"Why is it that when we talk to God we're said to be praying,
but when God talks to us we're schizophrenic?"
- Lily Tomlin
My post for today was inspired by the words of the priest in church today. Thanks, Father Frank!
His words got me to thinking about prayer. What is prayer? Is it really a good idea? Does it work? If not, why bother?
So let us begin with the simplest(?) question first. What then is prayer?
For the cynical response we could turn to the writings of Ambrose Bierce, "PRAY, v., To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy." There was certainly a time in my life when this was my view of prayer. And to some degree perhaps this definition fits what many people think of as prayer.
To understand what something is, we also need to decide what it is not. So in that spirit I will put forward this definition of something that is not prayer. Any prayer, any invocation of the intervention of a deity, that is intended to cause harm to any person or living thing is in actual fact a curse.
This may offend some people, but that category would include such generic prayers as "God, please strike down my enemies." That's a curse, not a prayer.
Asking God to save you from your enemies is okay, but asking him to strike them down? Nope. Remember all that 'turn the other cheek' and 'forgiveness' stuff you learned in Sunday school? It still applies. All of it.
One thing that has always seemed troubling is the propensity for some people, especially sports figures, to pray to God for an advantage in what is essentially a trivial matter. It's almost amusing to think some people have the arrogance to believe the creator of the universe should favor one university football team over another, or the Detroit Pistons over the Chicago Cubs, just because they asked.
If God can be thought of in anthropomorphic terms then I would imagine him listening to such prayers, shaking his head, and making a clucking sound like a parent listening to a child asking for sprinkles on their ice cream when they're already getting chocolate syrup. And I mean the kind of syrup that turns crunchy, no less!
If you must pray over sports then pray that no one gets injured. Pray that everyone plays the game to the best of their abilities, doesn't cheat, and has fun.
The same admonition goes to those who pray for any material gain. Perhaps the words of Mother Teresa will best guide you, "Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition., and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts."
Many people would probably disagree, at least in part, with her words. They might argue that prayer can also be asking for wisdom, or for the benefit of others. Surely there is nothing wrong with such prayers?
Consider also the words of philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, "The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays."
This quote brings together many of my thoughts on prayer and confession.
God knows what you want, what you need, and what you've done. When you are praying do you think God doesn't already know? He knows your words before they even form in your mind.
In confession, we don't so much admit to God what we have done, we admit to ourselves that what we have done is wrong. And, hopefully, we resolve to change.
We pray not to have God change the world, but to change ourselves. It is, as Kierkegaard said, "to change the nature" of ourselves. In proper prayer we do not ask God for anything, we open our hearts and our minds to what he says to us.
For those who choose to pray for the benefit of others, perhaps another quote will say it best. The labor pioneer Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, "Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living." It's one thing to pray for the hungry to be fed, it's another to feed someone.
I don't mean to be cynical here. If you see wrongs in the world try to make them right, and if you choose to pray to God to make the world a better place for others, be prepared to accept that there will always be hungry people in the world. If your friend is suffering bring them medicine and companionship, and if you choose to pray to God to make them healthy, be prepared to accept their passing.
My message on this last point is not that we should not pray, but if we do not get what we wanted, don't blame God. That pesky old "free will vs. determinism" thing rears it's ugly/pretty head here, yet we could say perhaps the "blame" is in you wanting what you can not have.
And always keep in mind, the act of praying is meant to bring you strength, to bring God into your heart. It is not meant to change the universe, but to bring you into alignment with the universe.
God will answer your prayers. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it is no. Sometimes the answer will come as a complete surprise, because you didn't know what the real question was.
Is there a "pure" kind of prayer? Yes, as German theologian and philosopher Meister Eckhart wrote, "If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough."
Sometimes our prayers are answered by events, in either the positive or the negative. You actually do win the lottery, or your friend dies. Don't let the events in your life keep you from seeing the real answer, the answer that can't be photographed, or touched, or pointed to on a calendar.
Peace in your heart.
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