Practically-Theological Prayer

What is prayer? Quite simply, it is communication with God. But communication is rarely simple.

Prayer is, or should be, the life-breath of any one who claims to follow Jesus. When he said, “apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5), he meant it. Disciples are called to pray, but first they must be taught how. Like everything else in the Christian life, we must struggle to learn to center ourselves away from the world and focus on God. We will never become perfect in doing this, just like we never become perfect in obedience to God. But this only gives us hope, for if we fail in the attempt, we know we can learn from it and try again.

Seeing prayer as a learning process is liberating, because failure only teaches us how to do better. For me, it was a little hard to understand how prayer is something you “get better at.” We are all equal in Christ, after all, and God accepts simple prayers. This is true, but even in human relationships, we often have to work to communicate with each other. Just think of how many times we have to say “well, I didn't really mean that, what I meant was...” or “I thought you said you wanted...” If communication doesn't happen perfectly or automatically between humans, what makes us think it will take no effort to communicate well with God? Therefore we have to start with the right attitude towards prayer, namely, humility. When we pray, we recognize that we are doing so imperfectly and seeking to become better. We acknowledge that we need God, not only to answer our prayers, but to help us pray!

Of course, the very act of prayer suggests our need for God. If we do not pray, we will fall into the trap of believing that we are self-sufficient creatures, and God will certainly leave us to our own devices. But when we humbly acknowledge our neediness, and ask for help, God is quick to pour his power and grace into our lives. However, prayer is much more than just asking for things we need. It's also about listening, joyfully attending to God's constant presence. Not taking time to listen to God is to cut off the life-breath of your spirit. Prayer is like breathing: in from God, out to him. It sustains us, refocuses us, and keeps us connected to the vine.