Dusty Prayers

There are many reasons and ways to pray. You can pray about illness, an exam, a relationship gone off the rails, or confess your deepest darkest to God. You can write, speak, meditate, pray with people, pray alone, just listen, yell, scream, cry, etc. 

In the Scriptures we find all of these expressions of prayer, and they are beautiful.  

For religious folks prayer can be dangerous. (That is a funny sentence) Prayer can easily be reduced to a way to keep score in your life. How long did I pray? The longer I pray the closer I am to God. Did God say yes to all my prayers? If He says yes that must mean He loves me and I am being a good boy. You can judge the words and ways other people pray. You can set up a bunch of rules for how when, why, and what people pray about. 

See what I mean? (Religion can ruin just about anything.)

In its negative and broken and destructive contexts, religion is about control, and prayer inside religion is a way of controlling/judging others. It is a way of trying to control God. Fortunately God is great at escaping from the ways religious folks try to control Him. (see the resurrection)

I have used prayer to keep score in my life. It sucks. I am always losing the games I try to play with God.  Jesus shocks me out of this, and frees me from my sad attempts to control God...

"Do you think you will be heard for your many words and repetition? Quit. Babbling."

"You think you can surprise/convince God of what you need?"

"Do you think you can have bitterness in your heart while giving me a shopping list? Get honest and talk about what is really going on."

(Matthew 6, Amman Paraphrase Version)

Lately I have seen a couple one-sentence prayers prayed a handful of times over the last several years get answered in some pretty significant ways.  It has been surprising and exciting and has me thinking about all the games I've played with God in prayer, and at how simply and honestly we are meant to pray.

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. -Philippians 4.6

Keep praying. -I Thess 5.17

Call out! I will answer. -Jeremiah 33.3

It seems once again the Scripture is alive and beautiful and true. Prayer matters, God is listening, and the answers are forthcoming. It doesn't matter what words you use or how frequently you pray for the same thing (like there is a number you will reach where God will have to give you what you want). 

Honest, simple, desperate prayer brings us a bit closer to God. It fuels our hope and faith. It gives us more trust, more confidence in our relationships with God and people. Wild stuff happens. Why am I surprised?