Tuesday 29 March 2016

Praying continually

Christians struggle with the apostle Paul's words in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: "Pray continually!"

What does that mean?  Does it mean praying every minute every day?  Is that possible?

I think it means keeping Jesus constantly in my mind, bringing my everyday actions, needs, and worship before him.  It means, as the 17th century French monk Brother Lawrence said, "practicing the presence of God".

For several months now, I have been yearning to cultivate the presence of God in my life.  I have followed this practice intermittently over the years, but I have become consumed with getting things done in the prayer ministry that I currently lead in our church.

But the apostle Paul lived what he preached.  For him, prayer, praise and worship were the fuel for his amazing ministry.  He talks about praying constantly in several of his letters to young churches.

Stefan Smart, author of Deeper: Contemplative Prayer for Charismatic Christians, has some useful suggestions for praying continually.  Some of them I already use and others I intend to apply in my own prayer life.

Smart makes the sensible point that we should follow the prayer practices that are right for us - not someone else's techniques.  And we may find that on different days we may want to try different things rather than the same approach every day.

As Paul said in Ephesians 6, we are to pray "on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests".

Like other writers, Smart says there are all kinds of opportunities to breathe a prayer to God during our day.

"The visit to the coffee machine, standing in line at the bus stop, walking from one office or classroom to another, the journey to the lavatory - all afford chances to tune in to God."

He recommends a few simple relaxation exercises to put us in the mood for listening to God.  Take a few moments to stretch or to breathe deeply.  Or, even concentrate on your legs and arms, imagining they are heavy or warm.

Then, repeat a phrase such as "the Lord is my shepherd" or tell yourself "I am at peace with God".

This makes you more receptive to the presence of God.

Here are a few examples of how he  prays during his busy day as a teacher:

  • Send up a brief prayer of thanks or praise or say you are sorry when you know you have said or done something wrong;
  • Pray a "breath prayer" a few syllables long such as "Lord, let me know your love" several times during the day.  You can even vary a prayer such as this to say "Lord, let Fred know your love" if someone you know is going through trials;
  • Visualize Christ standing before you asking you what you want him to do for you;
  • Choose a short phrase about God that you can repeat easily and repeatedly for several minutes, perhaps during a brief walk.  The phrase could be something like "Holy Spirit, fill me" or "Give me strength, O God" or "Come, Lord Jesus."
  • Imagine Jesus being with you as you go about your work; and
  • Become aware of the signs of God's presence and love in everyday life - through acts of kindness by others, through nature, through our circumstances.
He acknowledges that it takes time to make this a habit.  But, as Brother Lawrence said centuries ago, it does become habitual and the result is a growing sense of joy in God.

May each one of us become increasingly aware of God's presence in our lives.









Sunday 20 March 2016

Heart-wrenching prayer

How do you approach God when your heart is breaking?

Consider Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He has much to teach you and me.

The writers of the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell the story of Jesus' prayer in the garden,  moments before his arrest and hours before his crucifixion on the cross.  It is an agonizing - and moving - story.

Jesus knew what was coming.  He was preparing for the end in his words to the disciples and in his prayer to the Father as he ate his last supper with his followers.

But knowing what was coming did not make it any easier.

As he did on the mount of transfiguration, Jesus took with him his chief followers - Peter, James and John.  Then, he asked them to watch and pray as he went off a short distance to empty his heart to the Father.

Why did he take the disciples?

I can think of two reasons.  First, I believe he wanted the moral and human support of his closest friends.  And second, I think he wanted them to see how he dealt with this pivotal event in his life and in the history of the world.

You and I need friends to support us in prayer when we suffer.  We should not go it alone.

What I love about this story is that Jesus struggled.  He was God but he was also man.

Jesus knows what it is like to suffer - to be stretched to the limit, to cry out in agony.  I can go to Jesus when I feel helpless and hopeless and know that he understands what I am going through.

Of course, Jesus' suffering exceeds anything that anyone else has felt.  I believe his physical death was less significant to him than the moment when his beloved Father turned his wrath upon him and poured out his judgement upon him as the sacrifice for my sins and everyone's sins.

When the Father turned his face away from him, Jesus cried out on the cross: "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"

I understand why he wrestled in prayer with God in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He pleaded with the Father to take this cup of suffering from him if at all possible. But again and again, he made this great statement: "Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."

When he finished praying, he was ready.  He knew the Father's will and he was committed to doing it.

He also knew that the outcome would be the greatest victory in history.  And it would bring him untold numbers of brothers and sisters in an eternal lovefest - people saved from everlasting punishment.

As he finished, he had one final lesson for his friends: "Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.  For the spirit is willing but the body is weak."

It's a lesson for us, too.  We must earnestly pray when trouble strikes.  It's easy to give in to anger and despair when things seem desperate.  We need supernatural help in times like that.

And we need praying friends.

There is power in praying together.


Monday 14 March 2016

Our authority in prayer

Christians have been given great authority by God - particularly in prayer - to enforce his will.

That may seem like a pipedream, given the state of our world and the failures of the Christian church.

But perhaps the problem is with us as believers.  Are we so focused on what we see around us that we forget that the real battle is being waged behind the scenes?

The apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6 that our battle is "not against flesh and blood but against . . . the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms".  These dark forces manipulated by Satan are the real enemy and the weapons we must use are spiritual - prayer included.

In Luke 10:19, Jesus tells his disciples: "I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you."

In Matthew 18:18, he says: "I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven."

He also goes on to say in the following verse that where two or three gather together in Jesus' name on earth, God will grant what they ask for.

Now, the key obviously is asking according to God's will.  The apostle John says in 1 John 5:14-15 that God will give us what we ask for if we "ask anything according to his will".

To ask according to his will, we must have a good idea about what God wants.  And that suggests knowing and obeying his word and having an intimate relationship with him in prayer.

Dutch Sheets says in his book Authority in Prayer: Praying with Power and Purpose that authority is a crucial issue spiritually.  God has ultimate authority in heaven and earth, Sheets writes, and the Lord has delegated authority to believers on earth.

When we pray in the authority of Christ, Satan and his minions cannot stand against us.

As children of God, says Sheets, we are to rule in the world, confronting and defeating the forces of evil.  "To do so, we must learn to pray with authority and govern through intercession."

He adds: "Jesus, the sovereign king over the earth, wants to rule institutions, cultures, societies, and governments through you and your prayers."

A challenging task for all prayer warriors.



Tuesday 8 March 2016

Relaxing into God's love

I am restless by nature - always thinking about something to do.

But writers on contemplative prayer tell me that I am missing the most important thing - enjoying God for who he is.

Stefan Smart, author of Deeper: Contemplative Prayer for Charismatic Christians, recounts the story of the Russian peasant who visited his local church every day to stand for an hour staring at a giant crucifix above the altar.  Then, he would leave.

Curious, the priest finally asked him why he came to church just to stand in silence in front of the crucifix.

"Well, that's easy," said the peasant.  "I look at him and he looks at me and we tell each other that we love each other."

"That, for me, is the essence of contemplative prayer," writes Smart.  "It is about relationship.  It is not about what we can get out of God, although these things are important at their proper time.  Rather it is about spending time with him, relaxing into his love."

Jesus had something to say about this in Luke 10:38-42.

There, we read about his visit to the home of some friends, Martha and Mary.  Mary sat at his feet drinking in what he had to say.  Martha was fretting because of all the work she had to do in entertaining Jesus.

In exasperation, she asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her out.

Jesus replied: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

As Smart puts it, Christian contemplative prayer is about meeting with God "in order to be more available to him and to be changed by that encounter".

David puts it well: "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

The emphasis here is on being silent and focusing on God rather than our personal needs.

Smart suggests the following approach:

  • Prepare by letting go of tension, calming down, surrendering to God;
  • Open yourself to an awareness of God's presence and his love for you;
  • If we sense barriers to intimacy with God, we should surrender them to him - our thoughts, ambitions, and personalities;
  • We must accept God's will for our lives; 
  • We must confess our sins, accepting his forgiveness and move on without dwelling on our failures;
  • After surmounting these barriers, we may become more aware of the presence and power of God;
  • Then, we may feel a desire to thank him and praise him for his gifts; and
  • We may feel drawn to intercede for others, lifting up the situation to God.
He also suggests other ways of enjoying God's presence.

In the end, the method matters less than the end - loving God more and enjoying his love for us.

Just like the Russian peasant.