Let Us Pray!

The book of James is probably one of the lesser known or studied writings in the New Testament. Historically, like any number of ancient compositions, there is not universal agreement about who James may have been or if the writer was promoting a major theme. Was he, in fact, the brother of Jesus, or was he merely an anonymous believer in the first century Christian community? Was the book of James meant to be a truly Christian narrative, is it a variety of brief inspirational exhortations, or was it possibly a Jewish document that had been "baptized," if you will, into Christianity? While it might be interesting to delve into some of these ideas, in the end we still consider it Scripture, so, in that respect, at least, it is worthy of our interest and respect.

For today, we want to ponder what the writer is saying about how prayer fits into our understanding of what it means to be Christians who live in community.

For the writer of James, prayer is an expression of truth. When someone is suffering, they shouldn't ask why God is tempting or testing them. Neither should they try to retaliate against whoever or whatever is causing their discomfort. Instead, the writer says, they should reach out to God, letting their cries reach "the ears of the Lord of Hosts. The Lord is the one who gives more grace to the lowly," it says in an earlier chapter. Likewise, when someone is feeling good, they should sing out in praise to God because they recognize God as the source of every good and perfect gift in their life, the one who is above all compassionate and merciful, and who is the source of authentic human blessings. Prayer, then, should be a natural response for anyone who recognizes and celebrates God's grace in their life. In the end, what is prayer to us? Most teenagers, and some adults I might think, aren't quite sure what to make of prayer. "I can't do that!" many will say. I used to tell confirmation students that prayer is simply a way of conversing with God. It can be as casual and as unstructured as we want it to be, just like a phone call with a loved one or friend. No matter where we are, no matter we are doing at any particular moment, prayer is that way of keeping in touch, keeping in touch with God. Prayer affords us the opportunity to say what we need. To say to God, as well as the chance to listen as best we can for what God wants to say to us. It really can be like a conversation. That's not to say that it always comes easily.

"To pray is so necessary and so hard," one writer says. "it is hard, not because it requires intellect and knowledge or a big vocabulary or a special technique but because it requires of us humility. And that comes from a profound sense of one's brokenness and one's need. Not the need that causes us to cry out, 'get me out of this trouble, quick!' but the need one feels every day of one's life -- even though one does not acknowledge it -- to be related to something more alive than one's self, something older and something not yet born that will endure through time." (minister's manual, 1980, p.260) "Prayer is the need one feels every day of one's life, to be related to something more alive than one' self," the author says, "something older and something not yet born that will endure through time."

Yes, to be communing with our creator through prayer seems like an awesome undertaking. Yet there is a distinctly human dynamic to our prayer. With that in mind, we return to the scripture.

In order to reinforce the idea that prayer is a common endeavor for all believers, the writer of James says, "Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest." (Jas.5:17-18)

What the writer is saying is that, although we might believe that Elijah, a prophet of God, would certainly be endowed with God-given powers, first and foremost, he was simply a human being. "a man like us" it says in our pew Bibles. This affirmation is meant to bridge the gap between what is divine and what is human. In other words, if he could do it, so can you, or so the writer implies. That's a kernel of truth we can hold on to with great confidence.

Elijah, an example of Biblical faith, a leader of God's people, was no more blessed in prayer than you or me. Therefore, we can pray as earnestly, and with as much efficacy, as anyone else. How God answers prayer, and when God answers prayer, may continue to be a mystery to us. Nonetheless, our first courageous step is to enter into prayer believing that our prayer is as important to God as it is to us.

As I say that, I am reminded of the TV show Fraser, of all things. Fraser Crane is a radio psychiatrist who begins each phone call with the phrase, "hello Seattle, I’m listening." In a way, when we open ourselves to prayer, we receive the same response from God. "hello, my child. I'm listening!"

I cannot stress enough the power of prayer in our life. There have been at least two occasions in my life or in the life of a family member when prayer was confidently raised for a loved one, even through the circumstances we faced appeared to be insurmountable. In each case, prayers were offered up. "God, you know what is best. But here is what is on our minds right now. We trust you to help us get through it." in both circumstances, troublesome and challenging events were reversed and ultimately overcome. Although some cynics believed that things would have worked out okay in the end, we knew that God had been at work in our lives. Of that, there was no doubt. Both of these events were an illustration for me of the power of prayer. I know that my faith was deepened because I witnessed first-hand how prayer and faith in God can touch and transform people's lives. What is prayer to us, after all? Is it not a source of life? Whether we pray for ourselves, our loved ones and friends, or simply ask God to meet the needs of those we hardly know, we are, as we said, reaching out to the source of every good and perfect gift in our life.

It’s not that we don’t have enough to pray for:

*for young families who work very hard to provide a good life for themselves, even as they teach their children good, solid values which they hope will prepare them to live in a complex world.

and what about our children? We have grandsons who come home from school with backpacks just filled with homework. It began in the first grade. We know our children and young people have to be ready to take their place in our world, but might We pray for a carefree and energetic childhood and adolescence that allows them to just have fun too?

We need to pray for our church and other churches as, together, we continue to preach God’s love And mercy to a world which is splintered in so many hurtful and divisive ways.

We need to pray for individuals, couples, and families who struggle financially, emotionally, And spiritually.

We need to pray for our world and anyone who is oppressed in any way. God did not give us this life so that we would suffer, but that we would enjoy an abundant life, how ever we define that word.

In all likelihood, we could create list of prayer requests that is longer than we care to consider this morning. Be that as it may, let us never be afraid to pray, to talk regularly with our God. And by the same token, let us never be afraid to open our hearts and our spirits so that we can listen for what God wants very much to share with us. Words of hope, words of inspiration, words of challenge, words of instruction. Through prayer, we sustain and nurture a unique relationship which is unlike any other relationship in our life.

My friends, in all things, in all circumstances, and with confidence, let us pray! Amen.