"In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God."Prayer is a funny thing. The Bible often tells us to pray... so obviously, God wants us to talk with Him. But what is it He want us to say to Him? And what should our posture be? Are we supposed to pray with confidence... or humility? Should we be on our knees... or walking around with our hands in the air? How do we deal with the whole concept of unanswered prayers? Just what exactly is prayer all about?
Last Sunday, I may have raised some eyebrows when I implored the sheep of my flock (okay, it's God's flock... but you know what I mean) to NOT study their Bibles - that is, if it takes away from the simple, humble act of reading their Bibles (and seeking to listen what God may want to say to them). When we study something, it tends to depersonalize the subject, rendering it an intellectual pursuit rather than a relational one. I don't want you to study God... I want you to KNOW God! We know someone by spending time with them and listening to their voice... not by dissecting their words and creating charts. Obviously, Bible study is a good thing... a great thing for Christian disciples - but not if it becomes our only avenue of pursuing God. Bible study can only be secondary to the primary task of getting to know the God of the Bible... and that is best accomplished by reading the words of Scripture and allowing them to soak into our heart, soul and mind.
My approach to prayer is essentially the same, in that, it is first and foremost a relationship-building tool designed to shape us into followers of Christ... not a mechanism of getting what we want from God. That may seem obvious to some, but I'm not so sure many people really understand what prayer is about. Just as most all yearly Bible reading plans tend to break down the Bible into more "pleasant" bite-size chunks of Old Testament and New Testament... with a Psalm and Proverb thrown in for good measure - so too is our modern approach to the act of prayer based more on a sense of science than story, i.e., "cause and effect" rather than deep dependence. God is not a vending machine that must do as we request. We don't put in our money (prayer) and out pops a snack (answer). True, we are told to make requests of God, and even believe with confidence that our prayers will be answered... but confidence in Christ is thoroughly laced with humility that reminds us that God knows what is best... God is in charge... and God will work whenever, however, and by whatever means He chooses. We can ask, even persistently, for things to unfold the way we think are best... but ultimately, we must submit ourselves to God's will.
Perhaps the key to understanding prayer is the concept of covenant. For reasons we cannot fathom, God loves us with incredible passion. As such, He chooses to involve us in the epic saga of the salvation of the world. Humanity, with all its warts and flaws, is made in the image of God... and has been given the mind-blowing gift of participation in God's ongoing plan to put a broken world back together. He doesn't need us... not by any stretch of the imagination. Nevertheless, He believes in us, and gives us an undeserved place at His table. Our weapons? According to the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6, they are the belt of truth; the body armor of righteousness; the shoes of peace (that comes from the Good News); the shield of faith; the helmet of salvation; and (most importantly for a warrior), the Word (which is the sword of the Spirit).
Prayer is not listed as a defensive or offensive weapon in Paul's list. For him, it is the absolute foundation of all other things - an absolutely necessary component for a soldier to remain informed and alert while on the battlefield. Prayer is unseen yet powerful. Prayer is mysterious. Prayer is essential. Prayer is what keeps the belt tight, the armor thick, the shoes secure, the shield strong, the helmet impenetrable, and the sword sharp.
God does not "owe" us anything. He has already given us everything. If you don't believe that, take a good long gaze at the cross of Christ. And yet... even though He doesn't owe us and doesn't need us... God still invites us to walk with Him... fight evil with Him... trust Him... talk to Him... and submit to Him.
Prayer is the other side of the spiritual coin from reading (that is, listening to, entering into the stories, and seeing ourselves in the larger story of)... the Bible. Prayer is the "tails" whereas the Word is the "heads". One without the other is subject to the flesh of sinful man... desperately seeking to be in control and attain power. But together (by faith, in humility), they combine to unleash the most powerful force in the universe... an unlikely covenant relationship of love between the created and the Creator... between humanity and God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Hmmmm. If what I say is true...
How then should that shape our willingness and motivation to pray as God's people? Perhaps with holy hands and calloused knees? :-)
I agree that there needs to be reading just to read (And also listening to the Holy Spirit), but I disagree that studying doesn't lead to knowing Jesus better and is a secondary discipline. It also depends on how/why you are studying. Is it simply for the head religious knowledge (gnosis), or for sinful reasons (like pride), or to further the relationship (epignosis)? Epignosis, aka relational knowledge or true knowledge, includes discernment and the full comprehension of the divine relation to man.
ReplyDelete(Actually, there is also an argument to be made for studying/reading just to grow more knowledgable in the word: According to II Peter 1:3-11, we have to be growing in 'plain old' religious knowledge, or we won't be being fruitful in relational/true knowledge).
In general though, all the methods of interacting with Christ (Bible reading, Bible studying, prayer, looking at his handiwork in nature, worship, etc) - help us grow in relationship with Him.
For instance, a session of reading the word strait might bring out God's planning, his harmony, his unchanging nature, as the connection between two distant chapters are made. This might be most akin to spending a month with someone, or reading their memoirs, or hanging on their every word for an hour (like listening to the Sermon on the Mount) - you get an overview, and may pick up tidbits that you plan to go back to later, but you are learning more about the broad strokes and connections, the outline of their personality, than the deep nuances. Conversly, if we don't have the broad outlines, we won't be able to make those connections, and Biblican concepts such as the hope of heaven, God as the Alpha and Omega, even the Old and New Covenent, will make less sense.
Take a verse, any verse, and read and meditate on it (or memorize it to meditate on later) and that will have hidden treasures of its own. "Cast all your anxieties upon Him, for He cares for you." Reading past it will miss many different points: We do not delicately and hesitantly hand over our anxiety to God when we are done ranting about our worries to our friends, rather, we quickly fling them on God. It's not just some, or only severe, or only earthly or only spiritual - its all our anxieties. The word for our anxiety (merimna) is even different than the word for God's concerned interest (melo') - which can trigger a study all on its own on the topic of concern: If anxiety is to be flung onto God, what about concerns (such as concern for the sick) - and in turn we find in scripture that 'cares' are fine. It is when a legitimate concern turns into anxiety that God is there to take the burden of that worry and leave us with Peace.
ReplyDeleteMeditating on verses is akin to growing in a relationship such as when the Disciples discussed Jesus's parables, asked him questions to clarify, and in general refining specific guesses or aspects we think we know about people or drawing out more detailed answers from other things they have said - like continuing a conversation. They say something, we ask a question, they respond.
Full studies come in many formats, but they can lead to some amazing, and tender moments, getting to know Christ. Studies on old Testament symbology to Christ's fulfillment in the New Testament - whther on the Temple, as first fruits, the Holy of Holies, Sanctification, Redemption, or what ever aspect one starts with - lead to a broader view of the depth and beauty of Christ's sacrifice, and the intricacy and perfection of the Eternal plan.
That's only the start too.
While I get a great deal out of all forms of Bible reading, whether just to read or study or to meditate on a verse, I would have to say that the times when I have drawn closest to Jesus over a relational aspect of his person that I had never been aware of before, or floored over God's majesty, have mostly been due to Bible studies.
I would hazard a guess that this also varies by person. Just as people are drawn to different personality aspects in other people, there will be different ways we each intract with Jesus that grow our relationship with Him faster than others. For some it might be standing outside on a breezy day and thinking about how much He cares, for others it may be forgiveness, others may grow in relationship by serving others and hence understanding Christ's nature of service. Others may grow fastest by participating with others in the Body of Christ the Church. So long as all the fruits of God are increasing in us as mentioned in II Peter, then no specific way should be looked down upon as less effective than another.
We are all being conformed to the image of Christ - so if one thing reveals Christ, its certainly not to be discouraged or thought of as lesser than anything else that reveals Christ, for they are all good.
Plus, if you never study the word - only read it, that leaves the door open for misconceptions about who Christ is and what he wants us to be doing on Earth. (Just look at how many differing/bickering denominations there are who each think they are the right one with the 'best' approach, literally eating at each other by picking on other churches on their websites and the like - when the church is the body of Christ (singular), and we all are members of that -one- body).