Talking to God
Sermon Recap
This week we began a short, 4-part series on prayer. We hope that we will come out of this series not with a new theology of prayer, but a new habit of praying. Not that we learn more facts or methods, but that we are renewed to turn – or return - our attention to the God who wants to be with us.
Most of us know what it is like to feel nervous or anxious when it comes to praying in a public setting, for reasons cultural or personal or other. Even in our private lives, we experience both a desire to pray and any number of hesitations, barriers to prayer.
We may feel barriers like busyness, sometimes, or even fear – fear of doing it wrong, fear of God not answering, fear of not knowing how God will respond if He meets us in the moment. We also know well the disappointment of times when it seems God just doesn’t hear us or answer us. And in moments of honesty, prayer can be intimidating because it involves surrender to God and that can be uncomfortable.
The experience of many Christians – and Christian teachers – tells us that learning to pray is not like learning a skill that we increasingly master over time. Teresa of Avila famously said, “When it comes to prayer, we are all beginners.” Learning to pray is like learning to live in a rhythm, like the seasons of our year. New seasons always invite us to begin again.
Toward the middle of Luke’s gospel, Jesus' disciples ask him to teach them how to pray. Jesus responds with the words of the prayer we have learned to call “the Lord’s Prayer.” In that prayer, we are taught not just how to pray, but the truths that help us pray. It’s less like a formula, more like a framework.
We can address God as our Father. “Our Father.” The Aramaic term “abba” is a stunning way to address God. One scholar notes that in all of ancient Jewish literature, there is not a single other use of addressing God in this way. Yet, we are taught to speak to God as Father, because God’s heart is welcoming, wide open toward us, filled with affection for us like a mother toward her infant child.
God is as close as the air. “…in heaven.” When Jesus speaks of our Father “in heaven”, the Greek word for heaven is plural, ouranos. Literally, it means “the air.” God is not far away, but rather He is as close as the very air around us, the air we breathe. Prayer is not sending words to God across the universe, it’s waking up to the near presence of God who is already here.
The first goal of prayer is to align ourselves with the worshipful enjoyment of God’s company. “Hallowed be your name.” Tim Keller, in his book “Prayer”, writes this: “To hallow God’s name is to have a heart of grateful joy toward God — and even more, a wondrous sense of his beauty…” NT Wright adds, “May you be worshiped by your whole creation; may the whole cosmos resound with your praise; may the whole world be freed from injustice, disfigurement, sin, and death.” Yet, we know there are seasons when this kind of experience feels distant. We don’t feel wonder and prayer feels impossible.
In one of those seasons, Tish Harrison Warren discovered the help of using pre-written prayers, ancient prayers of the church. These prayers came to her with a seasoned, honest wisdom that gave language to her. They were prayers that would carry her when she couldn’t carry herself. Learning to pray in this way – leaning on the long community of faith – can become an honest way of saying to God, “I’m still here.”
Our prayers really do make a difference. “May your kingdom come.” Prayer moves here from awe to action. In the words of John Mark Comer, in prayer “we partner with Jesus to bend reality in the direction of our Father’s good intentions.” We align our heart with God’s.
Entering Conversation
1. Many of us have encountered conversations or experiences of prayer that have shaped how we approach it. What emotions come up for you when the topic of prayer is introduced?
2. What challenges do you face when it comes to prayer?
3. Does anyone here already use pre-made prayers as part of your practice of prayer? If so, can you tell us about your experience with it?
4. Do you feel like you are being invited to step toward prayer in some way? What might be the next right step for you in this?
Practice for the Week
Tonight or tomorrow, make a plan to pray. Consider what you might subtract (social media, bedtime scrolling, the next episode of ____) in order to make space to pray. Decide on a time and space to pray, keeping your intention simple and do-able. If it’s difficult for you to be still, think about maybe taking a walk or doing some activity with your hands (like knitting or drawing) while you pray.