Prayer is the beginning, middle, and end of spiritual formation. But why is it so vital to pray? What does even it mean to pray? And how exactly does one pray properly? Prayer comes directly from God, in fact, God commands us to pray. In his article, Prayer, Self-Examination, and Christian Catechesis in Augustine and Luther, Matthew Drever elucidates Luther’s theology of prayer and presents Luther’s statement that in the Second Commandment of Mosaic Law Christians are given an obligation to pray (150). The command is also reiterated in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 which says “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you.” This duty is given to Christian’s out of God’s love and mercy because with it, He also promised to answer prayer. Through this, prayer then becomes a direct, divine connection between God and humans in which God holds all the power. Drever further explains that praying is not an inquiry for God’s grace, but rather a response to the grace we have already been given (151-152). This being said, prayer offers no benefit to God, but is entirely for the prosperity of Christians. Our prayer does not change who God is, rather our prayer includes us in God’s action. Drever provides the example that when we pray “God is holy,” our words do not make God holy but acknowledge that fact and make Him holy to us (152). God’s promise to answer Christian prayer also calls for boldness, confidently expecting God to answer. Christians see an example of this in Psalm 5:3 when David proclaims, “Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” Still, prayer is such a broad, open ended term that can be overwhelming and leave one wondering what it should look like.
Drever defines prayer as “not simply a free-form, spontaneous response of the soul to God. It also is a spiritual discipline with a communal and ethical component” (147). This means that proper prayer strikes a balance of integrating contemporary and formal prayer. Contemporary and formal prayer serve completely different purposes and look entirely different; however, both are necessary to fulfill God’s command to pray. Drever details how Luther and Augustine agree that spontaneous, contemporary prayer encompasses earnest human needs, which are necessary for real, genuine prayer. These human needs could be anything from spiritual, physical, and even social needs. In Drever’s article, Luther lists common things to pray for: peace among nations, a well-run government, clothing, food, health, a good home life, and economic prosperity (154). It is vital to pray for these needs that are most advantageously prayed for spontaneously, but this is not to diminish the need for formal prayer. Both theologists explain that formalized prayer elevates the problems and needs of contemporary prayer, making both types mutually necessary. Formalized prayer provides a structure for Christians as a foundation for their own spontaneous prayers. Formal prayer is practiced as scripture, in liturgy, or often in hymns. The words of the hymn, Come, My Soul, Your Plea Prepare by John Newton say, “With my burden I begin: Lord remove this load of sin,” in which Christians see a formal prayer focused on a spiritual human need that all people struggle with. Another important aspect of formal prayer is its ability to integrate and connect one’s personal life with the Church. This allows Christians to bridge the gap between private devotion and public ministry by giving opportunities to put one’s personal prayers into action in their Church’s community. Overall, prayer must incorporate a balance of internal and temporal needs as well as a balance of formal and contemporary prayer.
This may seem difficult to accomplish, but thankfully, God makes it simple for us. In Luke Chapter 11, Jesus’ disciples ask Him, “Lord, teach us to pray” to which Jesus replies with the Lord’s Prayer. Again, in Matthew 6:9 it is written, “This, then is how you should pray” followed by the Lord’s Prayer. Therefore, this prayer that Christians know so well is the perfect prayer. In Drever’s article both Luther and Augustine call the Lord’s Prayer perfect for two separate reasons. First, it strikes a balance between eternal (inward) human needs and temporal (outward) human needs. Second, it encompasses human suffering and need, then calls us to a greater understanding of ourselves and God’s will for us (153, 152). With this model of a perfect prayer, Christians are easily able to fulfill God’s command for prayer.
Throughout my trip, I will have tremendous opportunities to grow in my spiritual formation through prayer. Already, I have been blessed with a community that values prayer providing me with inspiration to pray more than I ever have before. Additionally, I am able to pray more intentionally as I get to witness first-hand the struggles people are facing here in Costa Rica. While I am pleased to have such abundant opportunity to grow in prayer, I am also eager to share prayer, both formal and contemporary, with all of the people I will be blessed to meet throughout my journey. At my ministry, Lifting Hands, I look forward to using the relationships I am currently creating with the kids to be able to teach them how to have genuine conversations with Our Father. I cannot wait to give them formal prayers that they may have never heard before, so then they can always have something to fall back on when they are at a loss for words or simply need a start to their own spontaneous prayers. In return, sharing these things with the kids I meet will allow me to grow in my own spiritual life more than I can even begin to imagine, in ways beyond what I am capable of doing for myself, and for that, I could not be more thankful.
