Some Christians can make prayer seem like bit of a puzzle. Not that they portray prayer as confusing — far from it. They make it more like a jigsaw puzzle: once you get each piece in the right place (and they only fit one way) the picture emerges automatically. In the puzzle theory of prayer you just have true faith, use the special words, and the answer you sought is guaranteed.
The problem is that approach does not really fit the nature of the God we pray to.
Actually, it sort of reverses the prayer of Christ in Gethsemane:
“Not Thy will, O Lord, but MINE be done!”
I find the teachings on prayer in classical Reformed theology much more winsome. Take for example Question 117 of the Heidelberg Catechism. Sure, there is a checklist there too of what proper prayer looks like. You can paraphrase it like this:
- Prayer has to come from the right place — you have to mean it with your heart.
- Prayer has to be directed to the right person — the God revealed in Scripture.
- Prayer has to be about the right things — God has pre-approved lots of topics in the Bible.
- Prayer has to reflect our real relation to God — we are needy and he is majestic.
You might even describe these as rules. But these are far more helpful rules than ones requiring us to muster up perfect faith without any doubt creeping in.
The Catechism does not set up our faith as the criterion. Instead it emphasizes that God is reliable. It is God’s promise in Scripture that is the “unshakable foundation” for our prayers. That is a good thing. People who act like they have perfect unshakable faith always sound like they are trying to convince themselves — or us.
We are weak and wavering.
The confidence of faith comes and goes.
The foundation stone of God’s promise is what remains steady.
And what is that promise? A number of biblical texts do sound like Jesus is saying that anything and everything we ask will be given — the Catechism’s footnotes include several — but the overall biblical emphasis is not that God is obliged to give what we ask. The Catechism also cites Daniel 9:17-18 and Psalm 143:1 and summarizes the issue this way:
“…God will surely listen to our prayer
because of Christ our Lord.
That is what God promised us in his Word.”
This is what we really need. We need to know that God listens, hears us in the situations of our lives and the needs of each moment. When we are driven to cry out to God, the best help of all is that we are truly known and truly loved.
That’s how the pieces fit together. Really I wouldn’t want it any other way.
- What do you find people think of as the “rules” of prayer?
- What are the promises of God you most depend on in prayer?
Thank you Gary, I will be teaching pray next weekend at Basic Lay Speaking classes. I appreciate the wisdom.
Hey, that’s great Corby! Glad to hear from you.
Glad as well to hear your ministry is taking you in this direction. Is this kind of teaching new, or something you’ve been doing for a while?
Even in my half-hearted attempts, he is still there waiting for me. Loving to hear my prayers.
Lisa, very true. Speaking of half-hearted attempts makes me think of the Romans passage where Paul talks about the Spirit helping us at prayer. In a sense even our best attempts fall short and it is God’s merciful welcome of all our prayers and the Spirit’s help that counts.
I really lie the Jesus Prayer because the one thing i am sure of when i pray is thatJesus will show us his mercy. As you said mercy really covers it all.
of course i meant like not lie. 🙂
Thanks Myra — the Jesus Prayer may come from a very different tradition than the Heidelberg Catechism, but when you compare it with Heidelberg’s “rules” it actually fits!
Hi Gary. I’ve been thinking about this blog for a few days. Particularly about your questions. The first one, I can only say that I know a few people who use what sometimes “seem” to be pat phrases or formulas for “acceptable” prayer. I honestly do not know if they are formulas or rote phrases that are just tacked onto their prayers as unthinking habits. I don’t know there hearts. Some I know end every prayer literally saying “in Jesus’ name, amen”. I find it difficult to think it’s wrong because we are commanded to do so, however, sometimes it just seems so rote and meaningless. Others I know tack on the phrase “if it’s your will” and yet if one has paid any attention at all to what the preceding words have been one knows they have in fact been praying what God would will – based upon scripture. Color me puzzled on this one. I don’t like judgement of any type but I become disturbed when I trip up thinking people are insincere in prayer. Which of course leads me to the promises that mean the most to me in prayer. First God always listens in love and is glad to hear our requests. He is both our Abba Daddy and Father almighty & I think we always have & need both relationships. Second I am so comforted to know that our feeble attempts and even our sinful confessions are incense in heaven’s worship. What do you think? Curious what is YOUR favorite promise?
Hey, Susan, I’m honored that you would think about the post for a while and come back to it! You make some great observations here.
It does seem like people think of “praying in Jesus’ name” as something to be SAID. It is more of a description of how prayer is actually DONE. We speak to God, not on our own authority, but on someone else’s. Jesus has given us permission to “name drop”, so that our interests will be received as if they were his own. The whole logic of the thing is lost a lot of the time, as seen when people mix up the roles and say “In YOUR name I pray.”
And it does seem like saying “if it be your will” sometimes means “but you really don’t have to do it, God!” We spend our energy making our request, but we don’t have the confidence to really present it in Jesus’ name. I think you are pointing in an excellent direction when you note that Scripture teaches us what God’s will is. I find that I pray with more confidence when I can say “Lord, this really looks like your will! That’s what I see in Scripture!”
My favorite promise to rely on in prayer? I think it is the one I talk about in the next post after this one: Implicit in Jesus’ command to pray the Lord’s Prayer is his promise that God will welcome us and hear us when we are praying on all these topics.
Dr. Hansen, read a good quote by one of my group members this week on our post, he said, God gives us what we need, more than what we want.
Promises: personally, I turn to God and know that he listens and in doing so when we truly let the “thy will be done” part take over, and understand that his will is what we need, then all else seems to fall into place. Mind you, I’ve got a lot to work on in the area of prayer, but I think this can be a good starting point!
Thanks Joe. You know, when Luther prayed the Lord’s Prayer he used that phrase to say to God “God PLEASE make sure you DON”T let MY will be done!” He knew he would ask for the wrong things, left to his own devices. God’s will would surely be the right thing.