August Advent, part 10: Prayer

We’re praying. We’ve asked friends, colleagues, and supporting congregations to pray. Yet how does prayer work, and how does it help you wait - especially when feels like nothing happens.

Well, as Christians, we pray because Jesus invites us to pray. As I reflect on prayer, though, I feel I need to back into the answer by addressing what I do not think pray is or does.

I do not think prayer convinces God to do something that God hasn’t thought about: “Gee, Dan, thanks for bringing that to my attention. Must have slipped by with all the other things happening…”

I do not think prayer wears God down until God gives in: “Alright, already. I wasn’t going to on the first, second, or 32nd request, yet since you’ve asked 100 times, I’ll do it.”

I do not think prayer reminds God that we exist: “Hello, Dan…Dan… oh, yes, Dan. Hello. What’s going on. Forgot about you for a second / month / etc. Oops. What’s going on? Oh, visas? cool, where you headed? Oh, yes, Ireland. Thanks for the reminder.”

I do not think prayer reminds God that we have concerns. God knows about new births, school tests, cancer, surgical procedures, anxiety, war, trafficking, etc.

However, saying those things doesn’t mean that God doesn’t listen, nor that we shouldn’t pray, ask, plead, cry out.

The asking and crying out expresses - releases - the questions, cares, and concerns.

Also throughout scripture, we encounter many places where we read God saying something like, “I have heard the cry of my people…”

In the Gospels we see Jesus responding to queries, requests, and pleas. And in one instance we read about Jesus crying out to God the Father, “If it be your will, then let this cup pass from me, yet let your will be done.”

God’s responses may not always be what we want, yet we can trust that God will be with us through the circumstances.

God knows us. God loves us. God works tirelessly, constantly for the redemption of the world…AND…God invites us to join in with this holy work of healing the world, constantly.

So, what does prayer do - I think prayer helps remind me that:

God exists;

God remains aware of us;

God’s love for us never ends;

and God will always work for the redemption of the world, and God wants us to participate in that holy work.

This quote from C.S. Lewis has helped shape my perspective on prayer and praying:

“I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God. It changes me.” C.S. Lewis

When we pray for others’ healing, deliverance, and hopefulness, we live into and gain glimpses of the coming kingdom, now.

Praying reframes our lives and our circumstances within God’s larger story, and while we may not feel circumstances changing, we can trust that God continues to work for good and for the redemption of all of creation, everywhere, all the time.

All this helps me realize that praying helps me Advent well because praying our situations with hope - even amidst the disappointment that I wrote about in the previous post.

Keep Praying. Keep Hoping. Keep looking for how to join God’s light-shining, love-shedding, life-transforming work. Alleluia. Amen.