“Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.” Westminster Shorter Catechism
Prayer is a great privilege and gift that is promised to God’s people. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray (Matt. 6:6-8). He instructed his people to pray with faith, expectation and perseverance(Matt. 2:22). If wicked judges might be prevailed upon by the incessant knocking of a distressed widow, would not God be willing to hear the prayers of his children? Paul encouraged the believers to be engaged in the ministry of prayer in all matters and manners of times (Eph. 6:18; 1 Thess. 5:17). Prayer is not a life-vest we throw on when the ship begins to sink. It is not a last resort for times of crisis; it is the warp and woof of Christian living. The believer begins and ends their day in prayer, in loving dialogue with a God who is there and who oversees the affairs of the day. He is concerned about the details of our mundane lives, as well as the unexpected big events that come our way. Surely we are apt to forget to pray as we ought, but if the theology of providence teaches us anything it reminds us that God is not on vacation or taking a break from our lives, no matter how dull or uneventful each day may seem. Prayer reminds us that all things are important to God.
It is a different sort of thing however, to say that in our public praying that all things are necessary or proper for our praying. Is God concerned about Aunt Myrtle’s bunions? Yes, He is a God of all mercy and compassion. But, the question is not about God’s concern or ability, but the high purpose of prayer for the praying Church. We live in a day where information concerning the President’s doctor’s visit or a tragedy in distant State or across the oceans is readily available for us. Neil Postman in is his book, “Amusing Ourselves to Death” called it a “peek-a-boo world”, where the radio, TV or the internet confronts us with news and events that in real life do not touch us. For example, is it really vital I know that President of the United States has gall stones? Ought we not to pray for tragedies and the pain of others we do not know? Yes, we must. The question is how we ought to pray. It is my conviction that when we pray for a tragedy, we should pray for the believers or the Church that is able to minister in their immediate context to share the Gospel and the hope that is found in Christ. In other words, our prayers in the context of worship and public praise are meant for the glory of Christ and the furtherance of his Kingdom. Rather than knowing about Aunt Myrtle’s bunions and countless other ailments, let us pray for all the saints to know the healing power of Christ and his power so that we all might live in praise and devotion to Him. For all we know the bunions might be God’s instrument to be more devoted. When our public prayers start to become recitals of our “peek-a-boo” world they become a substitute for God-centered praise and doxology. Does this mean God is not concerned about the details? No. It means when we come together to pray, we make sure God’s glory is our object and not the details of our information world. P.T. Forsyth the British pastor of the 19th Century wrote, “Prayer should rise more out of God’s Word and concern for His Kingdom than even out of our personal needs, trials, or desires.” Our prayers are to be kindled in the hot fire of God’s grace, rather than dished out in the flash of our perceived desires.
(with thanks to Tim Challies on his reference to Postman)
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