"Steps of a Disciple: Prayer"
Jeremiah 8:18 – 9:1; 1Timothy 2: 1-7 by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
September 18, 2016
My joy is gone, grief is upon me,
my heart is sick.
Hark, the cry of my poor people
from far and wide in the land:
‘Is the Lord not in Zion?
Is her King not in her?’
(‘Why have they provoked me to anger with their images,
with their foreign idols?’)
‘The harvest is past, the summer is ended,
and we are not saved.’
For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt,
I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.
Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then has the health of my poor people
not been restored?
O that my head were a spring of water,
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
so that I might weep day and night
for the slain of my poor people! - Jeremiah 8:18 - 9:1
This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all —this was attested at the right time. For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. - 1 Timothy 2: 1-7
I remember the first time I began to learn about prayer. I was thirty years old and sitting in my first adult Bible study. The group was made of women from a variety of denominations, ages, and stages of life. These women were a wellspring of faith to learn from. The leader had such a presence of grace and wisdom about her. She was a person that anyone would quickly recognize as having those deep roots of faith. She would always reserve the last twenty or thirty minutes of our time together for prayer. The more the relationships and trust grew, the more the women would share about seeing God in the everyday as well as asking for God’s guidance in specific situations for specific people and themselves.
After the requests were made, the leader always led us in a time to quietly rest in God’s presence. And slowly, one by one, random voices would raise specific prayers for each woman by name and any situation mentioned. Some prayers were very short and simple. Some weaved their prayers with the words of Scripture from our study. Some prayed in silence because it was too much to say the words out loud (that was me back then). But listening to those women pray taught me so much. They gave me a foundation to keep building upon. Those women taught me that prayer is a centering source in the well of God’s grace.
Paul says in his first letter to Timothy that the goal of prayer is a centering one. Prayer empowers us to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity (1 Timothy 2:2). Prayer is a regular pause that composes our hearts and minds to free us from outward distractions. Prayer provides a sense of peace as we experience stillness and steadiness due to God calming our inner chaos of life. A life of prayer cultivates godliness as we develop an inner response to a life of faith. A life of prayer shapes our dignity – our moral and spiritual character - as others see outer evidence of God at work in us.
This mark of being a disciple inspires others and it reveals that God’s grace is creating something remarkable in you and me. The remarkable thing is a heart that is on fire for God.
One day last week I craved a window of time to just be quiet and still. Each morning in my devotional time I play some instrumental music on Pandora (online music website) as I read that day’s devotional entry and the accompanying Scriptures. Just as I opened my book, “Be Thou My Vision” played. It was a real God moment as I felt compelled to just close my eyes to be still and quiet. As the words came to my mind it felt like God’s Spirit was praying those very lyrics over me. When the song finished I read the devotion’s Scripture, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you, I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
What comforting words for a disciple. And then the previous verse caught my eye. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). As I sat in the stillness of contemplating God’s Word, the Spirit was reminding to lean into a deeper trust of the Rabbi and what he is teaching us. That trust composes us so that we are not overwhelmed by the chaos. That trust guards our hearts from being troubled as we are steadied by God’s strength. To be regularly quiet in God’s presence allows us to follow Jesus one step at a time and one prayer at a time so that God may be our vision.
Jesus taught the disciples to follow God’s vision of prayer by his example and word. Jesus would retreat often from the daily grind to center himself in the well of God’s grace (Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16; 6:12). Jesus prayed with gratitude and deep trust that God is always ready to listen and work in our lives in order that God’s glory would be revealed (John 11: 41-42). Jesus advised to never pray for show but to create a space set apart to connect with God (Matthew 6: 5-6). Jesus taught the importance of interceding for people and situations that break God’s heart (Matthew 25:31-40). Jesus urged the disciples to pray for and about obstructions to God’s kingdom, be it for strained relationships needing forgiveness (Mark 11:25) or those who persecute Christ followers (Matthew 5:44). Jesus knew that apart from God we can do nothing therefore a disciple must abide in God daily to lead a fruitful life (John 15:5).
Paul shares what a fruitful prayer life looks like in the steps of a disciple. He raises five marks for us to tap into.
1. Make room for the Holy Spirit to open your heart in gratitude. As you enter God’s presence be spiritually still. Do not talk. Just listen. Allow God’s Spirit to slowly open your heart and mind to what you are grateful for. Even on the worst day there will always be some blessing, some glimpse of God’s faithfulness that we might tell God, “Thank you.”
2. Pray for those close to you. Share with God your joys and concerns for your family, friends, and community. We are connected in a web of relationships. Pray for the connections that need nurturing. Pray for the relationships that are strained, conflicted, and need to be mended by forgiveness. Pray for the needs of your loved ones and your beloved community. These prayers are our supplications as we ask God to supply these physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs as they fall in line with God’s vision of kingdom living.
3. Pray for those in authority and leadership. Scripture urges us to pray for our leaders in high positions. That includes our President, military, our senators, our House Representatives, governor, mayor, and council men and women. We pray for our leaders who help our local community - our sheriff, police and fire departments. We pray for school teachers as they open our children to imagine and think critically. And we pray for our spiritual leaders – our councils and elders and ministers who walk with us in faith to help God transform the world.
4. Pray for the weak. God’s Word guides us to become more spiritually aware to what breaks God’s heart. Just as Jeremiah wept for his people who were oppressed, it is right for us to lament and pray for our sisters and brothers who are unable to protect themselves – those who are threatened by war and violence, those who have lost hope because of injustice, those who are sick, mentally ill, poor, and homeless. These prayers are global and communal. They are our prayers of intercession as we ask God to intercede. We not only pray and trust that God is already present in these hard places of life. We also pray and listen for God to direct us in how we might be the body of Christ and work with God to bring justice, peace, healing, and love.
5. Pray for yourself. I think sometimes this is the hardest prayer to lift to God. As the Holy Spirit opens and touches the quiet places of our hearts, it is challenging to allow ourselves to be truly vulnerable with God. You might ask, ‘If God knows everything, do I really need to talk with God about this or that situation in my life? I don’t know if I can say that out loud to God.’ The answer is yes. We should tell God everything. God’s greatest desire is to have an intimate relationship with you and me. And while it takes some time to build enough trust to lay our hearts bare to anyone, God is worthy.
So tell God about your day – your personal joys and your worries. Tell God what is weighing on you, what you are angry and bitter about in your life, and what you are wrestling with. Tell God your frustrations and complaints. God can handle it all. Give it to God in prayer and then take the time to listen.
As you listen for God pay attention to the whispers of the Spirit. God speaks to us in the contemplation of Scripture as we glean new insights. God speaks to us through our emotions, through conversations with others, and out in the wonders of creation. Pay attention to the spiritual nudges as God seeks to guide us in godliness and dignity.
Prayer is an ongoing conversation with God. It is also a two-way street for us to both listen and talk with God. As we think about those five marks of a rich and balanced prayer life, it is not about changing God’s mind or changing situations or changing the people we are praying for. Prayer changes us. It allows our spirits to be shaped as we ask God to be our vision, our best thought, our strength, and the light in our life.
As you reflect upon your own prayer life consider the 5 marks of prayer. Which one(s) seem out of balance? How might your feed your spiritual appetite so that it is more balanced and satisfying?
As you think about your prayer life where are you most comfortable connecting to God? You may have a special room in the house or in a tranquil garden where you settle in and quiet yourself in prayer. Maybe your spiritual house is on the move as you run or walk and talk with God as an old friend. You might enter God's presence when you're driving alone in the car as you let Jesus take the wheel. You might cultivate prayer while doing tasks in the kitchen, home, or yard. Prayer is not always about being physically still. Prayer is holy work as we strive to communicate with God in meaningful ways. Just as we make communication a priority in any significant relationship, we do so with God too.
As you and I take the next steps of a disciple consider how you might strengthen this discipline of prayer. Explore different ways to contemplate the mystery of being in God’s presence to grow in relationship with our Maker, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Prayer is a centering source for us to experience the well of God’s grace in the joys, challenges, and broken hallelujahs of life. So come to the well often to drink this life giving water and rekindle your passion for God.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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