Last week we continued our series on Lutheran Doctrine by hearing what we believe about the correlation of faith and works. Today we continue our series by being reminded of what we believe about the prayer. What is prayer? What is the best prayer and why the Lord’s Prayer is the best prayer? And the importance of prayer, not for God, but for us.
So, what is prayer? In confirmation class we define prayer as a heart to heart talk with God, anytime and any place. And we distinguish between prayer and a creed, as you might remember, we study the Ten Commandments followed by the Creed and then the Lord’s Prayer, so we distinguish between a creed and a prayer as such; a creed is a confession of faith. A prayer is simply speaking to God as we would speak to another person. I bring up this difference because on any given Sunday when we profess our faith using the creed many of us do so bowing our heads as if we are praying. And we can pray the creed, there is nothing wrong with that practice. However, perhaps we would do well to boldly hold up our heads and do as one of my friends said they do in their church, open the doors and confess and profess to the world.
But, I digress. A prayer is a heart to heart talk with God. I like the bumper sticker I once read that said, “As long as there are tests there will be prayer in public schools.” How true I am sure. A prayer does not necessarily have to be spoken out loud, although it is suggested by some that speaking our prayers out loud is a good habit as it helps us to hear what we are praying. To define prayer as a heart to heart talk with God helps us better understand that our prayer includes our thoughts as well as our words. Indeed, in my own life I often find myself in prayer, not out loud, but simply speaking to God as I walk or drive or whatever it is I may be doing.
Prayer is also a part of our conversation with God. A conversation is a two way path, God speaks to us through His Word, we speak to Him in prayer. We are reminded that God commands that we pray, but also He promises to hear our prayer and to answer our prayers. Although we often need to be reminded that sometimes God’s answer is “no.”
Prayer is a gift from God, given to us so that we might know His love for us and His desire to hear us. Because prayer is so important He even gives us the best prayer, His Prayer, the Lord’s Prayer as we call it. In the Lord’s Prayer, as Jesus taught His disciples and us to pray, at their request, Jesus gives us the very words to say and Jesus rejoices when we speak back to Him the very words He has given us to say, indeed, to pray the words of the Lord’s Prayer makes it the most perfect prayer because they are God’s perfect Word.
Yet, not only has God given us the most perfect prayer, He has also given us all of Scripture and especially the Psalms. When we may be having a difficult time we can read through the Psalms and we can find great prayers throughout the Psalms, prayers that express the thoughts and feelings that we are having, but are not sure how to express them.
And again, as I said, Jesus rejoices when we speak back to Him the Words He has given us to say. One of my favorite professors expressed that all words are Law words until Jesus makes them Gospel words. So, here in His prayer, throughout the Psalms, in all of Holy Scripture, Jesus gives us His Word, Gospel Words to speak and to pray back to Him. And He rejoices when we speak His Word, His perfect Gospel Word back to Him.
Along with God’s gifts of faith, forgiveness and life is His gift of prayer. As we navigate the struggles of this world we see the importance of prayer and we see our need to pray. Truly it is we who need this gift of prayer and that is why God gives us His gift of prayer. Because God is omniscient, all knowing, certainly we know that God’s knows what we need even before we pray, which may bring us to wonder why then do we pray? We pray because of our need to acknowledge such needs. We pray because of our need to pray.
It is the same with all that we do. We come to Divine Service because of our need to be given the gifts God gives in the Divine Service. While God might rejoice in our coming to Him to Divine Service and even to worship Him, He does not need our worship, as if it is our worship that keeps God going. Why do you thing we call our service, Divine Service, that is God service? Because first and foremost we come to be given to by God so that we might then be able to go out into the world and face the world for another week.
Again, all that we do, worship, pray, even bringing our firstfruits, tithes and offerings we do because of our need, our need to give, as a response of faith, we simply cannot help ourselves. God needs nothing from us. God does not need our prayers. God does not need our worship. God does not need our money. Why would we think that God would actually need anything from us? Speaking to the people on Mars Hill Paul expresses the fact that as the Creator of all, God needs nothing from us, rather He is the One who does all and gives all to us. As Luke relates the account, “22So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:22-25). God gives and we are given to and He even gives to us to respond because of our need to respond.
What does this mean? Prayer is another example of what a great God we have, what a loving God we have, what a gift giving God we have. God created us to love us and He does love us and He shows His love for us in all that He does for us and gives to us. God gives us His Word. The Word that God gives is a Word that effects, that does and gives what it says because it is a Word with power. When God says it, that settles it. God gives us His Word and His Word is the power in Holy Baptism, in Holy Absolution and in His Holy Supper.
God gives us His Word and today we rejoice that God gives us prayer, the privilege to communicate with Him, to speak to Him. He speaks to us and gifts us with all that He has to give through His Word and He gives us prayer to speak to Him responding in faith, acknowledging the gifts He gives and seek further gifts from Him, which is His greatest desire to give to us.
God gives us His Word. God gives us prayer. And because of our need to respond to all that He does for us and gives to us, God gives us, stirs in us, and rejoices when we respond with our prayers as well as our thanks and praise.
Growing up I was always a bit concerned about Paul’s words of encouragement writing to the Thessalonians. Paul says, “16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I had a difficult time understanding how one can “pray without ceasing.” Now that I am older and life seems to be throwing more and more difficulties at me I can truly understand Paul’s exhortation. Indeed, I can truly say that my life is a life of “praying without ceasing,” as I find myself constantly during the day in prayer, that is in a silent, thoughtful, heart to heart talk with God, whether that be in the morning brushing my teeth, driving to work, driving to see a shut-in or to the hospital, in prayer seeking an answer in Bible Class, asking the Spirit for the Words while preaching. Yes, I can see my life as being in constant prayer and I rejoice in this most blessed and wonderful gift that God has given to us.
As we continue rejoicing in the gifts of God, I would encourage you as Paul does to “pray without ceasing.” Speak to God as you would speak to a friend. His desire is to hear you and His desire is to pour out on you all the gifts and blessings He has to give. To paraphrase James a bit, “You have not because you ask not.” Today we rejoice in this most wonderful gift of God, the gift of prayer and even more in the most perfect prayer, His prayer, the Lord’s Prayer. Thanks be to God for His gifts and love for us. To Him be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.