True Heart of Prayer

Before I enter into some reflection about chapter two, I'm thinking about the previous chapter. It was filled with many examples of believers who prayed fervently while in distress and yet God seemed silent. Sittser provided some wrongful responses why prayer is not answered such as we did not have enough faith and we did not use the right words. The key I took away at the end was to persist. I was reading Revelations 21 the other day and verse eight lists all these different categories of people who have a place in hell that include unbelieving and liars. One of the categories were the cowardly. That stands out to me but it makes so much sense. The Christian must be brave, and many times in Scripture God calls someone and says for them to be strong and courageous. He knows that we struggle with this one, but the desire is there for us to be strong and courageous. In the presence of difficult, we must press on.

The second chapter is titled: THE TRUE HEART OF PRAYER. Sittser once again provides a quote to start with:

We may pray most when we say least,

and we may pray least when we say most.

St. Augustine of Hippo

Some very confusing words upon first read. I think the idea here is simple. Prayer is not about the number of words we say. Some people can pray very lengthy prayers and seem to go on and on and not have very much content. Some say few words but genuinely mean what they say. So, it is not about the quantity of words.

Sittser returns to this idea of the epic using the example of the Lord of the Rings. He tells of the difficult journey along the way though in the end our main characters are triumphant. So it is with us in our present life here on earth. Each day has its high points and lows. There are some really joyous moments and there are moments of extreme difficult. I am reminded here in this opening paragraph to keep the big picture in mind.

Sittser calls unanswered prayer the essential part of the plot line. "When all other courses of action have been eliminated, when we stand at the edge of the abyss, when we approach God with empty hands and an aching heart, then we draw close to the true heart of prayer." (Sittser, 2007 p. 44). He does not quite say what this true heart of prayer is, but the description is clear. We come to God in desperation when we have exhausted all other solutions. It is like the woman who had internal bleeding for twelve years and the doctors had no help for her but she exhausted all her financial resources but then had the faith to touch Jesus and thus receive healing for her body. We come to realize where hope is found and who is really in control of all things.

Sittser goes on to describe a man named Kevin he meets at a church ministry for the homeless. In it he finds a powerful reminder:

"Suddenly everything had changed. I was no longer heroic outsider who visits The City Gate once a week to the "less fortunate," as we like to call them. I was standing the presence of a saint who knew that without Jesus he would probably be dead. . . .

 I forget all too quickly how much I need Jesus, how we all need Jesus. When I'm at The City Gate, I see greater clarity what I know to be true in my head but always in my heart--why Jesus came, whom Jesus spent with, how much Jesus loved the needy." (p. 46)

Too often, in the "middle-class" church, we have "safe" gatherings with people who seem to have it together. Whenever we hear baptism testimonies from our youth group kids, we hear stories of very "normal" and "innocent" upbringings. It seems like when we do street ministry, we hear stories of people with very disturbing pasts of abuse, violence, and near-death experiences. All of us, whatever upbringing, whatever class, all need Jesus. It comes down to whether or not we sense our need for Jesus.

Sittser talks about how we love the gifts God gives us but we ignore the giver. That is sad that we often forget who gives us what we have. I often think of the parent-child relationship. It is like buying my child a car and he spends his evenings with his friends and rarely ever spends time at home. The Father heart of God desires relationship. Sittser says that he finds himself pray the most when in deep need. It should be that whether in deep need or not in deep need that we should come to God. We come now to the true heart of prayer:

"The heart of true prayer is this cry of desperation. It is the cry of those who, committed to seeing God's kingdom come and God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven, find themselves in circumstances that show little evidence that there even is a kingdom of God. There is a time and place in the Christian faith to master the techniques of prayer, to develop the discipline of prayer, and to become comfortable and confident when we pray. But what is most fundamental is the spirit of our prayers, the cry of the heart to get help from the only one who can meet our deepest need. Desperation is the first and primary condition for true prayer." (p. 47-48).

I agree with Sittser that desperation is where we begin with in our praying. I don't think most have this sense of desperation until something incredibly difficult comes. Our normal tone is flat. We lack urgency and desperation both in our praying and in our Christian life. I was just pondering this fact. I am not sure what our population is, and counting the entire county, perhaps we have over a million. Consider the amount of seating we have in our local churches. If every church was full, would we have enough space to hold everyone in our county if they were to attend. In one week we have a city-wide evangelistic event and many of us pray for revival to come to this region. Is the church ready for revival?

 

In Sittser's section titled learned desperation he writes this:  "I might pray complacently about many things, but not about my children, at least not any more. I am so aware of my inadequacy as a father and of the long-term con

sequences of the trauma my children experienced that I find myself crying out to God as if God were my only hope, my last resort, my one chance to see that good triumphs over evil. I know how impermanent things are, how fragile relationships are, how little control I have.

Every time I watch my kids drive off in one of our cars, I tremble because I realize that I might never see them again, at least not in this life. As they grow up and prepare to leave the home, I worry because I know that they will face adversity, hardship, and temptation from which I cannot protect them. So I pray for them out of desperation. As a single father I know how much I need God." (p. 51).

We know how much we need God. In situations when we are helpless and God is our only true help, we have this sense of urgency and desperation. It is a matter of perspective. Right now, I have a health situation with my joints. A year ago I did not. I could walk, run, climb, jump and without thinking twice. Right now, I dare not jump, I cannot go upstairs, and I can barely walk much less run. When we are place in situations where we need God, we no longer take the simple things for granted and we pray with desperation. Most of us in our 20s and 30s are in good health and financial stability especially those with degrees in the sciences. It would appear harder for people in stable and healthy lifestyles to really pray with desperation. I love the statement Sittser says next:

"My need for God is as great as my need for air, water, and food. Without God, I am dead." (p. 52)

What a realization. My need for God is like our need for food and water. He alone sustains us. Moment by moment, we need God.

Desperation, as Sittser writes leaves us vulnerable and sets us up for disappointment. Yet, it is in desperation where we find God. Pastor Gordon MacDonald tells of his experience at ground zero after September 11th.

 He provided spiritual support to those in the area. The sounds and smell of death were everywhere. To the observer, God would seem so far removed from this place of devastation and ruin. Yet, recorded is his experience:

"Yet MacDonald experienced God's presence. "I decided that God is closer to this place than any other place I've ever visited .... No church service; no church sanctuary; no religiously inspiring service has spoken so deeply into my soul and witnessed to the presence of God as those hours last night at the crash site."

But it was not just the presence of God he experienced in that setting, as devastating as it was. He also experienced vitality, power, a renewal of faith. "In all my years of Christian ministry, I never felt more alive than I felt last night ....

As much as I love preaching the Bible and all the other things that I have been privileged to do over the years, being on that street, giving cold water to workmen, praying and weeping with them, listening to their stories was the closest I have ever felt to God. Even though it sounds melodramatic, I kept finding myself saying, 'this is the place where Jesus most wants to be." (p. 55).

It would seem like a place of draining and not vitality, death instead of life. Yet, in this place, God became more real to Pastor MacDonald than any worship service he had been to. God indeed is in the midst of pain and poverty. He is present with those who grieve and face loss. God is present when we least expect it.

Sittser makes mention of Jesus on the cross. Jesus cries out to God who has forsaken Him in that moment when Christ takes on the sins of the world. Indeed, His Father has forsaken Him, but only for that moment, and for a eternal purpose. So it is with our struggles. Sittser says they are a hard and painful part of the journey. Yet more profound he states that they are not the entire journey.

"Unanswered prayer breaks us, deepens us, exposes us, and transforms us. The epic journey of prayer will lead to answers, but not before we face difficulties and disappointments along the way. Perhaps you have experienced

some of the very trials that             Unanswered prayer breaks" (p. 57)

Prayer:

Father, what devastating words uttered on the cross, "my God, my God, why have You forsaken me!" Those words uttered by Jesus and these words we often utter ourselves in our most painful moments are the cries of Your children. We come to You in desperation. My physical condition has not improved. I have pain in my ankles. I don't know what is wrong with my body and neither do medical professionals. My heart cries out for meaning, comfort, and healing. Moment by moment I know my need for You in my pain. Indeed, these struggles break us, and exposes me. There is a higher purpose and I pray that You will transform me through my discomfort. This chapter has reminded me of my desperation and need for You at all times including these present and difficult moments. Remind me Father that You are near to those facing difficulty.