James 5:13-20
“Are
we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered
with a load of care?
Precious
savior still our refuge,
Take
it to the Lord in Prayer!”
Thomas Merton wrote, “Prayer is best learned
in the hour when prayer has become impossible and your heart has turned to
stone.” I want to suggest that for many folks,
even those sitting inside the walls of a church, Merton’s words are right on
target. For some, prayer is close to
impossible. When I was younger, and a
little bit naïve, I thought everyone prayed all the time. I now know that is not true. I am happy to announce we have some folks in
this congregation with an incredible prayer life, but I suspect they are the
exception and not the rule. Think about
it. How often do we say to someone, “I
will pray for you.” How often do follow
up on our promise? How many of us have a
scheduled moment in our day when we stop, become still, and listen. How many of us take a holy, often dark
moment, to dare to let God crowd into our busy schedules and heads.
Prayer is hard. If you pray often you probably already know
that. Kathleen Norris suggests that
“Prayer stumbles over our modern self-consciousness and our self-reliance.” I think she is right. The world we live in pushes, shoves and
demands us to move toward goals and objectives.
The world we live in is ego-centered rather than God-centered. Even when we choose to pray, too often our
prayers center on our needs, our desires, our hurts, our pains, our laundry
list of life. So often our prayer evolves
from doubt, despair, guilt and even anger. We pray out of desperation rather
than habit. Believe it or not, I am here
to tell you that is OK. Look at the
Psalms. They are demanding, crude, and
often seem impetuous. Few are as serene as the Shepherd’s poem. All originate from the episodes of life that drove
the Psalmist to his knees, and toward God.
When I went through seminary over 30
years ago prayers were broken into four categories: adoration, confession,
thanksgiving and supplication. I suspect
my instructor had worship more in mind than my personal growth. Even so, that formula remained my prayer
guide for many years. But the more
hospital rooms visited, the more time I spent in cemeteries and living rooms,
the more time I surrendered to the lives of others, the more I felt I needed to
move away from teachings of the past. My
prayers became personal, even demanding.
My prayers began to leave the stylistic formulae found in the Book of
Common Worship and were closer to ragged pieces of driftwood that had somehow
made it to shore. I found myself more
in tune with the writer of James who encouraged
his folks to pray for the sick, pray for the elders, pray for sinners and even pray
for the righteous. No one is excluded
from his prayer list, especially not me. James had one rule. We are to pray as if
nothing else we do is more important..
How do we do that? James states that the prayers of the
righteous are powerful and effective. He
uses Elijah as his primary example. I am
not sure any of us can meet that standard.
Elijah prayed every day for three years that it would not rain in order
that Jezebel might be punished. During
that three years Israel
was as dry as a bone. Then when Elijah
prayed for rain, the heavens instantly opened.
If you are expecting that kind of results from me you will be sorely
disappointed. But that does not mean I
do not believe in the power of prayer. I
have witnessed the prayer life of individuals who have shaped themselves into
becoming more attune with Christ. Likewise I have witnessed the power of a
praying community as it becomes more attune to the body of Christ. Prayer changes relationships. Prayer changes lives. Prayer is something each of us can do, if we
are willing to take the time.
You see, that is the key. Prayer, like any other discipline, takes time. For years I have wanted to play the
guitar. I own a gorgeous instrument
which in the hands of someone else makes beautiful music. A friend once told me I had the ear to play,
the ability to play, all I needed was the time to play. And then he added, “Time and desire need to
be synonymous.”
If one has the desire to pray, then one
will discover the time. And once one
discovers the time, the next thing they will discover is the beauty of
silence. Words are not the key to
prayer. Holy Prayer is dependent on the
presence of God. In order to invite God
into our lives we must be willing to slip away from the noise that bombards
us. A number of years ago my
congregation was having its semi-annual youth service. One young woman asked if she could have the
pastoral prayer. I was delighted by her
eagerness. When it came time for her to
pray she said, “Let us pray.” And then there
was silent. She said nothing for two or three
minutes. I, along with the congregation
grew restless. After five minutes of silence I glanced at the young woman. Her arms were slightly extended, her head
looked upward and her face was aglow. I
don’t know how long the silence continued but the restlessness ceased and the
heartbeat of the congregation became one.
At the right time, she said, “Enable us to carry from this place the
peace and strength we have gained from talking with you. Amen.”
Prayer is the courage to bare our lives
to the scrutiny, the judgment, and the love of God. Prayer is having the audacity to yield to our
confusions, yield to our limitations, yield to our joys, yield to our desires
and then, with full humility and total confidence, hand them over to God. Prayer is the realization that not only are
we seeking God but God is seeking us. Therefore
prayer is about being still; prayer is about discovering a quiet moment; and prayer
is about preparing to be discovered by God.
Then,
only if you dare…….. speak.
To God
be the glory, Amen.
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