In East Africa people are readily inclined to pray. One would never drink a cup of tea in Kenya without first thanking God in prayer. It would be utterly unthinkable to do otherwise. That much I appreciate and embrace: the inclination to be prayerful. But like anything else in our spiritual exercises, prayer can become a lifeless idol. An empty religious exercise of habit, social norms or culture. I have seen that side of it as well and find it spiritually offensive. The consequential challenge is to not avoid prayer because of the flagrant misuses or misapplications of prayer. But rather to
Persevere in Perfecting the holy task.
At the Bible Schools, we have an hour of prayer before the Bible teachings begin. Before and after each of the six teaching sessions, we pray. After classes close, we have another 45 minutes or more of intercession exclusively for the Ministry, supporters and their prayer requests. If I let the Pastors and Ministry Leaders pray as often and as lengthy as they prefer, we’d scarcely get to the Word of God. Every local church has an Intercessory Prayer Team, and multiple prayer meetings throughout the week. Every church in Kenya has an all-night prayer meeting at least once a month; many every week. The point being there is a lot of prayer going on in the church.
Jesus prayed. If it was important, beneficial and needful to Him, then it should be to us.
Some of us view prayer as an optional condiment, rather than as a main meal. It really should be the other way around. All too often it is only after we’ve exhausted every other conceivable option that we finally go to God in prayer with our petitions. Amongst our Pastors and Ministry Leaders at the Bible Schools, it’s the exact opposite. They go to prayer first. Every time. For everything. They never travel on foot, by bicycle or any other means without first praying for God’s travel mercies and protection. But when was the last time you or your congregation closed a gathering with such a plea?
Perhaps we think God has more important things on His mind. I’m not so sure about that. God seems to have everything on His mind. Even the thoughts and prayers of little innocent children heralding the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem. Jesus rebuked the critical religious leaders by quoting Psalm 8...
“O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have Perfected Praise...”
Children have an unaffected way of praying in their early years. Oftentimes they say things that astonish us in their heartfelt sincerity, spontaneity and simplicity. Perhaps that should be a reminder to us adults to remove the embellishments, the vain repetitions and the faithless pleadings. Children do none of that. Neither did Jesus. And He taught us better. Rather than merely mouthing the “Lord’s Prayer” like a meaningless mantra, we’d do better by studying His key instructions in the few verses just before..
“And when you pray,you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”
None of these instructions impinge upon our personalities or “ways of saying things.” Jesus is not trying to restrict us in a regulatory manner. He is rather providing us warnings about how not to be disqualified in our prayers. Clearly some prayers and manners of praying are offensive to God. Showmanship, public bravado, mindless and needless repetition, senseless multiplication of words are viewed by God as marks of religious Hypocrisy. But perhaps the greatest offense is in the area of Faithlessness: that is, a lack of Faith in God. Prayers soaked in Faith in God and His Will are most pleasing to God. True Faith readily accepts God’s answers to our prayers: be it His “Yes”, “No” or Silence. We remain confident in His Holy and Righteous “Character”...regardless of what we See...
“But let him ask in Faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
Faith acknowledges that God’s answers are always perfect and righteous. We may not like His answer. We may not understand His answer this side of eternity. It may test our Faith. But we are never to doubt God. That would be antithetical to our profession of Faith, and our witness before mankind.
The prayerlessness in today’s churches and homes is remarkable, if not scandalous. Modern “Christianity” is proving itself to be little more than a sedate and timid religious ethic unable to resist the decay of spirituality and morality. Indeed, God Himself has been cast out of our churches, our prayers and ponderings. We forge forward in human effort, boldly confronting each obstacle with rational choices, logic, concentration, obstinate enthusiasm and humanitarian bravado for what we can overcome. Only when we run out of all options do we even begin to consider the Almighty. And in our last throws of despair and disillusionment, we finally fall to our knees in bitter remorse for never having previously considered that His Divine Will might be entirely different from our parochial will.
Jesus served God very differently from what we are seeing today. Perhaps the place to start a reformation is with Personal Prayer...but let us not forsake amending our Public Prayers as well. Praying like Jesus. Praying through the divine inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Without fanfare, without chaos, without mindless mantras, without doubting God. With innocence, with fervency, with Desperation. Like Jesus...
“...who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedienc eby the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him...”
It’s time we turn off the stage show, get back to the basics, get on our knees...
And Let us Pray.
