Connecting With God... No Really

I have a love-hate relationship with prayer. I feel a powerful call to explore this frequently neglected spiritual activity, and even to teach others about the things I discover. But praying is hard work sometimes. Okay, most of the time. And the best prayer times only happen when I pray before I feel like doing it. Why is that?

I have a "prayer balcony" just outside my bedroom with a killer view of the University of Texas campus and downtown. It's my place to talk to God alone. It's not that I can't talk to him anywhere, but this is the place where I shut out the rest of the world and meet with God uninterrupted. (I take my BlackBerry sometimes, but not often, because it seems rude responding to text messages while I'm meeting with the creator of the universe.)

There are a lot of reasons to pray. For me, the primary reason is to change the reality around me. I know that answer doesn't score high with you spiritual formation types. Yes I pray to get closer to God, to know him better, to become more disciplined, to change my own heart, to renew my spirit... all those things. I also meet with God to experience his presence, keep my sanity, and occasionally, even to vent. There's nothing wrong with any of that.

But prayer is conversation with the one who can change the bad things in this world. Those who learn how to pray have mind-blowing access to the most powerful being in existence! Those who use that access responsibly will not only grow closer to God, they have the potential to change the course of history. It's not that we have the right to demand anything from God. He isn't a genie or a celestial Santa Claus. But the more time we spend in his presence, the more we realize just how much power is there. That's why listening to God and using scripture in prayer is so important. Sometimes figuring out what God is saying means finding out what he has already said.

God works through prayer. I'm not sure why he set it up this way because at first glance it looks terribly inefficient and seems too dependent on us doing our part. Wise people will learn how to pray well. And those who have a special gift for praying will learn how to push the limits. But expect opposition. You can choose to be one of those Methodists who don't believe in a devil, demons and spiritual conflict, and you might be blessed enough to live a safe, predictable life in your own little religious bubble. But you probably won't pray with much urgency, and you won't see many supernatural things happening around you. You also won't be as likely to get attacked. Hey if there is a literal Satan, why would he bother with you? There are bigger fish to fry, and you aren't much of a threat to his kingdom anyway.

Jesus started his ministry by announcing that the kingdom of God is near. Christians have access to that kingdom, and through prayer, we can bring that kingdom to the here and now, so that God's will is done "on earth as it is in heaven." Don't be one of those people who believes that everything that happens is the will of God. In one of the Back to the Future movies, the great theologian Emmett Brown told Marty McFly that "the future hasn't been written yet." We may never understand how God knows what he knows about future events. In fact, I think exploring that question too much makes us complacent and keeps us from fulfilling our unique role in history. Prayer changes things. It alters the timeline. That's exciting stuff, and those of us who explore its possibilities are in for an exciting life.

Comments

[larry]

Shane,

Where do you fall on the question of open theism then?

[James-Michael Smith]

Great thoughts, Shane. I once preached on the frustration of prayer and the illustration I used was Mr. Miyagi training Daniel-san to do karate. Daniel was frustrated because he didn't think he was getting anywhere with Mr. Miyagi. Only when he was ready to explode did he realize that he'd been being prepared the entire time...

Blessings,

JMS

[Ashlee Alley]

I share many of your thoughts about prayer as you put them down here. I agree that it is a baffling thing to think that our prayer can change the course of history. I once heard a tape series by Henry Blackaby (of Experiencing God fame, and yes, it was a while ago, hence the "tape series") when he talked about the importance of intercession. He spoke of intercession being something to which we are called. He said something that has stuck with me, even 10 years later: God may not be calling everyone to intercession for a particular situation. The implication was that if one felt called to the business of prayer for something, one should do it! It could intervene in history, as you say. I know that prayer changes the pray-er, but I definitely agree that prayer affects the outcome, too. (Insert open theism argument here... even though I doubt that Blackaby is an Open Theist.)