Prayer through the Ages

Every now and then, I think it's a good idea to evaluate our Chrstian practices. What are they; and are we doing them as well as we could?(Sometimes the question is, Are we doing them at all?) This sermon begins a seven-week series that will center on classic Christian practices. I begin with prayer, since it is central to our lives as Christians. If you choose to read my sermon, I'll be interested to find out if it was helpful to you.

Of all the Christian practices, prayer is certainly one of the most important. Prayer allows us to connect to God. Prayer recharges our batteries. Prayer takes us beyond ourselves. Jesus’ ministry was steeped in prayer. This morning, you heard a story that took place early in Jesus’ ministry. (Mark 1:32-39) He has ministered to needy people all evening, and he is probably bone-weary. But instead of sleeping in and getting some extra rest, he gets up early in the morning and goes out by himself to pray. Mark didn’t need to add that detail to his story. But he’s careful to put it in, because it’s important. Prayer wasn’t an optional activity in Jesus’ life; it was central. And it is for us, too.

My sermon today is titled, “Prayer through the Ages.” That might lead you to believe that I’ll be doing a historical survey of prayer. I might be starting with prayers of the early Christians, moving on to structured daily prayer patterns of medieval monasteries, and then finishing with types of contemporary prayer. I might well be doing that. But I’m not. The “ages” that I’m considering this morning are our ages – yours and mine. They’re the times in our lives that we’ve experienced already, the times that we’re encountering right now, and the times that we’re looking forward to some day in the future. I’m going to focus on some of the questions that many of us have about prayer as we move through our ages. We do have questions about prayer, don’t we? But we usually don’t ask those questions. Maybe that’s because we’re afraid to ask them. After all, if we ask a question about prayer, someone might think that we don’t understand the Christian faith as well as we ought to. That would be embarrassing! So we don’t ask anything at all – and our prayer life sometimes suffers because of it. So, this morning, I’ve made up questions from five imaginary people. They aren’t real people. I wasn’t thinking of anyone in my congregation when I dreamed them up. But the questions they will ask about prayer are very real. Maybe you already know the answers to all of them. If that’s the case, then Bravo! You’re a real expert in prayer – and you could probably teach me a thing or two! But if you don’t know all the answers… well, maybe you’ll discover something useful in my sermon this morning.

We’ll start with Gary, who’s just 7 years old. Gary’s Sunday school class has been talking about prayer; but he’s missed something important. Gary’s question is, “What is prayer, anyway?” What is prayer? What a good question! That’s getting down to the basics! Prayer is nothing more than having a conversation with God. We can say all the things to God that we might say to one of our earthly loved ones. I would tell Gary that prayer is kind of like talking to his mom or dad. Sometimes we tell God about the great day we’ve just had; sometimes we ask God a question; sometimes we want to share hurts or frustrations; sometimes we ask for things we need; and sometimes we tell God ‘Thank you.’ It’s as simple as that.

Now we’ll move on to Matilda, a lovely young lady of 18. Matilda has been thinking a lot about prayer, especially since her mother takes her to a Methodist church one Sunday, and her father takes her to a Pentecostal church the next. She is bothered by the difference in prayer in the two churches. So she asks, “Is there one right way to pray?” No, Matilda, there is no ‘right way’ to pray. There are certainly differences in church traditions. For some Christians, prayer is quiet and reflective; while for others, it’s much more active. In ancient times, people stood while they prayed (and that’s still the case for Orthodox Jews). The important part of prayer is not how we do it, but that we do it. I would advise Matilda to join each congregation in their own style of prayer; and to decide which style suits her best for her own personal prayers. After all, we can talk with our friends while sitting at the dinner table, taking a stroll around the block, or exercising at the Y. Our conversations with God are no different.

Larry is in his mid 30s and has a young family. He works long hours to provide for his family; and on the weekends, he’s busy with the activities of his children. Larry says, “I just don’t have time to pray. My family and work obligations keep me really busy. How can I make time for prayer?” Many of us have Larry’s problem, don’t we? If we don’t get the fields harvested, our family might not eat next year. If we miss our daily prayers… well, God loves us anyway. But it’s important for Larry to realize that we don’t have to take an hour off and sit quietly in a chair to pray. We can pray wherever we are and whatever we’re doing. Are you in line at the grocery store? You can pray there. Maybe a frazzled-looking woman with a couple of active toddlers is in line in front of you. Pray silently for her. After you’ve done this a couple of times, it will become automatic. It helps many people to choose a short, one-line prayer, and pray it frequently during the day. You might pray, “Lord, have mercy,” or “Jesus, be near me.” Soon it will be second nature to come to God when you get up in the morning, when you go to bed at night, and lots of times in between.

Teresa is in her late 50s. She’s attended church all her life; but recently, she’s run into a problem. “I’m stuck,” she says. “My prayers don’t seem to go any farther than the roof. Is God even listening to me?” Teresa, many Christians have experienced what you’re describing. Although you’re coming to God, it doesn’t feel like God is there any more. The medieval mystic St. John of the Cross gave it a name, calling it ‘the Dark Night of the Soul.’ It can be experienced by Christians who have prayed for years, and who have always felt the presence of God. But one day, God seems to have taken the phone off the hook. We pray and pray, but don’t hear anything from God in response. No less a spiritual giant than Mother Teresa experienced this. Read her autobiography some time. She was in the Dark Night of the Soul for much of her life. But she continued to pray anyway. At one point, she said, “It is only when you realize your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself.” When we experience the Dark Night of the Soul, perhaps we, too, are preparing to be filled by God.

Finally, we meet Grace. Grace is in her 80s and has been a praying Christian through all those years. She doesn’t do much formal praying these days, and for an interesting reason. She tells us, “I’ve prayed for so many years that I don’t have much to say to God anymore. God knows what I need; and he knows that I appreciate all the blessings in my life. Do I have to put my prayers into words?” Actually, Grace, wordless prayers are some of the deepest prayers that we can pray. Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We don’t know what we ought to pray for, so the Spirit intercedes for us in prayers that words can’t express. And God who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” When we pray without words, our relationship with God is like that of a couple who have been happily married for a long time. All the words have long since been said. They are content to sit silently on the front porch in each other’s company. When they hear a bullfrog croaking down by the pond, they catch each other’s eye. They smile, knowing that the wife loves to hear a bullfrog in the summer. But they don’t have to talk about it in words.

Isn’t that what we long for, in the end: a relationship with God so deep that words aren’t necessary any more. But we can only attain that kind of relationship by constant prayer. So, however you pray, and whenever you pray, and whatever you pray about, pray! Share your joys and your sorrows with God. Ask God to enlighten you when you have questions. Be thankful for all the good things in your life. Complain when you need to. God’s a big boy; God can handle it! And if you can’t feel God’s presence, pray anyway! God hasn’t gone anywhere.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul has some advice for us about prayer. “Do not worry about anything,” he says, “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The peace of God that passes all understanding. That’s what prayer can give us. Regardless of the circumstances of our lives, prayer can give us God’s peace, and keep us safely in the arms of Jesus. What more could we possibly want?