On Prayer

Pray a lot.

Prayer is one of the great responsibilities of the pastor, publically and privately.  It is one of the “roll up your sleeves” duties.  It is not a mere formality to start and end a day, a meeting or a meal.

God gave great promises about prayer.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.  “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!  Matthew 7:7-11

Martin Luther made some of the boldest statements about prayer that I have ever read.  He hardly “sounded Lutheran!”  Dig out your Book of Concord and read the introduction to the Lord’s Prayer in the Large Catechism.  See the amazing things he said about the power of prayer.

So…pray aggressively.  They say Martin Luther prayed for two to three hours a day; Calvin prayed even more.  A wise pastor once counseled his pre-marriage couples that if they are too busy for sex, they are too busy!  And so with prayer, if a pastor is too busy for prayer, he is too busy!

How much is enough?  Wrong question!  Paul says, “Pray without ceasing.”  Pastors should develop their prayer life in a way that makes prayer the default setting in their life.  Unfortunately this passage has been construed in a way that works against prayer.  Some say that praying without ceasing means that everything a Christian does is covered with prayer by virtue of his being a Christian—so that he doesn’t really need to pray.  Nonsense. 

The following practices will help you pray without ceasing:

• Intentionally devote one half hour to prayer each day. This is not an ending point; it is the starting point. This will get you in a groove not done with a duty.  A friend of mine once said you don’t really start praying until you have been at it for ten minutes!

• Learn to pray on your knees.  The Church moves forward on its knees.  Remember Christians are not dualists; we are “incarnationalists.”  We believe that the body is a gift, although a broken one, from God and that it matters.  So our body as well as our spirit needs to be involved in prayer.  There is no more humbled, and therefore powerful, position for prayer than on your knees with head bowed.  (You might try praying standing with your arms lifted up to the Lord.  You might try praying prostrate as well.)

• Never let a meeting at your church or a visit at the hospital happen without prayer.  Generally the prayer will be the most effective part of the interaction.  When someone comes into your office, never let that person get away without prayer.  This will surprise some, comfort others and disarm not a few.

• Find extended times for fasting and prayer on a regular basis.  I have often wondered what Jesus’ experienced according to his human nature when he went off to pray through the night.  Try it.

• Keep in mind that spending time in prayer is never wasting your congregation’s time.  In fact, your members expect you will be praying for them!
• Avoid prayerful sentiments.  Never say, “I’ll pray for you,” unless you will.  Never say, “You’ve been in my prayers,” unless they have.  Prayerful sentiments are irrelevant at best and deceptive at worst.

• Keep a prayer list.  I keep mine in my head.  There is probably a better place.

Remember, when we pray, Someone is on the other end. 

Pray a lot.