Distinguished Prayer
Mother Teresa has a quote that states, "I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change things." She believed that God empowers people to see the change in the world, but the change happens when we open ourselves up to a conversation with God through prayer. As Dr. Richard J. Foster states in his book Celebration of Discipline, "Of all the spiritual disciplines prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the Father."[1]before change can happen around us, we need to be the ones that are changed.
In one of his most profound teachings, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his disciples to pray. He even went so far as to say, "Pray, then, in this way." (Mt 6.9) What follows this verse is a detailed description of how prayer should look, a model of prayer.
“9 “pray, then, in this way:
’our Father, who is in heaven,
Hallowed be your name.
10 ‘your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘give us this day our daily bread.
12 ‘and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’”
The type of prayer that Jesus is speaking to at this moment is not a corporate setting for worship but a private moment between God and a disciple. (Mt 6.6) It is a prayer that should be done in the privateness of one's soul. It does not have to be an eloquent, long-winded prayer but a simple cry out to God. (Mt 6.7) Our prayers do not sway God in one direction or the other. We should not be so foolish as to think we can manipulate God. For God knows our hearts before we even ask; he is the one who sees us in all of our moments. (Mt 6.8) But what Jesus is calling us to at this moment is a conversation with God, one where we can lay our souls on the line. It is a moment that, if done with a sincere heart, leaves us exposed and vulnerable. We often shy away from true prayer because we do not want to feel exposed and vulnerable, which hinders actual change in our lives.
Change in our lives is truly at stake in these moments with God. If we are unwilling to examine the nature of our existence to see where change needs to happen, we will push prayer to the side because the transformation would cause discomfort in our lives. "If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives."[2]
Is prayer a noticeable characteristic of our lives?
The issue raised is a fair question to ask. As Christians, we are called to be Christ-like in our thoughts and actions. If we were to be like Christ, prayer would be a noticeable part of our lives because it was for Jesus. Throughout his ministry, Jesus often went to the Father in prayer. It was for several reasons throughout his time here on earth, but you would say that prayer was a distinguishable characteristic of Jesus' life.
Jesus also wants prayer to be the same for us—that is why he taught about prayer and why Matthew included it in his writing. Jesus, at the end of his sermon, tells us we should do precisely as he has said, that it would make us wise with a strong foundation.
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ”
The impetus of prayer is to let us be reflections of the coming Kingdom. Although we will never fully be able to bring the Kingdom, we can be set apart from the rest by helping people experiencing poverty, forgiving others, and resisting temptations. Even with our best efforts, we can not build the Kingdom. That is a reality that comes only from God. Through that reality, we pray to God because he is the only one who is genuinely a Kingdom builder.
Where we strive to be in our prayer lives takes time and practice. We do not suddenly become champions of prayer because we want to—it takes time to reach that point. Relationships take time to build. The same is true for our relationship with God. Prayer is entering into a conversation with God; over time, that relationship and our communication will improve. The great news is our growth in prayer never stops, and we will never reach a point of getting it right all the time. This is also the message of holiness, and we grow in it daily throughout our lives.
[1] Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (New York: Harper One, 2018), Kindle.33.[2] Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth.33.
