Prayer 101

When I found this meme on social media, it stopped me in my tracks. Wow! Where do I even begin with this one?

How do I organize my thoughts to explain how this is way off base on so many levels? It’s like telling baseball fans pitchers are useless because not all pitches are strikes.

Don't get me wrong. Although I am a Christian, I’m also a fan of Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statue of Religious Freedom which spearheaded our country to separate government from religion.

“The Religion then of every man must be left to the conviction and conscience of every man; and it is the right of every man to exercise it as these may dictate. This right is in its nature an unalienable right.”

100% supportive of someone’s right to no religion or atheism (although my personal belief is that they will find religion in something…or somebody else.)

But this meme’s author thinks they have a “Gotcha” moment! They are all knowing and telling me that my belief is wrong. That’s fine too, but now I’m involved and I get to respond.

“Oh really? And how do you know what they were praying for?” and “Have you ever been on the receiving end of those thoughts and prayers?”

Whoever created this meme must have had a lousy Sunday school teacher! I’ve taught at church off an on for almost 16 years and one of the most important concepts about prayer that we convey is…

God is not a convenience store…or Amazon…where you order and get angry if your package doesn’t arrive.  Even with Amazon you have to pay a price to get a package!   

Prayer is not about putting your hands together asking God for stuff to prove he’s there!

Then what exactly is prayer? This blog is reflecting my personal opinion, but I will venture to guess those who are religious will agree with most of what I write below - Prayer is extremely personal.

First, Christians don’t believe that this is our home. We believe we are here to take care of ourselves, our families and strive for the ideal which has been discussed for over 2000 years. The striving is what unites us and we stake our lives on that belief. When our time here is over, we will finally be at one with God, there will be no more suffering and all the questions that are left will be answered.

So, Christians have a basic understanding that God has a plan and within that plan on earth there is happiness and suffering. Prayer is how we communicate with God. When we pray to God, sometimes we are asking for what we want to happen or not to happen because that's all we can do when faced with a tragic situation.

We hope that if it doesn't change the course of his plan, he may show grace and grant our request. Since we are granted free will, we are in most part in control of our lives and can change the course of our future based on our decisions and effort.

Prayer is a great way to quiet your mind and make very clear what it is you wish to happen for yourself and for others. You can ask for guidance or clarity in a difficult situation. When your life is humming along without any stress or strife, you can give thanks in your prayers for your many blessings. Sometimes when things are too much to handle, you can give over your pain and worries for God to hold for a while so you can take a break.

Prayer can be just like how some people write To Do Lists, goal sheets or gratitude journals. Personally, I have been in a constant conversation with God for as long as I can remember. So long that when I’m alone, I truly don’t feel alone. I ask him questions and thank him for daily graces.

My belief is that he wants the best for me and knows I can handle whatever suffering comes my way but the most important concept is accepting that what I want for myself is not always what he wants for me. The only way to truly understand that is through prayer.

Don’t assume you can guess someone else’s prayer…

I was at a Super Bowl party several years ago and the host of the party got very angry at some football players praying before the coin toss. “Look at them praying to win!! Does God pick the Super Bowl winner based on how many prayers he gets from one side or the other?”

When Tim Tebow was in college, he would meet with fans who were seriously ill or disabled before his game and arrange for them to sit on the sideline when possible. When he prayed before a game did he pray to win or did he pray for that fan? Who knows?

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane a day before his crucifixion, he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Let that sink in. Even the Son of God did not get what he wanted with a prayer because it was not part of God’s plan. Believe me, as Christians, we know this every time we pray. But because Jesus did it, we know God wants us to be honest with him and tell him when we feel it’s too much. He wants us to ask for strength and courage!

Praying for Guidance and Opportunity

In the movie Evan Almighty, Evan’s wife had been praying for her family to be closer. When unbeknownst to her, she meets God in a restaurant (check out his name tag).

He explains it all very simply. When God answers your prayer, does he just make your family close? Or does he provide opportunities for your family to love each other.

It’s so important to develop your relationship with God so you can understand that he always answers your prayers.

“When two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

From personal experience, I know very well how one day your life can be somewhat normal and then dramatically, you can be faced with a horrible tragedy. I don’t know exactly what the prayers were from my loved ones after hearing of John’s suicide, but I can say they were definitely answered. I felt a beautiful enveloping blanket around my shoulders and a cloud lifting me up making feel like everything would be ok.

It turns out that through prayer, I had built my ark (relationship with God, family, friends and church community) before the flood arrived. Highly recommend it!

So when those criticize thoughts and prayers, maybe find those who believed in their power - the list is mighty and impressive!!