ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
July 17, 2022
Today in worship, we look at another aspect of prayer. Last Sunday, I went very basic: the “reward” (Matthew 6:6) or desired takeaway from prayer is ultimately God. Too often, there is a tendency to expect too much of prayer. There might be some who will be upset with that comment, but I find people praying for all kinds of things that may not necessarily be in line with who God is and what God is seeking in the world. In the last six months, malnutrition among children in Somalia has increased by 300%. There is a drought devastating the area, and the usual source of emergency food would be Ukraine — which, of course, is a problem. If solving this crisis only required prayer, I think all world hunger would have been solved long ago. But if God is providing a prayerful person a green light so they can get home in time to watch Wheel of Fortune, but is allowing children to die of hunger, then I have some real concerns about the moral integrity of that God. Is prayer about convincing God to solve problems, or is it about sitting with God as God convinces us to be problem solvers? Not every problem can be fixed, at least in the way we’d like. But at the end of the day, what is our reward or desired purpose in prayer? I think we will be disappointed if we believe the consistency or intensity of our prayers will somehow be the key component in making them come true.
God, you are generous in love and kindness, mercy and hope. Let us be renewed in these gifts, strengthened for the tasks put before us. By your Spirit, we are the Body of Christ, your enfleshed envoys on this earth. Continue to empower us while providing us a sense of purpose in all we do. Amen.
