The What of Prayer: Sickness

Perhaps we think instinctively to pray when we learn that someone is seriously ill or is in the hospital.  It is easier during these times to ask for other people to pray too, and we are especially touched when they tell us that they are praying for our loved ones or for us.

In some ways, it is easy to pray when someone is sick.  They have an illness, or a physical limitation, that needs healing.  And despite medical advances, healing is still a rather mysterious thing, so it is easy to place our hopes in God’s hands. 

Of course, there will be times when the person we pray for does not improve physically.  Unfortunately, our bodies deteriorate over time in ways that medicine, miraculous though it is, cannot overcome.  We should not imagine that our prayers for healing are ignored by God, but remember that God’s vision of our wholeness is bigger than our physical bodies.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Pray for someone you know who is sick.  After your prayer, send them a note to tell them that you prayed for them.

The What of Prayer: Daily Needs

“Give us this day our daily bread,” Jesus taught us to pray.  It is natural to pray for our needs, to offer thanksgiving for our food and shelter, for our health, for our safety.  And we quickly learn how to pray for things that we need: for healing when we are sick, for protection when we travel, for a job (or a better job) when we can’t meet our bills.

Some suggest that we use the term “needs” too loosely, and that often the things we need are just things that we want or expect.  We pray for the ability to pay for a new roof, forgetting how nice our house is in the first place.  We pray for physical healing, when often our spiritual sickness is far greater than our physical aches and pains.

So we should pray for God to open our eyes to our wants and needs, helping us to tell the difference.  But then we should freely pray for our needs and wants, asking God to provide for us generously, and thanking God for his abundant gifts to us.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Pray for your daily bread.  Give thanks for God’s blessings and ask for the things you desire and/or need.

The What of Prayer: Does God Care About My Hangnail?

While many churches still have a time during their worship service when those present may share their prayer concerns, several churches have quietly stopped this part of the service.  Many of them, who feel like the sharing was taking too much time in the service, have insisted that people submit their prayers in writing; these prayers are then either mentioned briefly aloud or just printed in the bulletin.

While it might be challenging for a 1000+ member church to share all their prayer requests during the service, I think that time is just a scapegoat for the real reason many churches have stopped this personal prayer sharing.  Many people are afraid what someone might say during this time.  In particular, many are worried that people will raise unworthy joys and concerns.  The easiest way to avoid this is to simply not give them the opportunity.

In private conversations I have with others about prayer, this worry about praying about unimportant or unnecessary things often arises.  There are things, people tell me, that they just don’t feel it is appropriate to pray about, especially in public.  Sometimes are joys are so frivolous compared to people’s pains and concerns.  Deep down, though, I know that people worry about praying about such things in private too.

Is it possible to raise something unworthy of God’s attention and care?  Is there some point at which something becomes important enough to mention to God, and we should just keep everything below that threshold to ourselves?

This is one of the ways that we cut ourselves off from God.  We imagine that God is a VIP executive who only cares about the important things.  If someone is in the hospital, God needs to know.  If your stomach is upset, better just keep that to yourself. 

But God knows about our hangnails and our canker sores.  God knows when we’re in a bit of a funk, or when the simplest thing has brought a smile to our face.  God knows about all of it.  It is impossible for us to keep anything out of God’s cosmic in-box; it is impossible for us to keep God in the dark about anything that we experience.

And once we learn how to be more open with God about the little things in our lives, as well as the big things, we can begin to learn to be more open with other people in times of public prayer as well.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Think of the silliest thing that brought a smile to your face today.  Make sure to thank God for it during your prayer.  And if you have a hangnail, pray for that too.

The How of Prayer: Mid-day

It can be hugely beneficial to pause in the midst of our workdays and busyness.  A brief time of prayer can be both a refreshing break and an invaluable reminder of matters of lasting importance during the time when we focus on our daily cares.  Mid-day prayer is not long; it is not intended to distract us from our work.  Instead it is a concrete way to recognize God's presence in all parts of our lives, including our jobs and day-to-day responsibilities.

Mid-day prayer is one of the four prayer times of the Daily Office, a short prayer that takes the place of times of prayer at 9 am, noon, and 3 pm.  It has no official name or prescribed time, though it is expected to take place in the middle of a traditional work day.  It is the shortest part of the Daily Office.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Pray today at Mid-day.

• Read Psalm 121
• "From the rising of the sun to its setting my name shall be great among the nations, and in every place incense shall be offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name shall be great among the nations, says the Lord of Hosts."  Mal. 1:11
• The Lord's Prayer
• Intercessory Prayer

The How of Prayer: Sighs Too Deep for Words

Finding the right words to pray can be very intimidating.  Sometimes we muddle through, or (as mentioned yesterday) sometimes we use other people's words to jump-start our prayers.  It can also be helpful to learn to pray without using words at all.

A lot of what we want to share with God, deep down, is rooted in our emotions.  We want to work through our joys and our sadnesses, and also our anxieties, our apathy, our agitation, and other complicated feelings.  We can pray with tears and laughter, with shrugs and grunts, and with sighs too deep for words.

God can understand all of these things, without us having to find the "right words."  We just need to be willing to share with God, and learn to be comfortable praying without words.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Try to pray without words today.  Focus on your deeper feelings without trying to describe them.

The How of Prayer: In Other's Words

Sometimes we struggle to find the words when we pray.  And sometimes we're scared to pray the words that we do find, especially in tough times.

While it is good to learn how to pray openly with God in all circumstances, including the times when we don't know what to say to God, it is also good to use other people's prayers.  There are collections of prayer books and prayers on the Internet that we can incorporate into our prayers.  These prayers can not only guide us, but they can offer us comfort.

If you don't have some prayer books in your personal library, you should invest in a couple.  And when you seem to have trouble finding the words, or when you just think that your prayer life seems a little flat, open these books and use them.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Begin your prayer with a prayer written by someone else, either from a book or one you find on the Internet.

The How of Prayer: Humor

How many funny things do you say during the day?  (Or at least how many things that you think are funny do you say?)  Humor is a big part of many of our relationships -- especially our close relationships.  Why should our relationship with God be any different?

This is not to suggest that you should prepare a stand-up routine before you pray, but simply to recognize that you can share things you find funny.  Sometimes God may even share humor with you.

Adding humor will lighten up your prayers.  The typical prayer is long and monotonous; in contrast, humor is usually short and staccato.  Changing your tone may change how you feel about praying.  It can certainly add vibrancy to your prayer life and further develop your relationship with God.

Today's Prayer Prompt: When a funny thought crosses your mind today, take a minute to pray.

The How of Prayer: Music

Everyone tends to be easily distracted in this world, which is understandable.  We are surrounded by media and information, some of it by our own choosing.  All of this stuff, however, eventually grows to the point that it just seems to be loud noise, which makes it difficult to focus on anything, including the important things.

We often use music to help ease our minds and our spirits.  Music can distract us from the noise, it can drown out the noise, or it can quiet the noise, usually depending on our mood.  While quieting the noise of our lives is best, any of these three means of overcoming our distractions can help our prayer lives.

By connecting the music in our lives -- whether we listen to it or produce it -- with our souls, we can prepare ourselves for a time of healthy prayer.  Allowing the music to take away our distractions -- or at least distract us from them for a time -- can allow us to focus on our relationship on God.  Sometimes, the music can even be a part of our relationship with God.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Find some time this afternoon to pray.  Put on some music, listen for a while to focus yourself, and then pray.

The How of Prayer: Silent Meditation

Silent meditation, or centering prayer, is a way to find the quiet essence of our relationship with God.  The point is to slowly empty away all of our cares and anxiety until we reach a point of peaceful contemplation where we can listen for God's voice.

Imagine that you are a cup filled with liquid.  You can only hold so much.  As our lives fill up with the stress of responsibilities, guilt, regret, and other things, our cup is full and we can't add anything else -- good or bad -- to it.  We need to find a way to empty those things from our cup -- push them out of our mind -- so that we have space to hear from God.

Meditation is a process or emptying our cups and centering ourselves.  Find a peaceful place with no distractions.  Close your eyes.  See what thoughts enter your consciousness.  Don't fight thoughts -- that only creates more stress; simply allow them to enter and then leave your mind.  Eventually your mind will clear, allowing an open conversation with God.  Invite God into that space.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Find some uninterrupted time today to meditate in a quiet place.

The How of Prayer: Openness

There are virtually innumerable ways to pray.  Too often we imagine that prayer occurs only with head bowed, eyes closed, and solemn voice, but the possibilities are almost endless.  Eyes open or eyes closed.  Silently or speaking.  Sitting, standing, kneeling, lying down.

The key thing is not how we hold our hands or what words we say, though; it is much more important how we approach God spiritually.  The key is openness, openness with God and openness to God.  Without this basic openness, regardless of our posture, our prayers with God will be very limited.

Of course, this openness is an ideal, not a requirement.  Sometimes we will need to pray when we are not really open to God.  Instead we are filled with tension or anxiety or grief, but we still need to pray even in those times.  Sometimes we will even need to argue with God, and just like when you argue with someone else you love, it can be hard to listen to another person when you are so busy yelling at them.

In times like these, it is important to be as honest with God as possible, praying for the heavy emotions to subside so that we can be more open to God's love and assistance.  Learning to pray in such times can be a way of developing our prayer life and even deepening our relationship with God.

More troubling are the times when we create our own tension in our prayer life.  We approach God in a rush, recognizing the need to pray, but already thinking about the other things we also need to do.  Or we get in the habit of only telling God things when we pray -- giving God our to-do list of healings, comfortings, directings -- and never listen for God's voice.  In these ways, we intentionally close ourselves off from God, making our prayer life much less effective.  And these things are much easier to control, if we're willing to control them.

So, as you continue to grow in your prayer life, become more conscious of your need to open up to God.  It should be an emotional part of how you begin your time of prayer, the most important piece of your prayer routine, done as your bow your head, fold your hands, and close your eyes; or as you raise your head to the heavens and open your eyes; or as you get down on your knees and turn your palms face up; or... or... or....

Today's Prayer Prompt: Before you pray today, think about how you are approaching God.  Are you stressed out?  Are you angry?  Are you willing to listen?  Are you in a hurry?  Become more aware of how you are approaching God.  And then begin your prayer by asking God to help you become more open to Him.

The Where of Prayer: In the Bedroom

As mentioned last week, one of the first places we learn to pray is beside, or in, our beds just before we fall asleep. We start praying at bedtime when we are children. Over the years, we probably do not pray as often before going to sleep, but sometimes we do.

The form of prayer just before bedtime in the Liturgy of the Hours, the Daily Office, is called Compline. It is a short series of prayers, usually prayed from memory, incorporating a confession, a psalm (from four options), the Lord's Prayer, and a short concluding prayer.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Try a Compline prayer tonight before bed.

• "The Lord Almighty grant us a peaceful night and a perfect end. Amen."
• Prayer of Confession
• Read Psalm 91 aloud
• The Lord's Prayer
• Prayer for God's protection through the night

The Where of Prayer: Walking

Prayer does not always require silence and stillness. Instead, we must learn to pray throughout the day, wherever we happen to be. One way to accomplish this is to learn to pray while you're walking from place to place (preferably with your eyes open).

Imagine that when you walk from your car into work, you have just enough time for a quick conversation with God -- similar to one of the many conversations you probably have with your spouse or other loved one during the day. Say what's on your mind -- good and/or bad. As the day continues, say quick prayers for those you meet during the day.

If you're finding it particularly difficult to pray and walk at the same time, you should probably practice at home for a while. Find a hallway where you can walk back and forth. Pray one sentence each direction -- walk however slowly you need to in order to do this. As you get more comfortable, speed up your walk until you are walking at your normal pace and you can easily look where you are going. Then you are ready to try praying and walking at the same time again in public.

Today's Prayer Prompt: The first time today that you think of God while you are walking today, pray the Lord's Prayer.

The Where of Prayer: Public Places

Praying in public may be the most intimidating spiritual thing for many Christians. In a society that promotes toleration, we have grown accustomed to keeping our religion, and our religious practices, private. Moreover, we tend to avoid public prayer because we do not want to be associated with those who are thought to be right-wing fanatics, who have a reputation for praying in public.

While it is important that we do not berate others with our religious beliefs, our reluctance to pray in these situations says much more about our fear than it does our tolerance. Rather than being open-minded to others, we are voluntarily closed off from God in public. In these times, we treat God like an overly enthusiastic and rambunctious child, hoping that God won't talk so loud and keep drawing attention to us.

Prayer shouldn't wait until we get behind closed doors, though. Praying in public doesn't require us to use megaphones or wear sackcloth and ashes; it doesn't even require closing your eyes and bowing your head. You need to recognize God's presence where you are -- the shopping mall, a restaurant, your workplace -- and speak with God in those times and places.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Have a conversation with God today while you're out and about. If you feel uncomfortable, admit that and ask God to help you with your discomfort.

The Where of Prayer: Outside

Spring arrives officially by week's end, but the changing seasons have been apparent in the last couple of weeks. As the days are longer and the temperatures are warmer, we tend to find lots of excuses to spend time outside. We take walks, or at least linger on our way to and from the mailbox. We sit on the porch or look out the window more. We may even take the long way home from work or other places.

Sometimes this is just an excuse for us to enjoy some warm sunshine after a cold winter. Deep down, though, we feel a connection to something larger than ourselves when we see the sun shining through the trees and glistening on the budding flowers. Looking around at the created world, we see God's handiwork and are reminded of God's care for us in a palpable way.

Majestic mountains and shining waters have long inspired thoughts of God, especially in the Psalms. Look around you for places of beauty and comfort, whether it is a forest trace or a manicured lawn, beside still waters or on a windswept canyon top. As you breath fresh air and feel the wind on your face, find ways to pray to God.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Take a walk today. Along your way, find a quiet spot and pray.

The Where of Prayer: In the Car

Unless something goes terribly wrong, most people have no impulse to pray in the car. When the tires lose traction, or air, or the engine sputters, or overheats, we may pray; otherwise, we're generally busy setting the air, fiddling with the radio, putting on our makeup, making phone calls, reading our to-do list, looking through our purse, drinking our coffee, telling the kids to be quiet, arguing with our spouse... to even think about prayer (or driving, for that matter).

Finding a quiet moment to pray in the car is a good way to connect with God amidst the busyness of the day. And the prayers don't need to focus only on the car travel. This is a good time to pray for people you meet during the day, to pray for encouragement, to pray for patience.

It is even possible to pray while you're driving, though it is important to learn how to pray with your eyes open before trying such prayer. Travel is sometimes the only unstructured time we have during the day, which makes it a key opportunity for God to reach out to us and speak with us, if we're open to the possibility.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Each time you get in a car today, take a few moments to pray.

The Where of Prayer: Home

If the most comfortable place for people to pray is in a church building, the second most comfortable is where they live. Regardless of the headaches we have in our homes and the presence of other people, it is still the place where we can shut the door and let down our guard. And letting down our guard is a big part of learning how to pray.

If you live by yourself, or with just one other person, there are lots of opportunities to find quiet space to pray in your homes. If there are more people, in a smaller space, it can be more challenging, to say the least. But whatever your living situation, you need to find a place (or places) in your home where you can pray on a regular basis.

Pray in bed, or sitting on the bed. Pray in a chair by the window. Pray in the garage (before leaving and when you come home). Pray in the bathroom (which is good if your living arrangement is low on privacy).

And it's not just the physical space, but how you inhabit it. Pray in your slippers and bathrobe. Pray with a cup of coffee or tea. Pray while reading your Bible or a devotional. Pray with music playing in the background. Pray next to the baby's crib while he's taking a nap.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Make yourself a cup of a comforting beverage. Sit by a window and just look outside for a few minutes. And pray.

The Where of Prayer: Finding Sacred Space

Whenever we are in prayer with God, we are in sacred space, whether in the middle of the grandest cathedral, the most awe-inspiring natural wonder, or the loudest, crowded megamall? Our challenge is to see the holiness in the space where we are. If that is impossible, it is then to seek out a space where we see the holiness.

Too often, we get this backwards. We think we have go looking for a place to pray, as if some places are holier than others. We are conditioned in this. If we are in a church sanctuary, we expect that we will pray. If we are in Wal-Mart and someone starts praying, we don't expect that -- in fact, we're probably afraid, wondering why they're praying.

Over the centuries, the wealthy have built sanctuaries in their lavish homes, little chapels where they could pray while at home. The less wealthy have made shrines in corners with art, crosses, and candles -- an image we often associate with Italian or Hispanic Catholics.

You probably don't have a religious shrine or private chapel in your home. But you still have clear ideas about what space you can pray in is like. It must almost always be very quiet. It must be in private, except in specific circumstances.

There's nothing particularly wrong with these ideas. Chapels are sacred space. Quiet places are sacred space. The family dinner table can be sacred space. The beautiful hills of West Virginia are sacred space.

But any space can be sacred. Regardless of where it is, how clean it is, how quiet it is, or how private it is. As you grow more comfortable in your prayer life, you should be able to pray in more places and more contexts. You should learn to pray in crowds and in noisy places. You should learn to pray in public, as well as in private. You should learn to pray at home as easily as you pray in a church building.

All it takes if for you to see God in the place where you find yourself -- God's presence is what makes it sacred. And once you've recognized God in these places, you might as well spend a few moments in prayer; after all, it would be rude if you saw God and you didn't say anything.

Today's Prayer Prompt: When you find yourself in a noisy place today, look for God and say a prayer.

The When of Prayer: Morning Prayer

Since the ancient Hebrews, many of our ancestors of faith have made prayer the first thing they do each new day. Upon rising, they greeted the morning sun with prayers of thanksgiving for the new day, and they sought God's direction and blessing for the activities of the day.

Over the centuries, morning prayers have been ritualized. Even now, many people read devotionals or scripture, in addition to praying, in the morning. The church also has formalized "Morning Prayer," a worship service with hymns, scripture lessons, and prayers, that many people follow.

This prayer service is like a short worship service, modeled after Episcopal practice. It has a short "opening sentence" which is the same as a call to worship, followed by a psalm and a prayer of confession. The daily scripture lessons -- Psalm, Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel -- for the day follow, usually with chants or psalms in between. The prayers follow, including the Lord's Prayer. And then there is a closing.

Some people follow this service with a group of people; others do it by themselves. But it is a practice that encourages daily prayer and scripture reading (in fact, people who follow the daily lectionary read all of the Bible every two years).

Today's Prayer Prompt: Try a form of Morning Prayer today. Here is a guide to help you, complete with today's scripture readings.

• Opening Statement: "I was glad when they said unto me, 'We will go into the house of the Lord.'" Psalm 122:1
• Prayer of Confession
• Lessons: Psalms 75, 76; Jeremiah 5:20-31; Romans 3:19-31; John 7:1-13 (allow two minutes of silence between each reading)
• Time of Prayer, end with The Lord's Prayer
• Closing Statement: "May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

My Friend Chris in the News

The Library of Congress solicited sermons about the recent inauguration of Barack Obama in order to create an archive of religious reflections on this historic event. I did not preach explicitly on Obama's inauguration, but my friend Chris did in Pennsylvania. His sermon, preached at his UCC church in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was accepted into the collection.

Last week, he was interviewed by Religion News Service, and his comments became the lead to their wire story on the sermon collection. You can read the story here.

The When of Prayer: Before Travel

I was on a plane once sitting next to a teenage girl who was visibly terrified of flying. During the entire flight, which lasted a little over an hour, she clutched a set of rosary beads and prayed. I felt terrible for her, but also knew there was little I could do for her; I remember that I prayed that God would comfort her anxiety.

Traveling is often nerve-wracking, even if we're not terrified of the mode of transportation. We can run into unexpected problems -- road construction, flight delays, bad weather, lost hotel reservations. We can forget to pack certain things. We can get lost.

It is appropriate to pray for ourselves when we travel -- and for others when they travel. We pray for a comfortable and safe trip. We pray that our purposes for traveling -- business, family need, vacation -- are fulfilled. We pray for God's guidance, so that we do not get lost. And when we feel anxious or scared about what might happen, we pray for God's comfort and grace.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Before you start the car today, or before you leave the driveway if you're not driving, say a prayer for God's protection and God's guidance on your trip.

The When of Prayer: Celebrations

During some of our biggest milestones, we expect that there will be prayer. There are prayers before, during, and after weddings. We pray during baptisms. Despite "the separation of church and state" we find ways to pray at graduations. In fact, without prayer, some of these celebrations would seem to be missing something.

Often, though, these prayers are offered by someone else in the context of a ceremony. Less often do we think to pray on our own during joyous times. Do we think of praying when we celebrate birthdays, retirements, job promotions, new houses?

The difference seems to be in our expectations, even in our conditioning. We have come to expect prayers at certain times, but not at others. So we must train ourselves differently, teaching ourselves when to pray. At milestones and on joyous occasions, we should pray with gratitude and thankfulness, with hope for the future and wonder at the present.

Today's Prayer Prompt: When you find a moment of joy or satisfaction today, offer a prayer.

The When of Prayer: Times of Trouble

When we reach the end of our rope, we often turn to God in desperation, which is a natural response. We should pray in times of trouble and despair, reaching out to God for encouragement, comfort, and direction.

Sometimes, though, we are slow to pray when difficulties and problems arise. We are stubborn, and we try to muddle through on our own, rather than burdening anyone else -- including God. It would be better if we found time to pray sooner rather than later, allowing God to directly help us with our challenges.

The curse of sin for this world is that we will all encounter many headaches and heartaches in our lives. God's promise to us, however, is that He will be with us through such times of trouble, however dark they may be, consoling us in our distress and guiding our steps, easing our burdens, and leading us to the light.

Today's Prayer Prompt: When you lose your temper or find yourself frustrated today, take a deep breath and offer a prayer.

The When of Prayer: Bedtime

Praying just before you go to sleep is a good way to wind down at the end of the day. Taking a few moments to breathe and reflect on your day with God, rather than rushing to jump in bed, is both a pleasant way to end the day but a good opportunity to unburden yourself before you try to sleep.

The impetus to pray before sleeping stems from an ancient fear: people prayed to God before bed because they were afraid they would not wake up. In fact, this is preserved in the famous "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer. "If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."

Today we usually worry less about death when we go to bed than about restless nights and alarm clocks. So we can pray not out of fear, but with gratitude for the day's opportunities, seeking comfort for our heartaches and headaches, forgiveness for our mistakes, and encouragement for the next day.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Share something that is bothering you with God at bedtime tonight and allow your prayer to ease your burden.

The When of Prayer: Before Meals

Prayers before meals may be some of the oldest regular prayers in our religious heritage. We can trace such prayers back to the ancient Israelites. If there was meat, often it had been prayed over by priests during a ritual sacrifice; if there was produce, the head of the family gave thanks for God's bounty from the fields.

It is a good habit to pray before eating. It allows us an opportunity to give thanks for our daily bread and reminds us, again, of the other blessings in our lives. It reminds us that it is not just our work, or that of someone in our family, that provides us with food. In our land of overflowing supermarket shelves, we sometimes forget that hunger is a very real danger for many people, as it was for our ancestors.

More than this, though, we usually teach our children about prayer by praying before meals. They hear the pastor pray in church, and they may pray before bed, but they see their family pray together before meals, and this makes a strong impression. By praying together, we teach them, and remind ourselves, that God is an important part of our lives.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Before you eat today, pray.

The When of Prayer: God Never Closes

Recently, I again heard someone refer to the fact that "Even God rested on the Sabbath," a reminder that rest is a necessary part of our lives. Many people in this country, maybe even you, wonder when the last time you rested was; between the growing demands of our jobs and the constant needs of our families, rest is often the farthest thing from our lives. The need to find balance in our lives between activity and rest, for a host of physical, mental, psychological, relational, and spiritual reasons, is very real; God resting on the Sabbath is a significant and meaningful example for our lives.

But in the world of prayer, it is important to realize that in actuality God never rests. There's never an "Out to Lunch" sign on God's office door, never an automated vacation response on God's email, never a redirection -- "If you need immediate assistance, please press 0 now and someone will assist you" -- on God's voice mail. God may have taken the first Sabbath, but none since.

This is important to remember when we think about when we should pray. The question of when is entirely up to us: there is never a time when God can't hear our prayers and be with us in prayer. Sometimes you may think, "This is not very important, so I won't bother God with it; after all, He's busy with other people's terrible problems. If it gets worse, then I might pray about it." God isn't an overworked clerk; it's not necessary for you to take a number, or even come back next Tuesday when it's less busy.

We're the ones who use time as a reason not to pray, not God. We wonder if it's the right time to pray, as if God is a professional who can't be contacted outside of scheduled office hours. We wonder if we're wasting God's time about silly things, as if God is an unapproachable VIP. We are more likely to think, "I'll pray about that later," either with our daily (scheduled) prayers or just some distant time in the future, than to just say a prayer.

This week, we'll consider some good times to pray. Scheduling is one way to improve our prayer habits, by committing to pray at certain times each and every day. But prayer is not only a scheduled event, only to be done at meals and before bed; in fact, prayer is essentially spontaneous.

The apostle Paul suggested we are to "pray without ceasing." Usually, we interpret this to mean that we are to find ways to pray every moment of every day. But Paul's advice is not really about marking prayer by the second hand on the clock. It is about recognizing that we can pray in every circumstance we find ourselves in, for any reason -- or for no reason at all. Yes, we can pray before meals or with military precision at certain hours of the day. We can pray with the sun, at daybreak and sunset, or around our sleeping habits, when we awaken and just before we sleep. We can pray every time we see a rainbow or pass a budding flower. Or we can break out of thinking that prayer is about a clock and just pray anytime at all.

God exists beyond our schedule. So God is always there and always ready for our prayers.

Today's Prayer Prompt: When the spirit moves you today, just stop whatever you are doing and say a prayer.

Bible Study, March 11

An overdue post about the next Bible Study, which will meet on Wednesday March 11 at 7:30, following our session on Lectio Divina.

We will reflect on Jesus the teacher during this week's session. Our study will focus on two main documents: Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew 5-7) and the collection of Jesus' teachings recorded in the Gospel of Thomas.

The Gospel of Thomas was only rediscovered about 60 years ago, although it was known because of frequent references to it in ancient Christian writings. It is believed to have been written in the 1st Century, though the earliest fragments of it date to the 2nd Century. Unlike the canonical gospels, the gospel does not relate the story of Jesus' life, but is only a collection of Jesus' teachings, some found in the canonical gospels, some not. Click here to read the Gospel of Thomas online.

Coming Up Sunday, March 8

I'm back from Washington DC and playing catch up. It was a good trip, and I enjoyed the Lincoln symposium and excellent related exhibit at the Library of Congress.

A reminder to set your clocks ahead for Daylight Savings Time, which begins on Sunday.

This Sunday our Lenten series on prayer continues. We will explore our need to be open and honest with God when we pray. We will consider the story of Cain and Abel, found in Genesis 4, which is helpful in thinking about our openness to God. This story suggests several things. First, it is foolish to think we can hide things from God. Second, we often feel separated from God, but that emotion is usually self-inflicted. Third, it reminds us that we sometimes feel unjustly judged by God, and we don't know how to handle those times. All of these things affect our prayer life and affect how open we feel we can be with God when we pray.

The Who of Prayer: The Monastic Example

When some people think about prayer, they imagine monks or nuns, in their brown cowls or black habits, chanting and praying in a monastery or abbey. There is good reason for this -- for centuries most monastic orders have committed themselves to praying the Divine Office, a series of prayers used throughout the day. Also called the Liturgy of the Hours, these prayers at specific times every day developed out of early Christian practice of praying morning, noon, and night.

Over the centuries, the times of the prayers were formalized and named (in Latin).

• Matins - prayer during the night, sometimes called Nocturns
• Lauds - prayer at dawn
• Prime - prayer in the early morning (or at the first hour, 6:00 am)
• Terce - prayer in the midmorning (at the third hour, 9:00 am)
• Sext - prayer at midday (at the sixth hour, Noon)
• None - prayer in the midafternoon (at the ninth hour, 3:00 pm)
• Vespers - evening prayer; traditionally at sunset
• Compline - prayer at the completion of the day; traditionally prayed just before going to bed

In recent centuries, the prayers have been joined together in some cases; very few monasteries hold eight prayer services a day. The Daily Office, which is the Anglican form of the Liturgy of the Hours, merges the eight prayers into four: Morning Prayer (Matins and Lauds), Prayer During the Day (roughly an abridged version of Terce, Sext, and None), Evening Prayer (Vespers), and Compline.

In the upcoming Saturdays, we will learn a little about the four parts of the Daily Office, which millions of regular church people pray every day.

Today's Prayer Prompt: At sunset tonight, take a brief break. Read a psalm and pray.

The Who of Prayer: Praying with Other People

Occasionally I am asked to pray for public events outside of our congregation. I am happy to offer such prayers, but I am always mindful that some of those I will be praying probably are not Christian. As such, I feel I have a responsibility to pray in a religiously inclusive way, so that almost everyone can pray together. While it may still exclude atheists, it does allow Christians, Jews, Muslims, and others who believe in a higher being to pray together.

More often, when we find ourselves praying with other people, we will be praying with a group of Christians. But we still have a responsibility to be respectful and inclusive of those we pray with, so that we may truly pray together. This is a hard task, and many people -- including many pastors who should know better -- are not very good at it. So often we're focused on what we feel, but such things are best reserved for personal prayer; when we pray as a group, we are supposed to raise our voices together.

Theoretically, it should be possible for opponents, even enemies, to pray with each other, but we are so mistrustful, and sometimes so willing to use prayer combatively, that it rarely happens. But we must never become so cynical that we just stop praying with other people -- rugged individualism is not a good prayer model. Instead, we should be happy to pray with others, trying always to respect them and their beliefs; after all, they are our brothers and sisters in faith too, and deserve our respect.

Today's Prayer Prompt: During the day, find an opportunity to pray with someone else or with a small group. Make sure that you lead part of the prayer yourself and that you are mindful of the others you are praying with while you do.

The Who of Prayer: Praying for Other People

Generally, our prayers include prayers for people who are not with us while we pray. How often do we include our family members, friends, neighbors, and other people in our prayers? And I suspect that we pray more for them when they cannot hear us because we tend to be self-conscious about prayer.

"I'm praying for you" might be one of the most grace-filled statements in the English language. It is an intimate wish of well-being which we can offer each other, the idea that we think of someone else during our personal moments with God. And even when the people we pray for do not hear our prayers for them, our prayer creates a bond between them and us.

We cannot fully comprehend the power of these prayers. Sometimes it appears that God answers them favorably -- people who were sick recover, sometimes from terrible illnesses; sometimes we see little effect to our prayers when God does not act as we hoped. But much as we can be drawn together through acts of worship, I believe that we are brought closer together when we pray for each other, even though it is difficult to explain how.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Pray for someone else today. Write that person a note or call them and tell them you prayed for them.

The Who of Prayer: Jesus Christ

Often, we pray "in Jesus' name." What role does Jesus have in our prayers? Are we hoping that he passes them along to God the Father with his stamp of approval?

Some theologians teach, based on the scriptures, that we should pray in Jesus' name in order to approach God with the mantle of Jesus' authority as the Son of God. Scripture records Jesus teaching his disciples that God will do things for them that they ask in his name (meaning in Jesus' name) because God will accept the prayer as if Jesus himself prayed it.

I'm not entirely convinced that is what these passages (such as John 14:14) mean. Setting my doubts aside, though, I think that it is better to imagine that when we pray "in Jesus' name" we are praying to God in the way Jesus demonstrated to us.

As such, Jesus is not involved in our prayers as some sort of intercessor on our behalf; neither is he a sort of ticket that allows us into God's presence. He is the best example of how to pray directly to the one he called Abba, Father. He is the best example of how to pray with love instead of hate, with an eye toward personal transformation rather than toward personal elevation. We pray in Jesus' name as Jesus' disciples.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Before you pray today, imagine what you know about how Jesus prayed. If you don't know how Jesus prayed, read parts of the gospels, like Matthew 6 or John 17. Then try to follow his example as you pray.

The Who of Prayer: You

O burning Mountain, O chosen Sun
      O perfect Moon, O fathomless Well,
O unattainable Height, O Clearness beyond measure,
      O Wisdom without end, O Mercy without limit,
O Strength beyond resistance, O Crown beyond all majesty:
      The humblest thing you created sings your praise.
                        -- Mechthild of Magdeburg (1210 - ca. 1285)

Often when we pray, we feel pitifully small compared to God. When we add our feelings of worthlessness and shame at our mistakes and sins, we feel smaller still. Deep down, we wonder if we should just keep quiet -- if we are just wasting God's time with our petty musings and concerns.

Sometimes we are full of ourselves when we pray too, and with righteous indignation we approach God and demand that we be heard. We have problems and we insist that God pay attention to them and work on solving them.

As in many things, our true identity lies somewhere in the middle: we are neither so small as to be God's afterthought nor so great as to be the center of God's universe. Then what are we? Perhaps it is good to remember that we are God's creation, wonderfully and fearfully made, loved by God and nurtured by God.

You are imperfect; indeed a sinner. You are also God's child, a beloved one. You need not shout to get God's attention, but God does expect you to speak up and to listen. You are unique in God's eyes and just like the rest of us. This is your identity; don't be ashamed of it. When you pray, be yourself.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Try to be open with God when you pray today, try to be yourself. Begin your prayer with Mechthild of Magdeburg's prayer.

The Who of Prayer: God

Perhaps the most striking part of prayer, considering God's wisdom and God's power throughout the universe, is that God cares to communicate directly with us at all. God could act like a mighty king or corporate executive and only talk to certain people, and God could choose to speak to those people at only certain times.

But all of the evidence of scripture suggests that God wants individual relationships with each of us, and that He welcomes any opportunity to reach out to us and to draw us closer to Him. God not only allows for prayer, but desires it.

God cares what we think and feel, even as God tries to give us new understanding of the world in which we live, even as God subtly works to transform us into better people who think nobler thoughts and feel more love. God loves us and wants the best for us, so God listens to us and speaks to us, giving us many opportunities for growth.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Think about who you are praying to today. As part of your prayer, tell God "thank you" for listening and caring, and pray for God to work in your life to transform you.

Baby Pictures of Riley

Jann sent along some pictures of Roger and Erin's new addition to their family for me to post on the blog. This is Riley, born last week. And as you can see in the last picture, big sister Sarah is already taking good care of her baby brother.

The Who of Prayer: Creating Right Relationships

This week we consider who is involved in prayer. While the central answer to that is God, we often overlook other people who are involved in our prayers. In fact, because we are so focused on God when we pray, we overlook the relationships involved in prayer.

One of the most important aspects of prayer is to develop better relationships. The central relationship that prayer shapes is between the you and God, but prayer also molds your relationships with people you pray for and people you pray with.

Prayer forces us to look outside of ourselves. Even though you may pray only for yourself sometimes, the act of prayer is itself a recognition that we are not the center of the universe, however egotistical we may be. And as we continue to prayer, we start to recognize even clearer the delicate strands that bind us to other people, and the circumstances in which those ties are strained or broken.

Sometimes prayer is used as a weapon, even in the scriptures. For all of the beautiful images of the psalms, there are gruesome desires there too, where the children of Israel prayer for the death and destruction of their enemies. Such emotions of violence and retribution are very human, and we cannot hide them from God; however, there is a difference between admitting these emotions and praying for God to act according to them.

The world is broken enough. We need to pray for healing. We do not need to pray out of hatred, directing God's punishment where we see fit. This strains our relationship with others -- including the very poor and outcast that Jesus calls us to serve as if they were Christ himself -- and it strains our relationship with God.

Instead, let us work to create healthier, more tolerant, more loving (even of our enemies) relationships that begin to recognize the complexities of the world in which we live and that demonstrate our growing understanding that we need each other. Prayer is a good way to build such relationships.

Today's Prayer Prompt: Think about a cherished relationship in your life that is strained right now, and be honest about your own actions in nurturing the conflict. Include a request for God's reconciliation in that relationship in your prayer today.