William Willimon, the former chaplain at Duke, says that the true test of prayer is not the style or the movement or the meaning; it is ethics. He says that “the test for what we do here from eleven to noon is what we do out there Monday through Saturday.”
Sometimes I like to keep a prayer journal, a written record of the content of my prayers. I’ve invited parishioners to do this too. It is a remarkable exercise. In almost every instance a few weeks worth of prayer journaling reveals the issues or concerns that are at work on our souls.
Prayer, if it is truly prayer, changes our behavior. When we enter into authentic prayer we will discover that this is risky business. If we enter into silence and ask God to lead and guide our lives there is no telling where we might end up.
Henri Nouwen liked to say that he went into seclusion for prayer because it gave him the opportunity to listen to God and to listen to humans. In order to hear the voice of God and those he was ministering to he needed to be quiet. Going into seclusion, even if only for a few minutes, is shutting down the noise so that we can truly connect to the world.
In the film Shadowlands, a movie based on the life of CS Lewis, there is a scene where Lewis is returning from the hospital where he visited his wife, Joy, who is dying from cancer. A friend named Harrington asks Lewis what news there is. Lewis focuses on their marriage and his love for his wife. He replies to his friend, “Good news Harry, yes good news.”
Harrington thinks Lewis is referring to the cancer. He says, “Now God is answering your prayer.”
Lewis responds, “That is not why I pray Harry. I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I am helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. Prayer doesn’t change God, it changes me.”
Prayer changes us.
Prayer points the way to love of neighbor.
Prayer directs us to open our lives, our hearts to God.
When we pray like that we are caught up in the very life and purpose of God.
Grace and peace to you,
-Glen
