Prayer as Conversation & Partnership

Prayer as Conversation

Prayer is basically a conversation ... a ‘heart-to-heart’ conversation with God. This is like a conversation with a friend, except this Friend is totally reliable and 100% faithful, which of course is way more than any human friend possibly can be. Thus our conversations with God have a real thankful attitude ... concerning what God has done for us in the past, and knowing that God will work towards best possible outcomes in the future.

We should not be nervous about praying, for God will never be critical of the words we use nor the number of times we hesitate trying to frame our thoughts. God will actually interact with the processing going on in our minds, leading us to new understanding of the various issues and concerns that are being expressed in our prayers. Thus we should not be afraid of periods of silence for this allows God room to do the speaking, and us the listening.

When involved in public prayer, it may be the spoken prayers of others that bring the illumination we are looking for. It may just be God’s Spirit speaking through another that brings the answer we are looking for. In public prayer we can listen to one another and build on the prayers of each other, which, if nothing else, will bring a great feeling of solidarity to the heart of the problem being faced. Let’s be expectant of such new insight!

Our prayer conversations will also be framed in an attitude of faith ... faith that God can work wonders. Often though, God’s response will require us to also take various practical steps of faith ourselves. God chooses to use us as a channel of God’s blessing to others. This is where prayer is not just a conversation but also a partnership.

Prayer as Partnership

Prayer is about connecting with what God wants to do here in the world ... that is why the model prayer says, “Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. Prayer is not just a wish-list, it is about engaging in God’s big picture of renewing our neighbourhoods. If we don’t sense God responding to our micro-issues, perhaps we should think about how much of our praying actually embraces the big issues.

Such praying connects us to participating in the bringing about of God’s best. Isaiah chapter 58 lifts up God’s vision of defeating oppression and injustice. This is a vision of seeing the hungry fed, the homeless housed, the naked clothed, and families reunited. But ultimately this is a vision of a partnership of a proactive people embracing the will of God in the everyday life of their neighbourhoods.

As we step out in faith, God will go before us and behind us, and as we call out to God in prayer for help, surely we will be answered. The light that dwells in us will be revealed, and there will be a healing effect unleashed around us. In this way there will be a true representation of God’s presence and desire to re-create. The welfare of our community, and we might add our own personal well-being, depends upon our prayerful and faithful activity toward our neighbours.

We need those streams of living water to refresh parched and fragile places (Isaiah 58:11). There are certain aspects of community that need to be rebuilt, as well as establishing new and firm foundations for the generations to come. As verse 12 suggests, the true seeker of God stands in the “breach”, i.e. in the place of humanity’s brokenness, ready to bring whatever repair and restoration is necessary.

True community life and true Kingdom life require streets to live in where people are free to pursue all the best that life has to give, especially in the spiritual realm. [Note that the text refers to “streets” not individual “houses” if you get my point.] So, as Henri Nouwen writes: Prayer is the way to become and remain a part of Jesus’ mission to draw all people to the intimacy of God’s love.