“The Work of Prayer”

Meditation on John 14

Pentecost 2013

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    Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 

     Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 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. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.  (Selected verses from John 14)

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       At RCW’s Baccalaureate Wednesday night, one of the graduating seniors helping to lead the service asked me if she should ask people to join her in the Lord’s Prayer. Or should she just say the Lord’s Prayer by herself?

    She asked because two other students, possibly foreign exchange students, would do just that. They would go up to the podium and say the Lord’s Prayer by themselves, but they would be saying the prayer in their native languages—not in English.

    I answered, “By all means!  Ask everyone to join you in the Lord’s Prayer!”

    I assured her that if she said, “Our Father,” all the students, families, friends, faculty, and staff gathered for the service would join her in saying the prayer.

       I watched as the young lady climbed the steps to the stage, grabbed the microphone and said without hesitation, “Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer.” She paused a moment, and then she began, “Our Father who art in heaven…”

     As she said, “who art in heaven,” more than a hundred voices joined her, sounding like the low rumble of distant thunder.  We confidently said the prayer most of us had learned as children—some saying, “debts and debtors” and “forever”; others saying, “trespasses and those who trespass against us,” and “forever and ever.”

     Why do we say the Lord’s Prayer every time we gather for worship – on Sunday morning, at funerals and weddings, and for Baccalaureate? First, we say this prayer because it IS the Lord’s Prayer—the model Jesus offers his disciples in Matthew 6:9-13 to teach them to pray. And, secondly, because it is the only prayer that almost every Christian knows. And, thirdly, because prayer is the most important spiritual discipline a Christian can do.  It is the work of every follower of Christ to pray.  As the apostle Paul urges us in I Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing!”

     Prayer is the only way to a loving relationship with the Lord. It is the way to draw nearer to Him and to discern His Will and the personal application of His Word. 

     Prayer is the only way to wisdom and obedience.  It is the way to forgiveness for our sins, salvation through Him and reconciliation with God. “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved!” says Romans 10:13.

      Prayer is the way to glorify God and give him the sacrifice he desires, the sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” Prayer is the way to prepare hearts and minds to receive the truth of the gospel—and fulfill Christ’s Great Commission in Matthew 28. It is the way to healing of body, mind, and soul. Think of the apostles in Acts—how before every healing, every move of the Spirit, they would pray in Christ’s name.

      Prayer is the way to peace. To experience God’s loving presence with us. It is the way to receive Christ’s joy and to spiritual nourishment, to be strengthened for all the challenges and trials we face.

     At Baccalaureate Wednesday night, after we prayed the Lord’s Prayer in English, the one thing I hoped for all the graduates was that they understood the importance of prayer for daily life. And that they would pray! Every Christian parent wants this for their children—that they would pray their whole lives through!

    But at the same time, we know from our experiences how difficult prayer can be.  How it is a struggle for us, at times, to pray. Even when we understand prayer’s importance and have learned Christ’s model prayer by heart.

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     Our gospel reading today reminds us what is needed to accomplish this good work of prayer— and any good work to which God has called us and ordained for us to do. The scripture tells us that we have the help we need through our Trinitarian God—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And we have Christ’s promise that we will do good works in His name—and even greater works than He!

     What is the missing element—the thing that we lack that causes us to struggle with prayer and find excuses not to pray, such as saying we are too busy? 

    Faith!  We lack faith! We are not too busy to pray when we believe that our prayer matters—to us, to God, and for the sake of others!

      But we don’t pray in an attempt to change God or manipulate the world around us. We pray so that we will be changed! When we pray, the Spirit is stirred to work in us, bringing us comfort, healing, enlightenment, strength, and power to walk in Christ’s loving ways.

    Friends, do we have faith that God is listening when we pray?  That He cares about our well-being and the well-being of our loved ones?  And that He wants His Spirit to work in us, for our benefit as well as the benefit of others?

    Do we have faith that when we pray, “Lord, use us to accomplish your will and bring about your righteous kingdom,” God will respond by using us to accomplish His will and bringing about His righteous kingdom?!

    Do we have the kind of faith that we want our children and grandchildren to have? The kind that will move them to serve the Lord and try to make a difference in this world.  To be part of the mending and healing of what is broken and hurting. 

     Open your hearts with me, now, friends.  Clear your minds of any distracting thoughts. Listen for the rush of wind. Listen with faith.

    The Spirit is waiting to do an amazing work in and through you.  The Spirit that is stirred by your faith is waiting for you to pray and really mean it when you say, “Come Holy Spirit.  Come.”  

Let us pray.

Almighty God, thank you for the gift of faith and for our hope in Jesus and salvation through Him.  We long for your Spirit to come now and fill and refresh us.  We want to be changed –to be more like your Son. We know we need your Spirit to do this work in us. Thank you for your promise of molding us into people that you can and will use for your holy purposes.  Stir in us a deeper faith.  Help us to be more faithful to you and godly examples for our young people.  Move us to turn to you in prayer more often.  Forgive us when we have made excuses for not praying or when we have only prayed for our own needs and desires and have ignored the needs of our neighbors.  May your Spirit teach us how to live righteously, surrendering ourselves and our lives to be your humble servants.  In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit we pray.  Amen.