What is prayer about?

“God does not exist to answer our prayers, but by our prayers we come to discern the mind of God.”

Oswald Chambers

In Luke 11:1-13 Jesus teaches the disciples the “Lord’s Prayer”. The prayer wasn’t new but part of a much much longer prayer (see the link for more). So what is prayer about?

What might it mean in 2022 for that line ‘May God’s name to be hallowed’? I can only recall a reference to Harry Potter when trying to recall ‘hallow’. According to the Harry Potter Professor:

Deathly Hallow
persons dying sacrificially or even as martyrs because of love to give life to their loved ones	Person-orientated
the halloo-calling of somebody whose calling is carrying weight or significance in a way which might involve death	Calling

Even in this secular context, we might see a correlation to a Holy parallel. The person-orientated definition links in well the death of Christ. The Calling definition highlights the significance of the one that calls. Given the sheer numbers of Harry Potter fans who so admire the plot line in this series, do we feel the same about this ‘hallowed’?

Hallowed be the name

It is an invitation. Just as with Mary & Martha last week we have that binary dilemma: do I do or rest a while? And from this 73 second video (https://youtu.be/K9TwQidmN5E) we might realise that it’s through a combination of the Good Samaritan story and the Mary & Martha discussion that we are called to both. This is an invitation for God to ‘be in this world’, that is what prayer is about.

If we do this, then God’s name will be holy. Because only then will..

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven

Note that there’s no suggestion here that God will control our will: it’s up to us. There would be no point Jesus mentioning this otherwise.

It really is a call to stand up against the forces of the world and not accept what is going on which affects those without a voice, without agency to change their way of life. We have seen politicians remaining complicit with those who lack integrity, offer stories which they then refute days or even hours later. It isn’t ok to remain in a position so they can seek more power but to turn and face the real issues of poverty: both real and relative. Prayer isn’t reactive but responsive – that’s what prayer is about.

Jesus asks us to pray

This is not a request to repeat those well known lines – but please let’s also be inclusive and remember that not everyone knows the words – but live them. Take each line, let it rest with us. Speak openly and honestly about what it really means .. to us. And then respond.

If we do this we avoid the say it and move on phase; if we do this we really engage in that living dialogue of prayer with our God. To pause, ponder, speak about what this really means to us, and then let God speak back to us.

Prayer is two way. My wife often says “were you listening?”…“to what” I respond? Give time for God to be heard.

We considered this with our Prayer Exploration 4-part course – each session lasting around 10 minutes. If Jesus can pause to wait to hear God when he knows he is on the way to Jerusalem and all that entails, we can. Can’t we?

Requests

We often hear the requests to God in our prayers. There is nothing wrong in that. But please let’s check out that Chambers quote again:

“God does not exist to answer our prayers, but by our prayers we come to discern the mind of God.”

It doesn’t say that God doesn’t answer our prayers but God doesn’t exist for that. God is seeking that relationship with us. We move forever closer to God in our prayers. That’s what prayer is about.