Sermonette: What is proper prayer? Part 2

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:5-13 NRSV

Last week, in part one we took a look at the theological and historical context of verses 5-8 above, concluding that it is God’s desire that our attention be fully on him when we pray. This week we will concentrate on two modern theologians and their writings about prayer. The first is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. He lived from 1906-1945. The second is Martin Luther King Jr., who lived from 1929-1968. King was an American Baptist minister and activist, and was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book “Discipleship” writes about the Sermon on the Mount. Bonhoeffer invests much of his emphasis on articulating what prayer should be, starting by saying that prayer is a “natural need of the human heart.” He goes on further to say that we as humans should not take prayer for granted, nor do we have a right to it. Bonhoeffer explains that because it is Jesus who teaches his disciples to pray, it is Jesus who grants us access to God. Bonhoeffer states, “Even in prayer, there is no unmediated access to the Father.” Our involvement with Christ, as it is with the disciples, is what grants us access to the Father through prayer. We pray trusting in Jesus, and our faith in Jesus is the presupposition of prayer.

Bonhoeffer then moves to the subject of hidden prayer, helping and deepening our understanding of prayer. He states that when people pray they no longer know themselves but know only God. Prayer then, is not demonstrative. It can however be distorted into being demonstrative, when the person finds their self as an observer of their own prayer. Bonhoeffer’s description of demonstrative prayer is worth noting.

I listen to myself; I hear myself. Because I do not want to wait for God to listen to me, because I do not want to wait for God to someday show me that my prayer was heard, I construct my own hearing of my prayer. I observe that I prayed piously, and this observation provides the satisfaction of being heard. My prayer is heard. I have received my reward. Because I have heard myself, God will not hear me.

From this illustration of demonstrative prayer, we see that prayer not directed to God can happen in private or in public, praying alone or with the assembly. Consequently, authentic pious prayer directed to God is possible in private or in public, praying alone or with the assembly.

In response to verse eight, which states that God knows the needs of his children before they ask, Bonhoeffer posits that our stance before God should be one of supplication; especially to the will of Jesus. Knowing the will of Jesus is the way to assure that our prayers are sure, strong and true. As a result of that knowing, our prayers are supplication to what we already know and understand as God’s will through Jesus. Discipleship, as outlined throughout Bonhoeffer’s book, is the way to supplication to Jesus’ will. Bonhoeffer concludes his comments by stating the only thing that matters is knowing that the Father knows what you need. Bonhoeffer states, “This is what directs our prayer solely to God.”

Bonhoeffer knows the power of pious prayer and knows deeply the necessity for God’s people to be praying. Discipleship was first published in 1937, during the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany. In his remarks about prayer becoming demonstrative in public, he acknowledges that public prayer was not a possibility under Nazi control. Under his present circumstances, Bonhoeffer understood that prayer is vital for Christians, as prayer is direct connection with God, the one who is able.

Martin Luther King Jr., in his book “Strength to Love,” writes of his own belief that God is able to make the seemingly impossible possible. Like Bonhoeffer, King lived in a time of tumult and oppression, and like Bonhoeffer, died as a result. Both men were familiar with the brokenness of our world, and both believed in the power of God through Jesus Christ. King writes, “At the center of the Christian faith is the conviction that in the universe there is a God of power who is able to do exceedingly abundant things.” King acknowledges the struggle of explaining the evil in our world when God is able, but points to the fact that God sustains the universe and gives us resources to “confront the trials and difficulties of this life.” Admitting the problems of this life, faith and prayer both affirm that God is able to give us the power to meet them and serve as the resources we need to do so.

From these two modern theologians, we see that our attention to prayer matters; both our attention to God and our attention to ourselves, our heart and our intent. We also see that prayer is given as a gift, a way to connect with our God in the joys and trials of life.

May we, as people of faith, seek our God in prayer with earnest and eager hearts, and may we experience God’s provision and power.