I don’t know why this offended me. I was standing in the section of the local Lifeway Christian Store that features books on prayer–I must have a hundred and am always looking for the next great one–and picked up one by a Southern Baptist pastor from a nearby state. I scanned the table of contents to see what his book covered, then read the comments on the back.
At the bottom of the back cover was the author’s thumb-sized photo and a small bio. “Pastor So-and-So is an expert on prayer,” it announced. That stopped me in my tracks. Until that moment, I don’t think I had ever actually heard anyone referred to as an expert on prayer. On expository preaching, perhaps, and evangelism, leadership, sermon-building, stewardship, and a dozen other aspects of the ministry. But prayer?
How does one get to be an expert on prayer? At what point does he or she move from apprenticeship in this greatest of all subjects to becoming a master?
I wondered if the pastor wrote that line or if the publisher did it for him. One thing we can be sure of, it was done with the pastor’s knowledge and approval. And that makes me wonder if his choosing to leave the line in was an act of hubris and not of humility.
As I say, I’m still trying to figure out why that offended me. Maybe I’m just a tad upset that someone is a better pray-er than I, although that is certainly not news and never has been. I’m under no illusion about the inadequacies of my prayer life, even though I consider myself a person of prayer.
“We do not know how to pray as we should.”
Paul said that in Romans 8:26. It appears to me that if anyone could claim status as a prayer expert, it would be this apostle. Not only does he refuse the designation, he basically says there aren’t any, that no one qualifies for that august category.
There are no experts on prayer.
Unfortunately, Paul does not elaborate on all the reasons for our ignorance about prayer but proceeds on to assure us that it’s all right, that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and what a wonderful comfort that is. Even though our prayers are always going to be inadequate, we are not to let that slow us down, but to go ahead and pray with the assurance that the Holy Spirit will take up the slack.
I wish he had gone into a little more detail on reasons we do not know how to pray as we should. But since he chose not to, I’m going to try my hand at it. As with anything else we write, it will be partial and incomplete, but might get us thinking along these lines so we’ll do something about the problem.
We do not know how to pray as we should because “we see through a glass darkly.” That line from I Corinthians 13:12 is followed by an assurance that the day will come when we shall “know as I am known.” But not yet. Right now, our vision is limited and partial and cloudy with the result being that our understanding is always going to be less than we would like.
Whatever else that means, it surely means that how we pray will always be limited by our poor vision and inadequate understanding.
We do not know how to pray as we should because “we walk by faith and not by sight.” (II Corinthians 5:7) There is so much about this life and the afterlife we do not see and cannot know until we stand in His presence. And yet, both the Old Testament and the New assure us that this is the norm, that “the just shall live by faith.”
The very concept of faith implies missing parts of the puzzle, questions without answers, and incomplete information. And yet, because of the evidence we have and all that we do know, we walk somewhat confidently into the future, placing our hand in His and trusting Him that He is faithful and His promises are reliable.
We do not know how to pray as we should because “we are not adequate to think anything of ourselves” (II Corinthians 3:5). We know ourselves in such a limited way that we hardly dare make any grand pronouncements about areas where we have arrived. Rather, as the old hymn puts it, “Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to thy cross I cling.”
We do not know how to pray as we should because “our God is in Heaven,” and ultimately, “He does whatever He pleases.” (Psalm 115:3) No one erecting the framework for a skyscraper (or bungalow) that is his philosophy of prayer should leave this out: God has His own purposes and will and His own reasons for doing things, which He may or may not tell us about.
Pray all we will, claim all the assurances from Scripture we can find, agree with as many other prayer warriors as we choose, stay on our knees for days and in our fast for weeks, but ultimately we will still find ourselves having to say, “Thy will be done.”
Fortunately, God does not ask us to become experts on prayer. He asks us to approach Him as a child, with that wonderful combination of humility and insistence, of confidence and unworthiness, of faith and respect.
Yesterday as I write, while going through a closet looking for something, I ran across a bag of old cassette tapes. I quickly forgot what I was looking for and dug out a tape player and popped in a cassette I had recorded a decade ago when our first grandson was three years old. We were in the “play place” at a fast food restaurant enjoying our weekly time together in the middle of my off day. He was without a doubt the most precious child the Lord ever created and I cannot listen to five minutes of the tape without the tears flowing.
That morning, Grant had our day scheduled. “We’re going to do three things, Grandpa. We’re going to feed the ducks at the park, go to McDonald’s and to the aquarium. These three things.” He was just learning to count. The plans he had made sounded fine with me.
A few minutes into the tape, however, I’m announcing to my grandson that it’s now raining outside and that we cannot go to the aquarium. It’s downtown, we would have to park several blocks away and walk, and we would get drenched. The three-year-old was having none of that.
“Grandpa, I want to go to the aquarium!” I repeated the reasons why that might not be a good idea. “But I said three things, Grandpa! I want to feed the ducks, eat at McDonald’s and go to the aquarium!”
He wants what he wants. And Grandpa, who would lay down his life for this child without a second’s hesitation, wants to please him. But we are not going to the aquarium in this downpour. No amount of his begging or cajoling or bargaining changed that.
A few moments later, he has met a new friend in the crawl spaces and is having a great day. The tape ends without revealing whether we got to the aquarium that day.
Every time I pray, I’m like a three-year-old coming to His loving parent or grandparent. I want what I want, I ask for what I think the Father wants me to have, and when it does not come, I ask more insistently. Ultimately, the decision is not mine but His.
As the child in me matures, he eventually comes to trust the Father that He knows best, wants only what is right for me, sees far more than I ever could, and can be trusted to make the right decision.
I am not an expert on prayer nor do I think God asks that of us. It seems to miss the point.
Rather, we are to be experts on the Father, in a manner of speaking.
Our Savior said, “Your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him. Therefore, you should pray like this, ‘Our Father….'” (Matthew 6:8-9)
“Father, I come to Thee as my three-year-old did to me. I rejoice in Thy presence and want Thy best in my life. Give me a heart for Thee that I may love Thee more and therefore meld my will to Thine. Amen.”
Great post, Joe. Of course, any post that includes stories about my number one 13-year-old is great! Prayer is something I have struggled with my entire Christian life. I’ve always felt that I’m not good enough at it. But as you point out, God knows my inadequacies and has given me the perfect solution: His Holy Spirit. Thanks for the reminder that was much needed today. Julie
I had a similar reaction some years ago when I met a man who had held a doctorate from one of our SBC seminaries. I asked him, “What is your doctorate in?” He said, “prayer”. Although there is nothing whatsoever wrong with a person researching and writing a doctoral dissertation on prayer–in fact, it’s a wonderful thing–something about that hit me funny. Perhaps it was the inadequacies of my own prayer life, but at that moment I thought to myself, “Hmmm, a doctorate in prayer. How does one earn or attain a doctorate of prayer? At what level of proficiency is such a lofty degree conferred?” Then, I thought about a poor elderly widow I knew in rural North Carolina who had very little education, but who spent her days engaged in intense intercessory prayer. And I said to myself, “It’s those kinds of folks who are the real ‘doctors of prayer.’ They’re the ones who can teach the rest of us so much.” Anyway, when I read article today, I was reminded of that.
If he is an expert in prayer than i am an expert in solutions. I’ve heard solutions are infinity.,their never ending. go figure joe i just desire the death at the cross from my Jesus. i’m a normal child.
Sir, U hit the nail on the head. You said it in your own words ‘Ultimately, the decision is not mine(nor anybody) but His’.
I grew up in a Church noted for Prayers In Nigeria. However i do let them understand that it is more about the Person we are praying to. Often times we centre our prayer around ourselves, our needs, wants e.t.c. But the root of prayer is the one we are Speaking to.
Thanks for the reminder again.
Peter
Joe,
Wow, this post would make a great sermon! I could preach it and be the next expert on prayer!
Seriously, thanks for the insights. I, like you, love to read great books on prayer. They motivate me to read the Best Book and spend more time in prayer. Have you read Philip Yancey’s latest book on prayer? I disagree with a few things that he says about changing God’s mind, but over all it’s a great book, and Yancey is very humble about his own struggles with prayer, yet it is evident from reading the book that he has spent great time in prayer. Two other favorites of mine on prayer are Watchman Nee’s little book, Let Us Pray, and Ole Hallesby’s book on prayer. Nee says that intercessory prayer is like laying down railroad tracks, and God is the train engine who has the power to go anywhere, but chooses to go through the tracks of prayer that we lay down. Hallesby helped me deal with some of my problems with prayer, and see it as a personal relationship. I’m still learning.
Brother Joe,
I always feel that I do not know how to pray the way I “should.” What I DO know, is that The Lord hears my prayers. As usual,,,,,, I feel better-after your words of wisdom !!
Thank You,,, AGAIN,
In Christ,
Shelly
Joe, I agree with you. Those who claim to be an expert on prayer sounds a little self serving and not unlike preachers on TV or wherever who say…”God told me to do such and such”….in order to gain followers, or enhance their position, etc.
HA.
great, Bro. Joe, keep it coming.