Prayer - For Those Of Us Who Struggle

INTRO

“one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples” [Luke 11:1]

Martin Luther, the 16th Century reformer, was once asked much time he spent in prayer. “An hour a day” he said. “But what about if you are really busy?” “If I am really busy I have to spend at least two hours that day in prayer.”

How do you react to that quote?

I have heard it quoted in numerous sermons, so I presumably numerous priests and pastors find it inspiring. Perhaps their congregations do to. Me - I find it terrifying. Have I ever prayed for an hour a day? Perhaps when I’ve been away on retreat for a week in a monastery, I may have prayed for that long and longer. But on an ordinary day? Never! And I’m a professional - I’m a priest. Does that make me a terrible failure?

What about you? Do you find this quote inspiring? Is praying for an hour every morning part of your regular morning cycle? On busy days do you pray two? Or do you struggle? Do you just about manage to squeeze in a few minutes each day? Does a quotation like that make you too feel a failure?

Then one day at the Greenbelt Christian festival I heard a speaker called Mike Yaconelli. Mike was a self confessed “failure”. His message was simple:

Sometimes I pray for one minute a day? How does God react? Is he going “That’s it! That’s terrible! Mike only prayed for one minute a day. Just wait till he feels my wrath...” No! God’s going “What? Wow! Mike prayed for a minute. Millions of people around the world don’t pray at all and Mike prayed for a whole minute.” And if I manage to pray for two minutes, is God “That’s terrible - still only two minutes!”. No, God’s going “Wow, Mike doubled how long he prayed for. So many people who don’t pray at all and Mike has doubled how long he prayed for.” It is the Devil who says to us - “What you only prayed for one minute? That’s not worth it, is it. Think of all those proper Christians praying for two hours each day. You call one minute praying? You might as well not bother praying at all, you are no proper Christian, give up now!”. The devil tries to make us feel bad so we don’t bother trying. God celebrates every little step we make towards him. When my son was a little boy learning to walk, did I say “What you only managed two steps,and then you fell? You are a failure, you’ll never walk, give up now!” No. I say “Wow. You managed two whole steps. That is wonderful. Keep it up.” And that is how God is with us when we pray. [1]

“one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples””

In our Gospel reading – one of the disciples comes up to Jesus asking how to pray. – Which I think many of us can relate to for two reasons!

1) I think most of us want to be better at praying – People come to church for many reasons. Maybe you see yourself as a seeker, maybe you see yourself as a fully signed up Christian – maybe like me when I started going to Christian Union – you are just here for the coffee! But I think most of us like the idea of prayer even if we struggle with doing it. We would like to be better at it

2) The very fact the disciple had to ask the question shows he too struggles with it!

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PART ONE

So the first of three questions you on your tables -

Where do you pray? Do you have a particular place where you pray? A particular room in the house or do you go out into the garden or do you pray on the tube? Where do you pray?

[after we come back together]

"Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples" [Luke 11:1]

We know that Jesus did go to the Synagogue on the sabbath and pray there – but we also see him going away to pray on his own –

Mark 1:35 "Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."

Luke 6:12-13 "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles"