OUR PRAYERS: Part 1
Have you ever wondered if there’s a wrong way to pray? I believe we can pray to the wrong god—there is but one true, all-sufficient Lord. I also believe we can pray for the wrong reasons—like the street corner hypocrites, just wanting to be seen. We can even pray for the wrong things—like infinite riches. Watch out! Our storehouse may just burn to the ground.
Aside from these Biblical examples, I really don’t believe there is a “wrong” way to pray. Our prayers can be as varied as our individuality and the individual needs for which we pray. But still, we want to know…how are we “supposed” to pray? We want to feel confident in this important area of our faith walk. Volumes have been written on the subject of prayer, but one very simple model has always stuck with me as a reminder of the importance of the order of prayer. It’s the acronym, ACTS, which represents Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.
We surely know when we’re in the presence of someone with the gift of extemporaneous prayer, but I also love the anointing of a starkly simple, heartfelt prayer. It breathes of tenderness and vulnerability. Prayers can be a word or two, a sentence, or a lengthy tumbling out of what is in our hearts and on our minds.
A conversation. At its core, that’s all prayer really is. It is a privileged conversation, to be sure, and is designed to draw the one praying, the one being prayed for (whether self or others) and the One being prayed to…all closer in relationship.
Imagine not speaking with your spouse or your children on a daily basis. It certainly wouldn’t engender closeness, and it would not feed your relationships. Frequent and honest communication is key in any relationship. It draws us closer to one another, it hems us in. The same is true for prayer. It should be as natural as breathing. But for many of us—myself included—that is not always the case. Privately? Yes, sure, of course…but corporately? In a way, it’s almost comical—why do I get knocked-kneed and tongue tied when asked to lead a group of mere mortals in prayer, yet feel no such restraint when praying to Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, multiple times a day?!
We know that we are not alone when asking the “how” of prayer. In fact, we are in very good company for even the disciples felt the need to know. They too wanted that feeling of assurance and posed that very request: Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. (Luke 11:1)
One incredible aspect of Jesus’ teaching about prayer can be found in Matthew 6:6. I love the Berean Study Bible translation: But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
In place of “inner room”, some translations use the terms “closet”, “inner chamber”, and “most private room”. This language speaks of going deep into interior spaces, the privacy afforded when one is secreted away. I view this as somewhat akin to the “Holy of Holies”—the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle where God’s presence dwelt.
When a couple has something very important to discuss, they typically leave the children in place, retreat to their bedroom and close the door. It respectfully prioritizes the conversation by creating an intimate, focused, uninterrupted space for undivided attention. It is a place set apart from the more common spaces and uses in the home.
While the “inner room” does refer to a physical place, I like to think it also refers to the interior spaces deep down inside of us, which can bring an even greater spiritual significance to the practice of prayer Jesus recommended. With the closing of a door, it’s just you and God—alone. No one else is there to impress, to distract, or to fool. It’s a time and a space to bare all. Total honesty with self before the Lord is all that can fit into that “closet”, that “inner chamber”. Everything else has to be shut out and temporarily put away. Only then are we able to be totally present in these moments, as we lay before Him our thoughts, our concerns, our very soul. And through the eyes of prayer we will sense His presence…and His love…and His plan.
Going deeper into that interior space, means going ever deeper into ourselves. At times you may find words, thoughts or images rushing up through you that can take you completely by surprise—you do not know from whence they came. You can know in these moments that you are experiencing the rich flow of fellowship with the Lord, your God. These are the moments that can take our breath away, when we are flooded with insight and wisdom and the knowledge of a right heart in the sight of God. Jesus knew of that intense fellowship with God as He also sought Him out, retreating away to quiet places, gaining solitude and the connection of oneness with the Father through prayer.
Closing the door to our inner room of prayer for our encounter with God, also means there will be an opening of that door to rejoin our encounter with the world. There is a going in…and a coming out. A lifting up…and a letting go. Because this life can be so overwhelming and our need of God is so great, I’m picturing a very well-worn door from years of use, its wood is marred, it squeaks and creaks, and the doorknob has become embedded with two sets of prints, one is our own, the other bears scars.
With prayer, there is no secret formula, no magic incantation. It’s meeting God in the secret places of our hearts and the magic that happens when we fully surrender our lives unto Him.
And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. That reward is the constant renewing of our life in Him, here and in the hereafter. It is the closeness we gain through confession; it is the cleansing and lifting of a burdened heart. It is the Light of the Love we never earned nor deserved, but have received in abundance!