When we pray
Wright, John H.
BERWE PRIT When language about Ciod becomes address, when we say "you'' and not just "he" or "she," we we praying. Prayer is dealing with God in a person-to-pcrsonmanner, ,cntering.iqlu Mime...
...It is possible to miss the real meaning ol those Oipres.-' sitms...
...is not a way of informing ui peisuading:, hut of seeking to deepen a persotatl Alauiship wtlh God...
...This is the -heart of the matter, whatever form prays may take ..fprpisc, thsakhgiving...
...h expression tlur is thereby intensified WHAT IS GOD DOING WHEN I PRAY...
...What is the point erf addressing God.' Do...
...How we deal with these problems reflects nut only our view of praytrt but, more profoundly, our understanding of and our (initiate toward God...
...The first problem concerns the very nature of prayer...
...as fine led by the Spirit, -js xharing Josns' lift...
...Praying in the name of Jesus means ptsiyuig as a men-ber ot Bis btxly...
...The-pfaa of (Aid is designed precisely tor free cnjatiircs called 4loua to wrti oat their destinies m complefs rtliitnoe uptt&fe...
...This always refers to what promotes our participation in God's lilc, our union now and in eternity This js what (kid wills for us before all olso...
...If Odd somehow replies to us...
...The s-tvund pro Mein concerns God's activity in (he wjorkl...
...problems found in every age but possessing 4 aptirial difficulty and insistence in our own...
...As the Ultimate, cause and, source ol being tind supports theihok t Jcr rf created causes iio their relations to one4(pou8 find, to the dfocts they prtidaiv...
...The universe i a vast network <il material beings intcracnng with <me another in definite ways...
...tndudmg everything...
...special queiti Mftitrea Jeti Aer K Who pray (the language, probhun VWhw is Cfeglng.xei Krirf Jftty (t scfence pro Mcm...
...This problem gc Ls pecial Mgnilicni Ke From eontm Kpwary language analysis...
...The New testament describes effective pragar ttvttskfeg according (o tile will of'(ind lef t John S.f-i-'J," and asking in Jesus' nanw fc,f...
...Three problems, however, surround personally ad-dtossing God...
...Though our pragma W may urge fhjs JMestm utpem us today, the tjk ofiftfi Fjtoi...
...we think that he and responds, or is our address a kind ot ' metaphorical gesture, like an ode (o autumn...
...Exploring carefully what these expressions sinisawyiclds a deeper undejstanding of etfective prayer...
...dwcourajspiicnt s Hjiohibir it The human spirit is mn Jwsiec interfering with the laws nl chemistry r bioio V, but <ft"ir Sflf Ritnfiflg Tnrm within the way in wchich they work...
...It is not possible to conceive the divine causality as another forte alongside jnpriaj .forces .like gittvtiy and magnetism thai we can observe and tueasuie...
...influences them from within M tbat ihe) fann.Bnt just isolated and random causes, but jj K UAjverssi, u V unity we have in mind when we say jftp UKT as...
...Wheic does Odd fit in...
...jixi Can influence {be way things ;tcl without depriving them tit' their ojmi natural jways of ac Ung...
...How and where is God active in the world...
...h is A prayer that is answered...
...Wfthwi this allrencotnpasfiing di-vinc wisdom...
...John 14.13-14.15:16...
...Ciod thitxte-tuu...
...limcept stbese possiyfttiesai mmm-m the tem sespw, fii antecedent pfea otgpi.usfo&fiid itgusrasifies the PNrftheseoj tfivinely gantfit Mgliiir pmvemo .free respdsses to God's...
...and htrhwsw-win proirwrte hcalingv wht Ju despondency and...
...Thus, God-can mdi-ed respond to prayer by acting vijhin the nal UKs ui alj thuigs to bring about a. particular withum tltercby Mcrt'cring wiih.Uic.sc nature* The cctipn ofwme scientists conies from lainsidcrih only fgnth.iiaa upon Vrtw widuwt" things, not is "their witbin," as Uit human will qcb within the liuinan body...
...Ami asking jiit' funt mean asking for what Jesus asks liar, Thtliij obviously be effective, but it divsn't Mlpufidi to pray eljectiwly...
...far older than pragmatism...
...we may note that praying Uf Agd has many surface similarities to asking another and seek asststance...
...God has en-utcd the natures of all things and troni rih presen'ctliem and draws theiq Hitojumty fttntii thcfu UHje...
...We mi told that if we pray ir iiis way we shall surely receive what we ask...
...To the objection that prayer is an unwarranted a fietw to interfere with the plan of God, winch he akmtfy arranged everything...
...Wh1 1...
...fhe final ijocs-e most preying, wlxrihci dxl t(iisworpia.yer...
...how does this .happen...
...li> persuade, to encourage, to tnliuenee in our favor...
...In tight of the experiential problem, let us advert to what was said earlier about the real nature of prayer...
...till things considered...
...When our prayer spnniis (nm this identity with luna...
...The will or God" should be understood as the love God has for us...
...The fjcond prohfcm concerns the divine at (ton itself...
...thje third pm Metn asks what coit M? ai NVot as a sound to prttyer and farj- pracmattc spirit", which lig friii K of technology, faafcc&ilfais an ptei m we th...
...and his rthuionship with the father bear Jcsus name and are one with him by the gracu of adoption...
...uftank Owl for how {superior we ufeto other people if Luke 18:1 ] i, it is our pride that grows, not our gratitude...
...These natures do not con.slisita.aii!tel Wteniiu Ust U; wnd, as the aucbari K,ra of the e A ityuty aswpttj, but 4 world oj.wn.ro contingency td., dpvulupjnenf, with only Mausticnl wiwlarity...
...perittim, etc...
...It is this before it is a. request for aiiy.partjcul;ti- thwlg -We ask for parlictdai bcfltsoply wjtfiin the mtoxl of personal relations...
...Prayer is dealing with God in a person-to-pcrsonmanner, ,cntering.iqlu Mime kind of communion with God...
...Without in an ay interfering with the activities of these causes on the jnp&Hcyel...
...Il is what redly eome...
...determme what prayer itself is...
...Thomas Aquinas proposed a re,spc MMilo gub.questioii by saying that Gqd is in all things tiaost intimately as the source of their very being...
...Vk human spintcan also very-subtly influence he whott wo the bod) opciaios: Optilnisin, hnpe...
...Do we mean , inform...
...One might think that asking accordmfc-to the will Clod means asking for what God is willing to give, 1( you do this, you will get it...
...Haes Cod ivaw4ns4 prv Mur (the ptagmatic pn?hlem)?.' It wpiild tefe.BS.toflftsw-mcfe qiuedieos in dep Lean ir K or' answers i this tide Pl prektfrt K pffhr Critwtic Hw-'''K n Wa Btydts fatt the Xtt&fuuie Theo- Tbeol Mgytrf Chri Mtau Wllift TJ IDOa Ml WHEIfl PBIiy Intryuigux...
...Tins initiative calls Htgmmidrifes with reftis m seifisisess, ijon to our response to his iirtiaifc, We see God's plan then as, as ante-ee stager, ait astagefefet ?Jas,inc!opens PIPHF...
...We-e an analogy for this action of (iod within all things, in the way the human mind and will operate within fee human bud...
...tncnourtoveo Kkidandoiheis grow*,, whatever our outward success...
...We o the d. -Bufe obser/Sinot even h. Asking anothhi Why dopant, ch.hcirchtktouayk tejlyctter inatruly human and cdty a personal rtlaiionslup through trast, c w Mzncmi tion,tmrmtat.onhp with Goi is ik K thereby lii K though Ipnipjo...
...mental, discursive, aflfce.dvc, etc...
...It is the view of some seienti Ms and others today that there is no room left in Ihc universe for the work Jwputy...
...fti.intrcring with physical causality.,.but.directing it inparticjilar WWBB MULYgft...
...grace.-It is a plan which ofwns up pobiltties liis encourages us to i-hoosc life and m4 tteaih 30:19) is a plan-in which the whole initiative tetftaf an initiative or love and grace...
...Within the tipnte of this regularity which Ckx J tab cfitablis Jicd...
...Human experienai oui most smceic and insistent prayers ofteh fc qn answered Yet, tlie Scriptures tell us lint'ttivine wisdom reaches troih end to t-W mgtatfly ahd ctnerns alf Things gently (cf...
...and whatever method wo may employ (vocal...
...A prayer that ask* tar something which is according to this will of God is infallibly effective...
...where every detail is planned, what xnq is there for a divme actwm thai is pnunpjttd by crcatury prayer'.' Arc we to suppose thai the initiative tor what is to lake pjace in the world has somehow pxvscd from God to us...
...But it we ask to succeed in order to serve Ond find others, mow fniitluljy...
...we need to reply that the plan trt Tiwft is not a blueprint tor all that is to happen...
...om of tbis love tadwills whtat istral forourbestinteresta...
...The will in Hiuncn the motions of the body rj M maniicstl) in deliberate acts like walking and speaking...
Vol. 116 • February 1989 • No. 3
