All my good intentions of maintaining the devotional on some level during vacation did not pan out. I am back now – I think… and here we go taking up where we left off at the beginning of the month. It’s good to back!
While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him. (Act 12:5)
When I read this line the first question that comes to my mind is, how often do I find myself praying fervently? How often do we as a church find ourselves praying fervently together?
Praying fervently wouldn’t be a ritual and practiced prayer. It isn’t quite (I imagine) the prayer you give when you hear a bump in the night and offer up a fearful prayer for God’s protection – though I think that is getting closer. What I picture when I hear praying fervently is a community that stopped everything else to put all their energy and passion into a deeply felt prayer. I remember David praying for his first child by Bathsheba as the child lay dying… lying all night for seven nights with the child refusing to eat or rise. (2 Samuel 12:16) This is fervent prayer.
What is lacking when we lose this sense of prayer? What is removed from the life of faith when our prayer becomes tame or timid? What is wrong with the picture when prayer becomes a stumbling block or a hurdle we have to cross (and don’t feel able to)? Even worse what happens when we make prayer a tool rather than an outpouring of emotion and deeply felt conversation with God? Because when I look in my own life, too often I find that prayer is just that – a tool. Prayer gets used as a way to start and end a visit, or something to say when I’m not sure what else to do and want to avoid the awkwardness. It is a tool when it’s done because we think we ought to, or think it’s expected, and not as a real desire to converse with God. It’s a tool when we find ourselves praying about things to people, and not mutual talking and listening to God with and on behalf of people.
What would it mean to recapture a life with fervent prayer… and a community that prays fervently together for justice, for love, for the safe keeping of one another and the world?
Another thing that amazes me even more about this text is that the story goes on and when the prayer has been answered and Peter is freed from jail by an angel of the Lord this is what happens when he returns to the disciples:
On recognizing Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But she insisted that it was so. They said, "It is his angel." Meanwhile Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed. (Act 12:14-16)
What is really striking and important to me is that its not that they had any stronger notion that all prayer was answered, and answered exactly as they asked it to be. It isn’t that they had greater trust and faith. They can’t believe that Peter is freed! They no more expect Peter to be freed than we would.
The difference between this community and our own isn’t belief in the power of prayer… and certainty in its success. The difference is that regardless of success or power this community we read about is willing to pour their whole being into prayer as a radical statement that it is God alone in whom we put our trust. And I imagine as well the belief that regardless of whether or not the prayer is answered in the way they would like… there is something good and right about pouring out our deepest thoughts and emotions and feelings and passions to God… if not unceasingly – certainly fervently!
How often would describe your prayer life as fervent?
What keeps you from pouring out your emotions to God with all your energy and focus?
How might our lives look and feel differently if we practiced fervent prayer together?
Listening God,
Help us to move beyond a safe, tame or timid practice of our faith. Guide us to radical and life transforming practices and fervent prayer and trust that you alone are our Lord and savior.
Amen.
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Thank you for delivering another thought provoking devotional, Andrew.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is great and really hit home with me. The reading caused me to think and question my own prayer life and fervent prayer not only at home but with the Palms community. This is a topic I have been wrestling with for some time now.
Dictionary.com defines fervent as
1. having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm, etc.; ardent: a fervent admirer; a fervent plea.
2. hot; burning; glowing.
I like to think of it as the second definition, hot, burning and glowing! When I relate this personally, I think of the many times during the worship service when I feel so moved by the musical expression of our choir and the emotion provoking prayers of our pastors, that I want to raise my hands to the sky and give prayer of thanks or even let out an Alleluia!!! Can you imagine! It is a hot, burning, glowing experience! I want to share my joy with all that surround me and give praise! But I look around and remember where I am and my fervent expression is cut short, maybe it turns into a sparkler! I am quick to remember that that type of response is not part of our worship service. At times I even go as far as to imagine the stares and gasps from other members and even how red my cheeks would burn if something slipped out! After experiencing the worship service, I am amazed at how conversation quickly shifts from awe inspiring to the mundane often times before passing through the sanctuary doors or even before the end of the closing hymn.
After many months of contemplation, I have identified my source of contemplation as the "tradition" of religion. I am struggling here.
At times more often than not, tradition has a comforting hand that provides warmth from past generations' wisdom. And that is why I believe I am sitting where I am on Sunday mornings. But also at times, tradition suffocates my desire for fervent expression.
This is a great text followed by excellent questions. It is something I will continue to think about, how I can pray fervently while maintaining our traditions.
Thank you so much for thoughts. You remind me of a worship service here for the ground breaking of the new building. It was Pentecost... I think in 2005. And for some reason near the beginning of the 11 am worship service I could tell everyone was lively and engaged and something happened (I think still in the announcements) and I recall feeling randomly moved by the Holy Spirit and said, "Can I get an Amen?" And the whole congregation shouted, "Amen" ...and I promptly fell over in shock!
ReplyDeleteReally happened!
Sometimes the spontaneous does actually occur in Presbyterian worship... but it isn't really our strong point (and that's my understatement of the day!)
Spontaneity and the movement of the Spirit is a practice we all could use to trust more!!