Do you practice prayer or magic?

Part 3 of 3  looking at how we work out our one resolution for 2014, to know Christ.

 

'Abracadabra'. 'Open sesame'.

As a kid I loved this stuff. Magic tricks seemed so mystical. So powerful. You just say the special word, and something amazing happens.

And in our fast paced world when we want answers, or results, right now, it is very appealing. To get results we follow certain formulas. We are taught to manipulate people. I speak nicely to the Insurance lady to persuade her to drop my premium. I am polite and smile to get my seat upgraded. And if I don’t get what I want, what a deserve, then I get mad.

When it comes to prayer, who doesn’t want things to happen? For life to ‘work’? We all do. Even the hardened atheist in a life crises won’t complain if prayer ‘works’.

But for many people, some Christians included, prayer is more like magic. Rather than a personal relationship with God, or even alongside such a belief, we can slip into thinking that we can manipulate God by practising various routines and phrases.

But real prayer is different. It is relational. As we seek to ‘know Christ’ in 2014, then we have to avoid any hint of magical thinking or practice.

Here are some examples of how we might stray into magic in our prayer life:

MAGICAL WORDS

‘Church’ words

What are they in your church? What are the words in your church that people repeat over and over and over to produce a reaction, to whip up the congregation?

‘In Jesus Name’

Why do we say that? Well, we want to base everything in the name of Jesus. It’s not a bad thing. But it becomes bad if you ‘have to’ say it and that God won’t hear you or respond to you if you haven’t got it right.

‘I’ll pray for you’

We say this all the time. We text, Facebook, email people to say ‘I’m praying for you’. And if we are then that’s great. But what if we aren’t? What we sometimes know deep down that we will probably forget. But we say it because it’s polite, because it shows we ‘care’, because we think that if enough people say that then the person will feel supported and that when something goes right they will feel it’s because so many people have prayed for them.

The way we say things

Magic says you should say a word, perhaps in a certain way, to get a desired result. If it doesn’t work, just repeat, maybe louder, or recruit more people to help you. Pray at the same time, more passionately, with more sincerity, with more energy, for longer, while fasting, with tears – then, God is more likely to hear and answer. Are we risking manipulating God?

 

MAGICAL PRAYERS

The sinners prayer

Let’s start with the big one. ‘Pray this prayer and you will be saved and go to heaven to be with Jesus forever’ is pretty much how some will present it:

Lord Jesus Christ, I know I am a sinner and do not deserve eternal life.  But, I believe You died and rose from the grave to purchase a place in heaven for me.  Lord Jesus, come into my life; take control of my life; forgive my sins and save me. I repent of my sins and now place my trust in you for my salvation. I accept the free gift of eternal life.

 

‘Repeat after me…’ We have to be careful this does not become an incantation. Up until 150 years ago or so the sinner’s prayer was not used at all. It does not appear in the Bible. Of course, the content can be verified in scripture. But it gives the impression that being saved is easy – follow the formula and you can go to heaven forever. It also gives the impression to churches that people are being ‘converted’.

I have been to a bit London church, heard no gospel preached, then an alter call. People were called to ‘repeat after me’ the sinner’s prayer. And hey presto folks, we have 20 people who have become Christians this morning! Now maybe they did, and I really hope that they did, but we need to be careful to assume this when they haven’t even heard the gospel.

Reciting prayers

We can do the same when we learn certain prayers and recite them. The prayer of confession, for example. Yes, they are in many ways wonderful words full of meaning; I actively seek to learn some of Paul’s prayers in from the Epistles. But saying them does not mean that you get absolved or cleaned up. If anything, they can become stale and comfortable formulae to get what we want before we go on our way again.

Saying prayers (and saying them correctly) does not mean there is more ‘power’ than if you prayed from your heart on the spot.

Recruiting people to pray

Praying together is a wonderful thing, and it is right that we practise it. We are called to pray with and for one another (e.g. James 5:16). And of course I believe God hears and answers prayer. The problem comes if we think that if enough people pray for me then perhaps we can twist God’s arm. If we pull hard enough the door will open. Someone once said, ‘prayer is not an attack on God but a humble dependence on Him’.

Thanksgiving prayers

Prayer is supposed to start with thanksgiving, right? It’s the right formula; then you go on to requests.

Now this is not a bad thing. It is great to thank God. And to start with thanksgiving helps me be thankful and puts my requests into perspective. The problem comes when I do it automatically and not out of a heart of genuine thanks. I might do it to show others that I can pray properly. Or even (usually subconsciously) I can try to flatter God into thinking that I am really grateful and deserving of my forthcoming request being heard. But underneath I’m itching to get on to asking Him something. In short, I’m just oiling the wheels.

How offensive this is to a human being let alone to God!?

 

PRAYING TO MY FATHER

The above are examples of how we can have a pagan view of God and prayer. And I am as guilty as anyone of it.

Do I treat God as a magical force to be approached when something I want, or fear, is in the balance? Will I start really praying when I get my diagnosis of cancer, or when I lose my job and need a new one? Will I say that I don’t need to pray for my maths exam (because I’m good at that) but for my Physics exam I need to pray like crazy?

Do I see God as an emotionless, stern old man who is teasing me, wanting x number of people to pray for x number of days before he reaches down and answers?

Or do I really know God as a loving heavenly Father, who cares for me? Who is listening? Who through my trials and joys is working everything together for good (Romans 8:28)?

I want my relationship with God to be already rooted in prayer, out of a growing, daily relationship with Him. Because I desire God. Because I want to be with Him. Because I trust that he is in control. And because prayer is not about manipulation of an impersonal being, but a wonderful relationship to be explored, enjoyed and lived both in this life and for eternity.

 

Any thoughts? An I over-analysing or not going far enough?