Alan Smith | Changing My Mind » Prayer

No Avoiding Gethsemane

Alan Smith — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 03:34:38 +0000

In my last post I discussed Jesus’ teaching regarding bold persistence in prayer. In this post I want to take a look, not at Jesus’ teaching on prayer, but at his experience of prayer. Take a look at these three verses lifted from the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, just prior to his crucifixion.

“And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” ” (Matthew 26:39, ESV)

“Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” ” (Matthew 26:42, ESV)

“So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. ” (Matthew 26:44, ESV)

Sometimes when we pray, we struggle. We struggle to get an answer. When we do get an answer, it’s sometimes not the one we’re hoping for. There’s a tension between our confidence in God’s goodness, the reality that relationship with God necessitates a persistent and bold process of pursuit, our own desires, and our commitment to surrender to his desires. In prayer, we are pulled this way and that as we negotiate through these seemingly competing factors. And prayer, we discover, is the only place where all of them are truly at home.

Jesus found this to be true.

In following him, we cannot avoid Gethsemane.

Knock Louder and Longer – The Key to Effective Prayer

Alan Smith — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:13:36 +0000

“Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” ” (Luke 11:1, ESV)

The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. What follows inverses 2-13 is Jesus’ answer to that request. His response comes in four parts.

The Model Prayer (vs 2-4)
The Impudent Friend (vs 5-8)
Ask, Seek, Knock (vs 9-10)
The Goodness of the Father (vs 11-13)

While much could be said, and certainly has been said, about each of these sections, I want to focus upon a theme Jesus introduces in the hypothetical story about The Impudent Friend (vs 5-8) that carries over into the next section about asking, seeking, and knocking. Here is the story:

“And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. ” (Luke 11:5–8, ESV)

It is important that we keep the context in mind. Jesus is answering the disciples request that he teach them to pray. This story is a direct answer to that inquiry. Jesus is telling us, through this story, something extremely important about prayer.

I love the raw honesty portrayed in this tale. For, if we are truly honest, this story tells us exactly what the experience of prayer often feels like. When we first begin to pray, we sometimes experience what seems to be resistance. In the story, the neighbor tells us to go away. It’s late. His kids are asleep. He is busy and other things are more important than us. It is important to note that in this story, Jesus is not telling us what God is like. He is telling us what prayer is like. His point isn’t that God is too busy and can’t be bothered with our request. His point is that when we begin to pray, we feel like this is the case. This story first describes what we commonly experience when we pray. He then tell us that the key to effective prayer is to press through this initial feeling of resistance.

In the story, the neighbor is our friend. But Jesus overtly makes the point that this friendship alone is insufficient for prayer to be successful. Jesus says that the friendship is not the basis for the answered request. According to Jesus, “impudence” is the reason the prayer is answered. What is impudence?

Webster defines “impudent” as “marked by contemptuous or cocky boldness or disregard of others, insolent.” The root meaning of the English word means “shameless”. Obviously, the New Testament wasn’t written in English. So let’s investigate to see if the Greek might give us additional insight. The following definition is from The Complete Word Study Dictionary, New Testament edited by Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D.

335. anaídeia; gen. anaideías, fem. noun from anaid?s (n.f.), impudent, which is from the priv. a (1), without, and aidos (127), shame. Recklessness, audacity, shamelessness, insolence. Recklessness or disregard of consideration by the one making the request.

As in the English and Latin, the Greek word used here also carries the literal meaning of “shameless”. Is it possible that Jesus is saying that the key to effective prayer is to pray with a contemptuous, cocky boldness, along with insolence, recklessness, shamelessness, and a complete disregard of consideration? Yes. That is precisely what the text of scripture says.

If this kind of praying is, according to Jesus, the key to answered prayer, is it possible that we lack answers to prayer simply because we refuse to pray in this manner?

Again, let me clarify. I do not believe Jesus is telling us what God is like. The point here isn’t that God is reluctant to respond to us. We are not being asked to wear God out through sheer annoyance until he finally gives in. The purpose of impudence in prayer is not to convince a reluctant God. Jesus isn’t describing what God is like. He is describing what prayer is like. When we pray, we initially experience resistance. It feels hard. God seems far away and reluctant sometimes (though he isn’t). Impudence is what is necessary to overcome this experience of resistance. Only with a bold, persistant disregard for this initial experience of resistance are we able to press beyond it.

In the following section Jesus talks about asking, seeking, and knocking, with the promise of receiving, finding, and opening as the guaranteed result. In this section I want to point out that the relevant verb tense in these verses implies continual action. We are to ask and keep on asking. How are we to ask? How are we to seek? How are we to knock? With boldness. Without shame. With persistence. With total disregard to any feeling of resistance, inappropriateness, or doubt. With impudence!!!

If prayer often feels like an exercise in pushing through strong resistence, and if an attitude of impudence is what is required to push through this feeling of resistance and rebuff, then what is on the other side of our bold persistance that makes all this effort worthwhile? Jesus’ answer: a good Father.

“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” ” (Luke 11:11–13, ESV)

Do you want to experience your good heavenly Father who delights to give good gifts to his children? To get there you might have to press past the experiential difficulties that often accompany prayer. You will initially feel resisted. You will feel rebuffed. This is what prayer is like. But do not give up. Ask more, keep seeking, knock louder, not because God is reluctant, hiding, or deaf, but because you are so convinced that he is eager, present, and responsive that you won’t allow anything but your confidence in his goodness to deter you.

Early Delivery and Answered Prayer

Sat, 09 May 2009 11:30:00 +0000

My oldest child will be fourteen years old this year. Lauren is one of the brightest, nicest, and most beautiful creatures I’ve ever known. Her siblings are her only peers. I admit my bias. Lauren is especially unique because she is a constant reminder to me that God answers prayer. She and I share a birthday, mine occurring on the same day twenty-five years previous to hers.

My wife, Nancy, and I were pretty pumped about being parents for the first time. We were married in July of ’94 and immediately decided to start a family. Work, work, work! Took some practice to get it right, but good news arrived sometime in the first half of ’95. We were expecting, with a due date in the first week of January ’96.

Pregnancy is an interesting thing. Pending parenthood made previous marital conflict and the issues generating such conflict irrelevant. Mostly. We fought a lot less. Focus on the upcoming arrival of our first child helped both of us to remove the focus from self to someone outside ourselves. It is truly amazing how much conflict can be avoided when your priority is not your own interests. This was truly a gift for Nancy and me, as our bouts during the first months of our marriage are legendary, probably still discussed in hushed tones among the families of our little neighborhood.

As the baby grew, my wife became more uncomfortable. The experience was stretching her in ways she had never been stretched before, to say the least. The waddle that becomes a pregnant woman’s primary means of transportation around the beginning of the seventh month is truly a sight to behold. By the middle of the eighth month I was sleeping on the couch. I snore. My wife has the gracious ability to sleep through the noise. My wife does not snore, with the single exception of the final months of pregnancy. I am not as gracious, hence the couch for me.

Nancy and I decided early on we wanted to have our babies at home. In preparation for the birth, our midwife conducted a series of classes where we learned all kinds of things I won’t repeat here. We also watched some videos, which have left me permanently scarred. Deeply scarred. We did learn that it usually takes 40 weeks before a baby is ready to be born, but that anytime after 36 weeks is fine. This got me thinking. My birthday is on December 22. Our new baby was due (40 weeks) sometime first week of January. Wouldn’t it be cool if the baby were born on my birthday? This would be a couple of weeks early and given my wife’s increasing discomfort – benefit. I would share a birthday with my firstborn – benefit. This date would be after the 36-week point. Why not?

So, I prayed. It was a simple prayer, really. I asked God if the baby could be born on my birthday. In my heart, I felt I heard a clear “yes” in response. This was on Monday, December 18, 1995. I immediately told Nancy “Get ready. The baby’s going to come Friday.” She was not at all pleased with my announcement. Seems she had quite a surprise birthday celebration planned for me Friday night. She didn’t want to tip me off about the party, so she responded “But I’m not ready.” I told her that didn’t matter. We needed to get ready. The baby was coming Friday.

I also thought it would be good to inform our midwife, Susan, that we had a definite date on the calendar for the birth. When I told her about my conversation with God, she said something about how cute I was. That was her tone anyway.

Friday morning at 10:30am my wife’s water broke. Lauren was born into my waiting hands at 10:30pm on my birthday, December 22, 1995. What a birthday present! God answers prayer.

Asking – The Key to Answered Prayer

Fri, 08 May 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Matt 7:7-117 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.9 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!(NIV)

My parents divorced when I was three years old. I lived with my mom and step-dad, but spent Friday nights and Saturdays with my dad when I was a kid. The contrast was significant. My mom had a dynamic conversion experience shortly after the divorce, so on that end of my life I was exposed to church, Bible stories, and the kind of sheltering guaranteed to make any home-school mom proud. My dad was in a rock band called “The Mystics.” They played clubs and college parties, drank too much beer, smoked pot, and got into fights. I must say my dad made some effort to behave during my weekend visits, but the contrast was still pretty clear. The first rock album my dad ever bought me was “Dream Weaver” by Gary Wright. My mom made me give it back because it was demonic. My dad thought it actually had a good chance of getting by her because it was somewhat spiritual. I remember one time bringing home some KISS photos torn from a rock magazine, hidden in a notebook in my backpack. My mom couldn’t sleep that night. She prayed and asked God what was up and he told her where to find the pictures. She found them and burned them. God talks to my mom. She’s amazing and I am who and what I am in large part due to the investment she has made in my life. I’m just saying things were very different at dad’s house than at mom’s.

My dad and I took a road trip to Iowa in his yellow Road Runner one time to visit my Aunt Barbara and Uncle John. It was fast, but I’m not sure how fast. The speedometer was broken. We listened to KISS, Journey, and Van Halen the entire trip. Beth, Wheel In The Sky, and Runnin’ With The Devil are guilty pleasures for me to this day. That dates me doesn’t it?

Weekends with my dad during that season of life were fun. He took me to Forest Park to ride the rides. We ate at greasy spoon diners where my dad knew all the waitresses. He flirted with them and they flirted with me. It was cool. We would always stop in to see Grandma and Grandpa Smith. Once, on Grandpa’s birthday, I remember my dad gave him a carton of cigs. It was cool. The Kreamy Kream was a nearby burger joint. We would stop in and have a root beer. He always had quarters for the pinball machine and I always got to play.

My favorite thing was listening to music together. We listened to The Zoo and Q102. My dad knew everything about rock – the bands, the players, the singers, the writers – everything. A song would come on the radio and I would ask, “Who is this, Dad?” He would answer “The Allman Brothers” or “The Rolling Stones”. It’s cool to have a dad that knows everything. He was a big fan of the Beatles. He had all their albums and we listened to them at his apartment all the time. He would make me unlabeled recordings on cassette tapes to take home. God never told mom about them, I guess. My dad hated disco.

I remember riding around in my dad’s sky blue conversion van (he sold his Road Runner and bought a van to haul equipment for The Mystics) and listening to the radio. My favorite band was ZZ Top. I liked Tush, La Grange, Cheap Sunglasses, and Jesus Just Left Chicago. I always wanted to change radio stations to see if ZZ Top might be playing on another station. I was afraid to ask though. Sitting there next to my dad, I would stare at the radio, and try to gather my courage to ask if we could change the station. Looking back, this seems silly. My dad was very happy to comply with my request. I think my interest in music made him happy. There was absolutely no reason to hesitate or fear. Isn’t that strange? I didn’t ask because I completely misunderstood his heart.

I think I have the same tendencies when it comes to prayer. I sometimes find myself hesitant to approach God with boldness and ask for something. I think in some ways God is a lot like my dad. The stuff I’m interested in delights him. He always has a quarter for the pinball machine. I can always have root beer. Changing the radio station is no big deal. It’s not that God never says “no.” He does a lot because I ask for stupid stuff so often. It’s just his heart is to say “yes.” There’s never any reason to hesitate or be afraid. Ask. It’s ok.

Rom 8:31-3231 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all– how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?(NIV)

The issue here is one of understanding God’s heart. Faith, however sincere, that is not aimed at an accessible God with a generous heart is faith misaimed. God is accessible. God is generous. He’s responsive. He’s looking for opportunities to say “yes” to us. If the god we believe in isn’t like that, then the god we believe in isn’t the true God, as he really is. God has revealed himself to us, primarily in the incarnation. When we see Jesus in the gospels, we have the clearest possible view of God, because Jesus is God in the flesh.

John 14:9-119 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.

Anyone who has seen Jesus has seen the Father. This is what Jesus is asking us to believe. In the gospels, how accessible is Jesus? How loving? How generous? How powerful? That is what God is like. In looking at Jesus, we find out exactly what kind of person God is. It is faith in this reality that leads to answered prayer. Receiving from God requires faith in God as he is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Watch Jesus tie the two ideas together as the passage continues.

John 14:11-1411 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.(NIV)

Is it possible we have presuppositions about God that are incorrect, and these misguided ideas are a hindrance to effective faith? Do we see God as distant, punitive, and unresponsive? Then our faith is in a god that doesn’t exist. No wonder it seems ineffective. Faith is only powerful because its object is powerful. Faith in a distant, punitive, and unresponsive god is faith in the wind. There is no substance to it.I hesitated to ask my dad to change the radio station because I misunderstood his heart. Prayer is sometimes less than it could be in my life for the same reason.

God is Near

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:22:00 +0000

Ps 139:7-10
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning,And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,And Your right hand shall hold me. NKJV

For me prayer used to feel like I was trying to get the attention of a very far away God. This struggle is very common and makes perfect sense. God lives in heaven and heaven is “up” there somewhere, a far away location in some remote part of the universe or in some unaccessible dimension of reality. Right?

Of course I also had been taught that God is omnipresent, he’s everywhere at once. This truth is of course completely incongruent with the idea of a far away and difficult to get in touch with idea of God. But somehow I managed to believe both.

How did I picture this idea of omnipresence? I think I kind of viewed God like an invisible gas, evenly diffused throughout the universe. Yes he’s everywhere, but in whatever sense I have contact with this omnipresent God, I only have contact with a very small bit of him, for most of him is elsewhere, because most places are elsewhere, and he’s in every place.

I’m often amazed at how messed up my thinking about God can be. You see the challenges I was facing don’t you? I had two completely incongruent ideas about God’s presence, neither of which was biblical or helpful. In my attempts to relate to God, I was either trying to communicate with my far away version of God (because that’s the only way I could picture him as a whole, as a person) or I was trying to talk to the tiny bit of invisible gas that happened to be floating in my small location of the universe. Prayer was really a struggle.

The truth is that God does live in a heavenly realm but that realm is not far away. One of Jesus’ primary messages to us was that the Kingdom of Heaven was near, at hand. God’s space is accessible to us. Secondly, God isn’t spread throughout the universe the way we spread peanut butter on bread. All of him is fully present everwhere and I have full access to his presence because of Jesus Christ. This reorientation of my thinking about God has really helped my prayer life. Maybe it will help yours too.