Here are some questions for Chapter 5 and 6 of Yancey's book "Prayer". Join us tonight, Mnday October 8 for our discussion at Church or post your comments/answers to the questions here.
Chapter 5 Coming Together What new insights did you gain from the chapter? Was there anything that confused you, troubled you, angered you, surprised you? Was Yancey’s comparison to prayer as a dialogue between friends helpful? Do you speak to God as a friend? If you have friendships of different levels, at what level is you friendship with God? An acquaintance? A neighbor? How close is this friendship? Friendships may deepen at times, or they may be more shallow, same with God? Is it hard to express your true feelings to God? The Jews, as many mid Eastern cultures are much more emotional than we in the Midwest. Does our Midwest “niceness” effect the way we pray? If we “hide” our emotions from ourself, how do we reveal them to God? Is serenity overrated in prayer? Maybe God wants our passion? “If I march through life pretending to smile, while inside I bleed, I dishonor that relationship.” Do you tend to smile over your bleeding in prayer? Does public prayer tend to be too nice? Have you ever heard raw emotion from someone in public prayer? Do you pray to know God? How does prayer help you know yourself?
Chapter 6 Why Pray? What new insights did you gain from the chapter? Was there anything that confused you, troubled you, angered you, surprised you? If God did not answer Jesus prayers, what hope do I have? Do you pray for trivia? Jesus prayed before he chose his apostles. Are you troubled by the choices he made? P. 85 Jesus prays for Peter, and perhaps Judas as well--expresses God’s unfathomable respect for human freedom. Even when he senses him close friend will betray him Jesus does not intervene with a freedom crushing miracle. He allows history to take its course, at enormous personal cost, praying all the while that even betrayal and death may be redeemed as part of the outworking of the grace of God. Does praying for a miracle interfere with freedom? Jesus knows the cost of divine restraint. He understood that redemption comes from passing through pain, not avoiding it. (p88) How hard it is to understand this. So much of prayer is about avoiding pain.
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2 comments:
I pray in the hope that I will become a better person. I pray in the hope that the words I read or say will take root in my heart.
I was struck by the fact that Jesus prayed before choosing his apostles, and they all turned out to fail so miserably. At least at first glance. Yes Judas betrayed, and Peter denied, and all fled. But, in the end, all but Judas came back.
My prayer is too often an effort to avoid pain, rather than being for the strength to persevere inthe mimdst of pain.
I like the last sentence on pg. 87. "As I pray, I keep before me the compassionate face of Jesus."
When I feel like I am hitting my head against a wall, when my persistent prayers seem to be unanswered, and I despairingly think, 'What's the use?' it helps to remember the compassion of Jesus.
Maybe my prayers don't change the circumstances, but maybe the point is that they change me. I like the reminder that Jesus' prayers helped change Peter when he was "sifted." Only then was Peter able to be a blessing to others.
I guess ongoing dialogue would describe my prayer. I start my day with prayer by asking God to give me the day. I say, "God help me to love as you love." I say, "Help me to see people as you see them."
I think of prayer as the relationship that Yancey describes. Sometimes I talk, sometimes I listen, and sometimes I am quiet in the same room, saying nothing, but so glad for the Other's Presence.
Often, when I am tossed and troubled, I pray the Psalms and get the emotions out! Other times, I remember the words of Thomas Merton, "Be still and let Him do some work."
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