143: Do Your Prayers

I’m six years old, sitting in the backseat of my grandparents’ Lincoln Town Car. My grandpa is driving; my grandma is directly in front of me in the passenger seat; and my sister is sitting to my left. We’re all on our way to the grocery store and we’re stopped at a red light.

We’ve been sitting here for what feels like forever and soon I hear these familiar words:

“Abracadabra—make the light turn green!”

Sure enough, not two seconds after my grandpa says those words, the light turns green. And I can hardly believe it.

Now, it’s not the first time I’ve witnessed this particular magic trick. It’s just that it gets me every time. It will be another couple years before I truly understand—that all you have to do is keep an eye on the opposite stoplight or crosswalk and time it right. Eventually, I will figure this out, join in with my grandpa, and say those magic words myself.

“Abracadabra—make the light turn green!”

We’re taught from a young age, that if we say the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, our words will “work.” Case in point:

The answer to the age-old question, What’s the magic word?

And the familiar right answer: PLEASE?

As silly as it seems, sometimes, I find myself treating prayer in a similar way. Prayers are these words I say, and if I say them at the right time, in the right way, and with the right amount of frequency, well, they just might work. Maybe you can relate?

It’s easy to believe our prayers are only words we say, thoughts we think, requests we make in the presence of God; I’m discovering, though, that prayer is much more than that. That perhaps prayer might also include the things we do, the actions we take, the lives we live.

Now, it’s important to note that prayer is not all us. Of course God is very much present, speaking and moving. It all begins with God; even our desire to pray comes from God. As Henri Nouwen reminds us,

“Prayer is not what is done by us, but rather what is done by the Holy Spirit in us.”

This means prayer is a powerful thing; because through it, God transforms us within and inspires us beyond. Prayer doesn’t stop when we say, “Amen.” It continues on. Because God goes with us; God stays within us; and God continues to work through us all along the way.

I believe this is true; and yet, in my own life, I notice a tendency to ignore that follow through. I say “amen” like it’s the end, hardly considering if and how God might be inviting me into the continued work of prayer. That prayer might also involve what I do after “amen,” doesn’t even occur to me. Sound familiar?

Or maybe for you, like me, there are also times it’s the opposite. I think I know exactly what needs to be done and don’t even consider what God might say, what God might think, how God might lead. I just want to get it done, and spending time in prayer? Well what’s the point anyway?

Prayer can look lots of different ways, can take many different forms, but I’m learning the point is union with God. And transformation into Christ’s likeness. So that through God’s Spirit, we might continue to become the people God calls and invites us to be and do the good work God calls and invites us to do.

In his book, The Only Necessary Thing, Henri Nouwen writes,

“Prayer and action can never be seen as contradictory or mutually exclusive. Prayer without action grows into powerless pietism, and action without prayer degenerates into questionable manipulation. If prayer leads us into a deeper unity with the compassionate Christ, it will always give rise to concrete acts of service.”

Nouwen’s thought here reminds me of Genesis 1. If we go back to the very beginning, we find that we were created in the image of God with the gift and responsibility of participating in God’s good work in the world. And so, while we do not have ultimate control or the ability to do everything, we do have agency and opportunity to partner with God. At least in part, prayer is participation in God’s redemptive and restorative Kingdom work.

We often come to God in prayer seeking comfort, guidance, strength, healing, justice or peace, whether for ourselves or for others. And certainly there are times when all we’re meant to do is hold a circumstance, person or situation in our hearts before God; there are times that’s all we can do and I believe that part of prayer matters immensely. And I also believe, more often than not, if we listen closely, God’s Spirit nudges and prompts us to follow through, to make a move, to take another step toward God and one another in love.

So what might it look like to say and do our prayers?

As always, it could look lots of different ways…

I think of a friend whose family went through a pretty terrible time. And I think of the group of women from church who rallied around her in prayer, both bringing her family’s situation before God and buying her family multiple gift cards to local restaurants, so she wouldn’t have to worry about meals that week.

I think of another friend who is a hospice chaplain. So often the people she visits cannot communicate with her. And so she shares a spoken prayer, and then simply sits and spends time with each patient. She offers her presence, makes eye contact, holds a hand, spends time delighting in and cherishing the life before her.

I think of a couple family members who consistently lift up in prayer those in our world who are hungry and hurting. And then they volunteer once a week at a local food pantry, serving and helping their local neighbors in need.

I think of the woman who takes seriously Jesus’ call to pray for her enemies. And then invites one of them to have coffee, not in an attempt to belittle or challenge, but to genuinely listen and seek to understand.

I think of the mom who learns of yet another tragic act of violence on the news. She prays for the victims and their families, that they would experience the comfort and presence of God. And then she considers with God actual steps we could take to make events like these less frequent, contributing to that work however she can.

Or I think of the pastor states away who, several months ago, knew my family was having to make some impossible decisions in light of a diagnosis and a not-so-great prognosis. While she told me she would be praying for us, she also took the time to write a personal blessing just for our family and emailed it to me. It meant the world, and provided strength in the most difficult moments.

It’s a call, a text, a note, a visit, a donation, a decision, a service, a vote, a practice, a conversation. As the African proverb reminds us, “When you pray, move your feet.” God calls us to say and do our prayers in myriad ways, if only we’ll listen and, with God’s help, follow through.

While prayer isn’t magic, it is a beautiful mystery we get to participate in. So today, remember to say and do your prayers. As we continue to become the people God calls us to be and do the work God calls us to do, may our prayers continue, even after we say, “Amen.”