Do I know how to pray?

A Prayer Poem

give me a little of this, 

give me a little of that, 

and pass some of the other to him 

and maybe something from there to her.  

Oh, yeh, and 

in Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

being honest about one’s prayer life is hard.  even harder when that person is a pastor and his congregation is likely to stumble onto his blog.  maybe it is even hard because to write it down and publish it to the web is like confessing one’s sin to the world.  the indictment is made and the truth stares back at oneself.

but such is and has been my prayer life, an endless list of things which i ask for myself and others. but again, if i am honest, mostly i forget others while i never seem to forget myself.  God seems to have other plans, a few weeks ago, after attending a 3-day prayer retreat, God convicted me of my sin and failure to take prayer seriously.

i have been in ministry since 2001, but a pastor since December 2007.  during this time i have prayed very little, and very ineffectively as i am coming to realize.  i don’t trust God to answer prayer, i work out my own prayers to ensure they come to fruition.  i am frequently boggled by what to pray and feel entirely bereft of any power.  turn to the apostle Paul.

in my studies recently i have been struck by how Paul prayed.  granted i have only looked at 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10, 3:9-13, 5:23-25 and 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 and there are many other passages to explore, which i hope to write on in the coming weeks, but Paul’s prayers are astounding and thoroughly spiritual.

here are my observations:

first, for all the prayer we pray for people to be healed, to be removed from difficult situations to be given material blessing, what strikes me is that Paul doesn’t pray for any of this.  on the contrary, he, first and foremost thanks God that other disciples a) exist and b) are actually following Jesus - their repentance is obvious.  he then goes on to ask God to continue to bring them growth even amidst the persecution and trouble they are experiencing.  how often have i expressed such prayers of thanks for others, especially in the midst of public gatherings?  my hope is to begin such congregational prayers.  i will write on the results and reactions later.

second, Paul seems to have a consistent prayer life, a set time in the mornings and evenings where he speaks with God and listens to God, where he intercedes for the churches around the world.  he is genuinely excited about the work of God in the world and so he keeps talking to God about it and asking God to keep on doing what he has been doing.  i have not, my prayer life has been haphazard, taking my cues more from Brother Lawrence and the practice of the presence of God than from Paul.  this is not to demean Brother Lawrence, the lessons i have learned from him have been very fruitful and i wouldn’t trade them, but there is more as i am finding out.  i have been praying for God to give me a heart to pray, to put a passion in me to rise early and to come often to him in prayer.  He is answering this prayer.

third, Paul earnestly desires that faith be built up and love increase.  he wants to see the disciples of Jesus grow in their faith commitment, in their understanding of Christ glorious riches but he also wants to see a practical outworking of these realities into the lives of every disciple.  often i pray for faith, or love but rarely do i pray for both, however there is not separation in his letter to the Thessalonians.  i believe this is telling, we must pray for both.  

as i reflect on the implications for prayer and pastoral counseling i am struck by the fact that dysfunctional relationships, where we tend to focus on the love aspect, the horizontal gospel, is out of whack because the faith aspect, or vertical gospel, is compromised while the struggles of discipleship tend to be the opposite reality.  as a pastor i must pray about both issues and bring both to bear upon those seeking counsel from the church.  what more could Paul be implying as he prays ‘may God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  may your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless...’

finally, all Paul’s prayers are that the ‘name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and yo in him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.’  more than anything, Paul desires Jesus’ glory, while all too often i have desired my own glory or probably the idea of glory hasn’t even been on my horizons.  i am a selfish, self-focused person, how could my prayers seek another’s glory, without God opening up his word to me and showing me something new.

to conclude, God has opened up his word fresh to me and it involves my body, soul and spirit being changed for his glory and his fame.  i thank my Lord, and incidentally, i am thrilled.