Praying Below the Roof
Introduction to a series of posts on prayer.
Why do we pray? How often do you pray? What is prayer? If someone asked you to define prayer, how would you answer? We are wired to pray! All religions pray to some type of deity. As Christ Followers, prayer is vitally important to us. We are expected to pray and even commanded to pray. Prayer is mentioned over 600 times in the Bible (depending on the translation). However, two passages easily frame the importance of prayer for us.
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” — Luke 5:16 NIV
“Devote yourselves to prayer;” — Colossians 4:2a CSB
Prayer was so important to our Lord that he often needed to get alone just to pray. The Apostle Paul exhorts us to devote ourselves to prayer. Yet, most Christians struggle with prayer. We find it hard to keep a regular time of prayer. We “promise” to pray for someone and then forget to do so. It seems that for most, prayer only comes easy when we are in times of trouble, stress, or trials.
This article begins a series on prayer that I have titled “Praying Below the Roof.” You might be wondering what’s up with that title. I got the idea from Trevor Hudson in a retreat talk he did called “Coming Alive to Living in the Presence of God.” In the talk, he mentions a young man who indicated to him, “When I pray, my prayers hit the roof and bounce back.” Pastor Hudson’s response was, “I wonder if your God is above the roof.” The implication was that we are here on earth, God is in heaven and somehow, our prayers need to reach God.
This, I think, is a common misunderstanding of God and prayer. Our prayers do not need to go above the roof “to reach God.” God is omnipresent! That means that God is not “stuck” above the roof. God is not only in some faraway place called “heaven.” He is in the same room we are. He is is the car, the office, the classroom, everywhere we are. One of my favorite classic singing groups is Fleetwood Mac. One of their hit songs is “Everywhere.” Christine McVey belts out the lyrics, “I want to be with you everywhere.” We do not have to call out that plea. Our prayers do not have to try and reach God above the roof (thus, the title of this series of posts). God is with us everywhere.
So, what lies ahead? Over the next several weeks, we will examine what prayer really is, why we struggle with it, the dynamics of prayer, the types of prayers in the Bible, and how to improve your prayer life.
We begin by looking at what prayer really is. How would you define prayer? Many definitions have been proposed, but I like a basic and simple one.
“Prayer is communicating and communing with God.”
Eugene Peterson said, “When we pray, we immerse ourselves in the living presence of God.” Immersing ourselves in the living presence of God has two aspects: communication and communion. Often, people limit their prayers to asking God. They ask for healing for those who are sick, for wisdom in facing life situations and demands, for direction in making decisions, or for divine intervention in some situation or someone’s life. There is nothing wrong with asking God for these things. However, just asking is not communication. True communication involves listening as well as talking. This means that prayer involves listening to God - sitting in his presence, saying nothing, and just listening to the “still small voice” of the Holy Spirit speaking to our spirit. For me, and I will guess you also, this is very hard. I want to tell God something. I have a hundred thoughts entering my mind. I think of something I need to do or someone I need to contact. I get so distracted. But real prayer is rising above the distractions and attending to the voice of God.
Being still, attending to, and listening to God ushers us into the second part of prayer - communing with God. Communion is defined as “the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.” When we have true communion with God, we enter into his very essence. We are overwhelmed by his holiness and majesty (Isaiah 6). We see his very heart. We feel his love. We begin to know God in ways that are beyond human understanding. This can only happen if we “still ourselves” - stop talking, quiet the voices in our heads, and truly listen. The Psalmist, speaking for God, declared…
“Be still and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10 NIV
This week, as you pray, think of Christ sitting in the seat beside you. Think of HIm intently listening to every word you say to Him in your prayer. AND THEN, do the same as He has done. Listen intently to what He is saying to you. Block out the distractions and wait and listen. Really listen! Being still, waiting on God, and truly listening to him will take both time and patience to master. You (and I) will be tempted and distracted to speak or focus on something else. But remember, only as we continue to attend to God and really listen will we enter into the second part of prayer - communion with him.
May you truly commune with God this week.