Prayer
Do you ever wonder whether prayer makes any difference? Maybe your experience of prayer leaves you with more questions than answers. Perhaps prayer is an afterthought – more of a duty than a delight – or maybe it was something you gave up on a long time ago. Whatever your experience of prayer, chances are that at some point or another you have found it hard. You’re not alone; even Jesus’ disciples didn’t find it easy to pray. Prayer was the one thing that the disciples explicitly asked Jesus to teach them about (Luke 11:1). This suggests that for those even very close to Jesus, prayer does not always come naturally.
So what, really, is the point? If it is so difficult, why waste our energy?
There is a passage in Hosea which reads: ‘Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope’ (Hosea 2:14-15a ESV). These verses have always fascinated me. They captured my attention a long time ago, yet it is only as I’ve found myself in the wilderness and walked the valleys, that I have realised the beauty of these words.
Prayer, in a strange sort of way, is similar. We may intellectually understand it, we may have knowledge about it, but it is only when we experience it and find ourselves in need of it, that we can really feel a connection to what we have heard and read. Yet it is true, and a mystery, that understanding prayer in itself is not the end goal.
The goal is getting to know God.
The Goal
When I was asked to write a blog post about prayer, I was daunted. Prayer is such a multifaceted thing and it is personal. It is a journey of discovery, of wonder and awe, of difficulty and confusion, of love and adoration and everything in between.
That is why I think prayer is so exciting. It is an adventure that points to a person. God, in three: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:15-16 says:
‘The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children’ (NIV).
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit assures us of God’s love and helps us to cry in prayer to God as our loving father. He loves us, wants us to know Him and to be known by Him. It is communion with God, claimed for us by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, enabled by the Holy Spirit.
Tim Keller, in his book Prayer, Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God*, quotes Scottish theologian John Murray to describe this communion:
‘It is necessary for us to recognise that there is an intelligent mysticism in the life of faith…of living union and communion with the exalted and ever-present Redeemer…He communes with his people and his people commune with him in conscious reciprocal love…The life of true faith cannot be that of cold metallic assent. It must have the passion and warmth of love and communion because communion with God is the crown and apex of true religion’ (p16)*.
Paul writes in Ephesians 1:17: ‘I keep asking that…you may know him better’ (NIV). Comparatively, Paul’s prayers in Philippians 1, Colossians 1 and later in Ephesians 3 reveal how Paul prayed for those he loved – that they may love God and know him better. Keller notes that: ‘it is remarkable that in all of his writings Paul’s prayers for his friends contain no appeals for changes in their circumstances'(p20)*.
The Particulars
Whilst this may be the case, it is not wrong to ask for changes in circumstances, the practical things we need, and for help. Jesus taught and invites us to ask for our daily bread and to ask that God would deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:11&13; Luke 11:3). God loves to provide for the particulars of our lives. What Paul’s prayers reveal is that the most important thing that God could give his friends – and indeed us – is Himself.
So, prayer is exciting because we can get to know God better! It is also exciting because God really cares for us, wants to give us good things and do great things in and through us. The Bible is filled with promises about the power of prayer in the affairs of history. Elijah, who was ‘a man like us’ prayed ‘earnestly’ that it would not rain, and it did not rain for 3 and a half years! (1 Kings chapters 17&18 and James 5:17-18) He then prayed that the rain would come and it did. James 5:16 reminds us that:
‘The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective’ (NIV).
The Practice
Here at Christ City Church, we want to love God and get to know Him better. Along with that, we want to grow in our desire for prayer and communion with Him. Just like the last few year, we are planning a 24-hour prayer event (21st & 22nd May) where we can set aside time to pray, to seek God for our lives, for our city and for our world and get to know Him better. Find all the details below and get signed up for 24hr Prayer slots. We are expectant that God will do great things.
‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen’.
Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV
Blog by Louisa Collington
Details:
Who – Everyone is welcome!
When – Friday 21st to Saturday 22nd May, 7pm to 7pm
How – Online over Zoom (same as Sunday Church) – https://zoom.us/j/95674635802?pwd=TDJPRjVJcWlPdG9zSDllZ3ZwZ0xOdz09
Meeting ID: 956 7463 5802 Password – 123456
What – where we can set aside time to pray, to seek God for our lives, for our city and for our world and get to know Him better
Friday 21st May – Saturday 22nd May
| Time | Theme |
|---|---|
| Fri, 7 – 8pm | Worship |
| Fri, 8 – 9pm | A virtual walk through Dublin |
| Fri, 9 – 11pm | Praying through the Psalms |
| Fri/Sat, 11 – 1am | Prayer for Christian Unions and Campus Evangelism |
| Sat, 1 – 3am | Social Media |
| Sat, 3 – 5am | And God said ‘Let there be light’ |
| Sat, 5 – 7am | Persecuted Christians |
| Sat, 7 – 9am | Business, tech industry in Dublin, colleagues and friends at work, and our hearts towards our work and what God has called us to do here. |
| Sat, 9 – 10am | Praying for Other Nations |
| Sat, 10 – 11am | Worship |
| Sat, 11am – 12pm | Kids (family oriented – mixed ages) |
| Sat, 12 – 2pm | Gendered based violence |
| Sat, 2 – 4pm | Praying for Family – our family, church family, being part of God’s family |
| Sat, 4 – 6pm | Prayer for mental health & prayer for sports |
| Sat, 6 – 7pm | Worship |
* Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Tim Keller (2014)