What's the Point?

I close my eyes, quiet my mind, and do something crazy—I have a conversation with the empty air in front of me.  Actually, it’s more of a monologue.  The air doesn’t talk back.  In fact, I’m quite alone.  If anyone walked in on this little personal performance, I’d be admitted for sure.

So, in case you missed it, I was describing above what prayer looks like from an outsider’s perspective.  In their eyes, prayer is essentially a long, boring, pointless activity.  No one is going to listen let alone respond to your prayer because THERE IS NO ONE THERE.  As a Christian, I know this is not the case.  God hears and answers.  But sometimes it may not feel this way.  Sometimes, it does feel like I’m talking into thin air.  This begs the question: why pray?

This past week, prayer has been not only on my mind but has also been the center of many conversations here at the house.  What is the point of prayer?  How often should you pray?  How can you pray a good prayer?  Does it work?  These questions permeate our thoughts, questions that are sometimes not that easy to answer.  How do you explain logically something that is thoroughly based on faith?  The answer is: you can’t.  “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).”  Faith is funny like that.  You either believe or you don’t.  There’s really no middle ground.  Faith and prayer go hand in hand—without the one you cannot have the other. 

So, what does the Bible reveal about prayer?  Well, there are enough sermons out there to explain that in detail so I won’t waste time here.  But I do believe that, taking all the verses about prayer into account, there is a common theme, a thread that connects all of them together: prayer is a conversation.  I said it above: prayer can seem like a monologue.  But, in reality, prayer is a dialogue and we must remember that in our prayers.  Prayer serves no purpose if we do all the talking—it would be like sending 100 text messages to your friend but never waiting for a text back.  That, my friend, is what we call a diva.  God doesn’t want divas.  He wants his children to come to him, bringing Him their concerns and thanksgivings and then listening to the peace and love he gives us back. 

Prayer also needs to be very personal and, in a sense, tailored to every minute.  Imagine if you only said four sentences a day to your family, the same ones day after day: “Good morning.  How are you today?  I’m doing fine, thank you.  I hope you have a great day.”  And that’s it.  Nothing more, nothing less.  The result: you wouldn’t have much of a relationship, would you?  Prayer cannot be the same way.  We cannot recite the same prayer every day and expect it that to be enough.  Don’t get me wrong, saying prayers like the Lord’s Prayer is not a bad thing.  It is a bad thing when we start reciting it without the words penetrating our hearts and minds.  A prayer told from the mind and not from the heart, filled only with words but not with love, is like a resounding gong, a clanging cymbal, essentially a bunch of pointless noise.  God gave us the incredible opportunity to speak with him in prayer—let us not become lazy and “abuse” this gift. 

I also believe prayer to be communal, a way of bringing brothers and sisters in Christ closer together.  God asks us to intercede on behalf of others.  He wants us to remember that we’re not the only ones in this world, in His world, and praying for others is an excellent reminder to us.  Praying for others, with others, brings our praises and sufferings into the light and allows us to share in both the joy and in the burdens others carry.  This past month, Casa Adobe has been regularly praying together in the mornings, beginning first with a short prayer Ruth wrote and then finishing with personal additions.  I would just like to share our communal prayer, a prayer I feel both humbles our human selves to the power and sovereignty of God but also establishes us as his children and followers here on earth.

“Our Father, Community-of-Love,

We begin this new day recognizing your presence

In the beatings of our hearts,

In the freshness of the morning,

In the song of all of Creation.

As a part of it, we groan inwardly as we wait for your re-creation.

We need your forgiveness.

We confess your sovereignty over all that we are and all that we have.

Extend to us your grace

That we may live out today in the light of that confession

Loving as you love,

Serving as you serve.

Make us instruments of your peace,

Make us workers for your justice.

Your Kingdom come.

Your will be done

In our lives,

In Casa Adobe,

In Santa Rosa,

In Costa Rica,

In your world.

May the words of our mouths

And the meditations of our hearts

Be pleasing to you, oh Lord!

Amen.”

To close, I would just like to share some prayer requests on my behalf:  please continue to pray for our Bola Bola soccer court project with the kids; please pray for a fellow community member here—Damaris—as she is considering leaving due to an incident that happened here (we’re still trying to sort it out); please pray for safety as Ruth, Jim, and Rachel are traveling; and please pray for me as I will be left “in charge” while Ruth and Jim are away for the next 2 weeks.  Thank you so much for supporting me, for being a community with which I can share both my joys and my sufferings.  The phrase “I love you all” is not enough.  But know that I do.  Thank you again and stay tuned!