes he equips people for the work that God has provided for them to do through prayer (Acts 4:31). Often he reminds us of God's words in scripture as we pray.
Our prayers and the work of the Holy Spirit in the world appear to have a complementary role. Paul tells the Philippians that 'through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance' (Phil 1:19).
As the Holy Spirit is active in our life, we become more like Jesus. He produces in us the 'fruit of the Spirit' - love, joy, peace, patience and so on (Gal 5:22). These qualities then affect the way we relate to God and to other people and influence the way we pray. Clearly, then, the Holy Spirit plays a vital role in our prayers, and our life in relationship to the triune God.
15 June 2009
Praying for God's glory or praying for our needs?
In a previous post I said that one of the essential elements of prayer was a sense of our own or others' need, the 'necessity' of prayer. Yet recently I've been writing about praying in Jesus name in order to do God's will and bring him glory. Aren't these contradictory? Aren't we being selfish or at least human-centred rather than God-centred if we pray for the things we need in our own lives? If we want to glorify God and pray according to his will, shouldn't we focus our prayers on things like evangelism and mission, rather than bothering God with our anxiety over an exam, or the health of our Auntie June?
This sense that our prayers aren't acceptable unless we're constantly praying about great, "spiritual" issues can be crippling to our prayer life. It leads to all sorts of less-than-Christian attitudes to prayer. We might bring our own apparently petty needs to God and then try to parcel them up with some prayers for outreach and missions, in an effort to make them seem more acceptable. In effect we try to strike a bargain with God - if you give me what I want, I'll pray for what you want.
Or we might ignore our own needs altogether and pray only for the big issues. But that leads to self-sufficiency and pride. "Look at all those silly souls praying for their own trivial needs, while I co-operate with God in changing the world."
The problem arises from an inadequate understanding of God's rule and God's kingdom. The kingdom of God is not about ever-so-holy people doing ever-so-spiritual activities. It's about the whole of life being brought under the lordship of Christ. It's about honoring and serving God in everything we do, with our bodies, minds, words, relationships and goods. And it's about longing to see all people, all of creation doing the same.
So in fact we honour God and bring him glory when we acknowledge our needs to him. We extend his kingdom when we pray for the means to overcome sickness, pain and suffering in those around us. We serve him better when we seek his healing for our own weaknesses and failings. We demonstrate his rule in our lives when we bring our relationships to him in prayer.
If we can't acknowledge our trust in God's goodness and reliance on his power to provide for our own relatively simple needs, where will we get the faith to ask for big, world-changing things? And there's no doubt that we are told to pray for governments and leaders, for the sending out of missionaries and evangelists, for the salvation of the lost, for the spiritual growth of other Christians, for the perseverence of those facing persecution for their faith. But it's also God's will that we should pray for our daily bread.
This sense that our prayers aren't acceptable unless we're constantly praying about great, "spiritual" issues can be crippling to our prayer life. It leads to all sorts of less-than-Christian attitudes to prayer. We might bring our own apparently petty needs to God and then try to parcel them up with some prayers for outreach and missions, in an effort to make them seem more acceptable. In effect we try to strike a bargain with God - if you give me what I want, I'll pray for what you want.
Or we might ignore our own needs altogether and pray only for the big issues. But that leads to self-sufficiency and pride. "Look at all those silly souls praying for their own trivial needs, while I co-operate with God in changing the world."
The problem arises from an inadequate understanding of God's rule and God's kingdom. The kingdom of God is not about ever-so-holy people doing ever-so-spiritual activities. It's about the whole of life being brought under the lordship of Christ. It's about honoring and serving God in everything we do, with our bodies, minds, words, relationships and goods. And it's about longing to see all people, all of creation doing the same.
So in fact we honour God and bring him glory when we acknowledge our needs to him. We extend his kingdom when we pray for the means to overcome sickness, pain and suffering in those around us. We serve him better when we seek his healing for our own weaknesses and failings. We demonstrate his rule in our lives when we bring our relationships to him in prayer.
If we can't acknowledge our trust in God's goodness and reliance on his power to provide for our own relatively simple needs, where will we get the faith to ask for big, world-changing things? And there's no doubt that we are told to pray for governments and leaders, for the sending out of missionaries and evangelists, for the salvation of the lost, for the spiritual growth of other Christians, for the perseverence of those facing persecution for their faith. But it's also God's will that we should pray for our daily bread.
9 June 2009
More thoughts on praying in Jesus' name
Tagging a prayer with "in Jesus' name, Amen" is meaningless if we aren't praying "in Jesus name" in practice. And if we are praying in Jesus' name in practice, then (I assume) the words themselves are not really necessary.
But we need to be aware that adding "in Jesus name" to our public prayers is a powerful statement of what we believe and who we are. A prayer addressed simply to "God" will be acceptable to many, both from traditional religions and those with more new age ideas of spirituality. Even praying to "Our heavenly father" will be acceptable to some outside Christian circles.
When we add "in Jesus' name" to our prayers, however, we are effectively declaring our faith in Jesus as the only way to God. We are no longer praying to a generic God, but to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. That will be deeply offensive to some. It has sometimes been deemed unacceptable to use this phrase in a multicultural setting. In 2005, for instance, a chaplain in the US navy was dismissed for (amongst other things) repeatedly using "in the name of Jesus" in public services where people of other faiths were present.
Whether or not we choose to use the words in our public prayers depends on what our purpose is. There will be times when not causing offence will be important in reaching others with the gospel, and other times when we need to declare our faith against all opposition. Either way, our prayers will still be "in Jesus name" if we are praying to God's glory.
But we need to be aware that adding "in Jesus name" to our public prayers is a powerful statement of what we believe and who we are. A prayer addressed simply to "God" will be acceptable to many, both from traditional religions and those with more new age ideas of spirituality. Even praying to "Our heavenly father" will be acceptable to some outside Christian circles.
When we add "in Jesus' name" to our prayers, however, we are effectively declaring our faith in Jesus as the only way to God. We are no longer praying to a generic God, but to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. That will be deeply offensive to some. It has sometimes been deemed unacceptable to use this phrase in a multicultural setting. In 2005, for instance, a chaplain in the US navy was dismissed for (amongst other things) repeatedly using "in the name of Jesus" in public services where people of other faiths were present.
Whether or not we choose to use the words in our public prayers depends on what our purpose is. There will be times when not causing offence will be important in reaching others with the gospel, and other times when we need to declare our faith against all opposition. Either way, our prayers will still be "in Jesus name" if we are praying to God's glory.
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