How to Pray

Session One: Prayer and the Spiritual Rule

 

What is Christian Prayer? 

What does it mean to pray well or badly? 

‘0 Lord, thou knowest that I have nine houses in the city of London, and likewise that I have lately purchased an estate in fee-simple in the county of Essex. Lord, I beseech Thee to preserve the two counties of Essex and Middlesex from fires and earthquakes; and as I have a mortgage in Hertfordshire, I beg Thee likewise to have an eye of compassion on that county. And, Lord, for the rest of the counties, Thou mayest deal with them as Thou art pleased. 0 Lord, enable the Bank to answer all their bills, and make all my debtors good men. Give a prosperous voyage and return to the Mermaid sloop, which I have insured; and Lord, Thou hast said, “That the days of the wicked are short,” and I trust Thou wilt not forget Thy promises, having purchased an estate in reversion of Sir J. P., a profligate young man. Lord, keep our fund from sinking; and if it be Thy will, let there be no sinking fund. Keep my son Caleb out of evil company, and from gaming -houses. And sanctify, 0 Lord, this night to me, by preserving me from thieves and fire, and make my servant honest and careful, whilst I, Thy servant, lie down in Thee, 0 Lord. Amen.’

John Ward of Hackney, 18^th century.

 

St. John 15:1-11

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

• 1. According to this passage, what is the essence of prayer?
• 2. What different kinds of prayers might be contained in this description of the spiritual life?
• 3. How does this passage describe the goal of the spiritual life?

Some Basic Considerations

Jesus is our model of prayer: prayer was natural to him, surrounded his most important actions, he was continually praying with others and alone, taught others to pray.  Prayer was the fullest expression of his love and service of God and man.  [Garden of Gethsemane, Prayer in the Upper Room]

God is transcendent: God is holy and majestic, beyond our ability to completely understand.  We do not deserve to pray to him and must expect to be changed by him.  True prayer needs a holy fear. 

“And I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”  Isaiah 6:5

“Coming nearer to God is always both a discovery both of the beauty of God and of the distance there is between him and us.  ‘Distance’ is an inadequate word, because it is not determined by the fact that God is holy and that we are sinful.  Distance is determined by the attitude of the sinner to God.  We can approach God only if we do so with a sense of coming to judgment.  If we come having condemned ourselves; if we come because we love him in spite of the fact that we are unfaithful, if we come to him, loving him more than a godless security, then we are open to him and he is open to us, and there is no distance; the Lord comes close to us in an act of compassionate love.  But if we stand before God wrapped in our pride, in our assertiveness, if we stand before him as though we had a right to stand there, if we stand and question him, the distance that separates the creature and the creator becomes infinite.  Metropolitan Anthony, Living Prayer 10.

God calls us to a deep and intimate relationship: He is a Father to us, one who loves us and cares deeply for the entirety of our life.  We can approach him directly with boldness through Christ. 

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship.  When we cry ‘Abba! Father!’ it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”  Romans 8:14-16

Prayer relies on God’s grace: We pray to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit.  God’s help surrounds us, assuring of his love and urging us into deeper union with Him.   We should not fear our inadequacy or assume we can sustain ourselves. 

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.  And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”  Romans 8:26-27

“[Christ] holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues for ever.  Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”  Hebrews 7:24-25

We never pray alone: Christians pray as part of Christ’s Body, the Church, which spans time and place.  Our praise is united with the ceaseless praise of God by the Holy Angels.  Prayer should draw us into deeper fellowship with our fellow Christians and increase our desire to serve others.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”  Hebrews 12:1

“Our prayer is public and for all, and when we pray, we pray not for a single person, but for the whole people, for we are all one.  The God of peace, the teacher of harmony, who taught unity, willed that each should pray for all, according as he carried us all in himself alone.”  St. Cyprian of Carthage 

The fruit of prayer is a life of holiness: we grow closer to God and love and serve Him more gladly.  Emotional experience is of little importance in the life of prayer. 

A Rule of Life

I Corinthians 14:26-33, 39-40

“What then, brethren? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.  If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn; and let one interpret.  But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silence in church and speak to himself and to God.  Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.  If a revelation is made to another sitting by, let the first be silent.  For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged; and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.  For God is not a God of confusion but of peace…So, my brethren, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues; but all things should be done decently and in order.”

• 1. What appears to be the problem in the worship of the Corinthian church?
• 2. This text is about public worship, but how can private devotion experience the same problems?
• 3. What principles that Saint Paul establishes here might be helpful in determining a system of private devotion?

A Rule of Life: A pattern of prayer and spiritual practices designed to help you grow in the Christian life by bring order to spiritual pursuits

Why is a Rule of Life helpful?

“In all our activities, in work, in study, in athletics or anything else, the steady pace accomplishes far more than great but spasmodic bursts of energy.  The same is true in religion.  Indeed, for many of us the greatest weakness in our spiritual armor is inconsistence, bouncing from one thing to another, swinging from fervor to apathy and from resolution to feebleness.  A rule of life helps with this problem and leads us to steady persistence which bears much fruit.  Systematic effort also brings us through those periods of weariness in which we have no enthusiasm for anything, in which everything seems dull and just not worth the effort.”  D. Parsons, A Lifetime Road to God, 57.

• Bringing order to the chaos
• Protects us from the instability of emotion
• Developing a balanced approach to prayer limits distracting personal quirks
• Frees from the burden of endless creativity, increases efficiency in devotion

Some Principles about Rules

• A Rule is embraced, not kept: you should not expect perfection, will need God’s help
• Living by Rule is not legalistic: you do not aim to please God by embracing a rule, but to cooperate with the Holy Spirit through ordering the life of grace
• A Breach of Rule is not sin, but Rules should not be broken for light reasons
• Rules can always be changed as life changes:

Choosing your Rule of Life

• Choose a rule with the help of a spiritual director: a person who also lives under Rule and has some experience of different methods and schools of prayer
• Your Rule should be manageable in its extent and suited to your spiritual temperament
• Your Rule should be balanced: formal and informal prayer, silent and vocal, other helpful spiritual practices
• Some elements should be present in all Rules: Daily Office, Eucharist, Intercession, Recollection, Fasting and Almsgiving
• Some elements will vary according to spiritual temperament and experience: Meditation, Contemplation, Affective Devotions
• The Picket Fence illustrates the variable and consistent elements of Rule
• A Rule is often more helpful when embraced with others
• You should periodically check-in on the progress you are making with your rule

Additional Reading

Thornton, Martin.  Christian Proficiency. London: SPCK, 1959. Chapters 1-5.

In St. Paul’s Library

Metropolitan Anthony.  Living Prayer.  Springfield: Templegate, 1966.  Call # 205.1 B

Guest, John.  Only A Prayer Away.  Ann Arbor: Vine, 1985.  Call # 205.1

Griffiss, James.  A Silent Path to God.  Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980.  Call # 205

Hultstrand, Donald.  The Praying Church.  New York: Seabury, 1977.  Call # 205.1

Leech, Kenneth.  True Prayer.  San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1980.  Call # 205.1 L

Parsons, A Lifetime Road to God.  Fond du Lac: The Parish Press, 1977.  Call # 206 Par

Raguin, Yves.  How to Pray.  St. Meinrad: Abbey, 1974.  Call # 205.1

Thornton, Martin.  English Spirituality.  Cambridge: Cowley, 1986.  Call # 205 T

Whiston, Pray: A Study of Distinctively Christian Praying.  Little Rock: Trinity Cathedral, 1972.  Call # 205.1