The Use of Prayer
From the beginning of time, people have prayed to higher powers for those things beyond their understanding. It is a very natural thing for us to do and it follows the example of Jesus Christ thoroughly. What is prayer? First, it is not a padded club with which we make demands upon an unwilling God. Neither is it a kind of persuasion with which we cajole God into a kindly frame of mind. It is not a form of magic by which we overturn the ordinary laws of nature. It is not a pious whining intended to stimulate the divine sympathy.
What is prayer? Prayer is communion with God. It is exploring the mind of God; it is placing ourselves in God’s hands’ it is talking with God, it is spending time with God. These are all descriptions of prayer, but we are proposing a different one. Prayer is the means by which God’s power is released into human life.
God is a God of law and order. He has created a world in which laws prevail which may not be violated with impunity. Some of these laws we know; some we guess at; some are still mysteries to us. Nonetheless, we know they are there and know they are constant and dependable if we are to live intelligently with them. Areas in which the laws appear to be varying are an indication that our understanding is incomplete. Even Science is constantly revising its conclusions as knowledge advances.
We have talked only about the natural laws but there are also spiritual laws. With our limited understanding, we attempt to distinguish between the two. In God’s sight, there is probably no such distinction. His creation is a whole, unified thing, in which natural and spiritual laws are interwoven, acting and reacting with one another. Every physician knows that mental, moral, and spiritual upheavals affect the physical machinery of the body.
Prayer is a spiritual law which is not separated from natural laws. When we look at the ceiling, gravity is not being denied. We are seeing multiple natural laws interacting to make a roof out of a pile of heavy materials. Should you pray for your loved ones? Just as you would take them to the doctor, you should pray for them. We cannot separate their spiritual life from their physical life. If destructive natural forces are at work, we introduce healthful spiritual forces to counteract them.
How can we pray in accordance with the spiritual law? You have seen handouts when I didn’t have time get them proofread by someone else. We all know how often what we say is not exactly what we mean. Sometimes we are sure what we want is good for us but are often mistaken. Notice how often we end a prayer with “through Jesus Christ, Our Lord?” We are passing our prayers through Christ for cleansing, purifying, and correction. God’s power is still released with all its beneficent effectiveness and our blunders are eradicated.
Next we ask, “Are prayers always answered?” Yes, they are, but not always in the manner expected. Have you ever had a problem that you just couldn’t get straight in your mind? You pray about it but nothing seems to happen. You mention the problem to your neighbor and he sheds new light on it that suggests a solution. Did your neighbor help with your problem or did God answer your prayer? God constantly works through people. Remember Jesus did not give us a text book. He gave us the Apostles and they provided the teaching.
Have you ever tried to talk someone out of something you knew would be harmful to them? Have you found nothing you could say made any difference? Have you resorted to prayer because nothing else worked? Have you ever been surprised to find something else happened and changed their decision? Could not God have been responsible?
Answers to prayers do not fall into the category of instant gratification. We like quick results because we want to quit worrying about the issue. We must learn to “wait upon God” while continuing our prayers. His greater wisdom will come in its own time. For years, St. Monica prayed earnestly that her son might be rescued from his dissolute life. When it finally happened, “Confessions of St. Augustine” was written and resulted in helping struggling Christians for the ensuing centuries.
Every honest prayer offered through the cleansing Presence of Jesus Christ is bound to be answered. It is a law of the spiritual realm and it always works. Prayer is the means by which God’s power is released into human life. The neglect of prayer cripples your ability to live. If people are only concerned with food, shelter and clothing, the difference between them and animals is that animals grow their own clothing. Most humans desire something better and God meets that desire by equipping us with the faculty of prayer.
Prayer is a faculty and like all others, it needs to be developed. Even those with natural gifts like music are not freed from the necessity of study, practice, and training. As the old adage says, “Genius is a capacity for hard work”. Oddly enough, people often think prayer is different. Some think it can be practiced or set aside at one’s convenience. The person who never prays until a desperate situation arises is ill-prepared to pray. His spiritual faculties are stiff and apathetic from neglect. His soul is numb from disuse. He is a stranger in God’s presence. He doesn’t know how to talk to God. He is like an untrained craftsman trying to handle a delicate instrument. If we develop the ability to pray while our needs are small, our spiritual faculties will be alive and alert when an emergency really requires their use.
It is not easy to learn to pray. There are periods of discouragement when timid souls feel like giving it up. A sensible person will realize that the reality of his religious life has a much more stable foundation. Even when the appetite slackens, he knows it is necessary to eat and that eventually the appetite will return. If prayer were as easy as some people think it is, our souls would grow soft and our faith would be colorless.
Most of us have seen, if not driven, the single cylinder engines and vehicles. It covered ground but was slow, halting, noisy and unreliable. On the other hand, we are now familiar with multiple cylinder vehicles that are sure, quick, silent, powerful and dependable. Adding the extra cylinders made the difference. In the same manner, adding aspects to your prayer life will smooth the process and make it much more dependable. For example, we have five aspects to be cultivated: Adoration – Confession – Intercession – Petition – Thanksgiving. All are required for a fully rounded prayer life. It would be very difficult to include each in every prayer we make, but we should see that each aspect receives due attention over a period of time.
It would be a danger to fall into a spiritual routine, reciting the same familiar phrases every time. Our prayers need to be fresh, vigorous and interesting. Every conversation with your best friend will not be the same. Our conversations with God should be no different. These five kinds of prayers are different avenues into God’s presence. They need not all be used at once and we should not attempt to separate them into mechanical divisions.
Prayer is a habit. When a child is learning to write, the content of the writing takes a back seat to the forming of the letters. After making the letters becomes a habit, he no longer thinks about how to write. He begins to think about what he is writing. After prayer becomes a habit, you no longer worry about the time and methods. Instead you focus your thoughts on God. Prayer is not a luxury for occasional indulgence. It is both a duty and a privilege – a practical necessity for anyone who desires to live closer to God. One good suggestion is to maintain a few moments of silence as you begin to pray. Complete silence is a proper introduction to the presence of God. Let the spirit of devotion encircle you. You will pray better and it is more polite to your heavenly Father.
We live in a world of law and order. One of the laws is the spiritual law of prayer. It is a faculty which requires training, practice and exercise. As we acquire the technique to make the experience our own, we grow in grace. Difficulties and discouragements are to be expected. Prayer is the means by which God’s power is released into human life. It is a law of God and God’s laws are dependable.