A few weeks ago at a Gerrard Street elders’ meeting we planned to consider the prayer life of our church. As we began to discuss this, something quite remarkable happened. The discussion moved away from the prayer life of Gerrard Street and turned to the prayer life of our group. As the leaders, we saw clearly that we needed to first ask “how is the prayer life of the elders’ group” before we asked the broader question regarding the church. The outcome is that we are committed to spending about half of our meetings together in prayer. During our last meeting, for instance, we split up into two groups and prayed through the entire membership list. Time well spent!
Prayer is at the very centre of Christian living. It includes those precious quiet times we set aside simply to “be alone with God” (Matthew 6:6) and it includes those, sometimes subconscious, cries of our heart as we walk through daily life (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and it includes those times when we don’t know what to do next and we cast our cares on him (1 Peter 5:6-7) and it includes those times when we gather together as a community to seek Him and His Presence (Acts 4:23-31).
Why is prayer so central to the Christian life? Here are just some reasons.
- prayer is central because it gives God his place as God. Prayer respects God. It acknowledges his sovereignty and his uniqueness and his creator-hood and his worthiness. It is completely appropriate that God has said that he will not give his glory to another. Neither he should. For to do so would be idolatry. If there is one thing we can learn from more formal religions, it is the sense of the importance of “religious duty”. Now, I am not suggesting for a minute that we should allow our faith to be duty and nothing more. But surely if God is God we do have a duty toward him and surely part of that “duty” is to be on our knees before him in adoration and thanksgiving, lost in wonder, love and praise.
- prayer is central because, when properly practiced, it realises and emphasises the truth that Christianity is more relationship than religion. This is the balance to my first point. Where formal religionists may pray simply because “we should”, Christians also pray because we know this God. We don’t just know about him, we have a relationship with Him. We enter his throne-room not as a bunch of strangers, but as a group of individuals conscious that he is interested in each of us individually. He cares about my struggles as a father, he cares about my health, he cares about my well-being, he cares about my everything (Matthew 10:30). Prayer, at its simplest and most profound, is talking to and listening to God. It’s relational and relationship-building.
- prayer is central because it is the place where saints who don’t always behave like saints can go and receive forgiveness (1 John 1:6-10). There can be a disjoint between our identity as saints and our lives and this can deeply affect our souls. Prayer is the place to put ourselves back “in sync”. Forgiveness for today, righteousness renewed. Onward!
- prayer is central because it expresses a proper dependance upon God. The Old Testament is full of God’s people depending on other nations and other gods instead of their covenant God, Yahweh. God calls it “prostitution”. Like a wife hiring herself out. These strong words are designed to shock us into realising that dependance is not simply a matter of getting help from God, but rather it is treating him, the loving, righteous dependable One as he deserves. It pleases him greatly when his children come with empty hands and seek his help. Where do you want me to go, Lord. What would you have me do, Lord? Lord, I have no idea how I will get through today, but will you please help me? God loves such prayers.
- prayer is central because God asks us to do big things. An example of this is our mission to the city of Aberdeen. How will we accomplish this without God? Another is our building project, Building for the Gospel, as we seek to raise a large sum of money to develop our “family home” to aid us in our mission. Detached from God in prayer, the “big things” he asks us to do become so massive that we don’t even get started. United with God in prayer, all things are possible. As Hudson Taylor said “expect great things from God; attempt great thing for God”.
Jesus frequently went away to pray. Jesus needed that sense of connection with His father. What a great example to follow!
