scope
.
.
::: today i put on a down jacket and set out for a time of extended prayer...i put a copy of the book of romans in one pocket, the gospel of mark in the other...three hours later i returned home, my legs tired but my soul enriched after praying through these two texts...as an antidote to listless prayer, i've often heard many people recommend the practice of taking a scripture verse and using it to pray for yourself and others...
.
...if i may, from one learner to another, while some thoughts are still fresh in my mind, i'd like to challenge that practice and raise the bar in the spirit of mutual encouragement...
.
...instead of using verses, i've found that praying through an entire book of scripture leads to greater freedom, joy and effectiveness in prayer...why?...because it boils down to scope...when you pick and choose a verse to pray through, that verse easily can be taken out of context...string enough stripped-down verses together and soon you may run the risk of developing a prayer life that is selective, at best, or self-serving, at worst...impatience, disappointment, muted hopes, and even resignation are not uncommon features of this manner of prayer...
.
...i've definitely been down that road too many times...
.
...not to say that i've got it together at this point, but i AM glad to say that God has helped me apply this corrective: praying through an entire book allows you to pray according to its biblical flow...your prayers for a person or a family or a city or a nation is set against God's kingdom meta-narrative (the overall story of God's salvation for creation as revealed in the bible)...in other words, your scope (or story) changes...instead of praying within the confines of our stories (which is not to discount our individual journeys, for God treasures each one of us), we pray in the plot -- and power -- of God's spectacular story...
.
...this corrective leads to more courageous praying...
.
...the kind of praying that changes not only lives, but history (think back to haystack prayer meeting of 1806, where God used the courageous prayers of a handful of college students to launch the modern missions movement in america that continues today with urbana 2006 this month)...history can change when the vistas of our prayers expand, our desires are weaned, our times of searching and questioning are framed by a more informed and illuminated sense of God's grand timing and ways...prayers are anchored, affording us the privilege to endure courageously with faith and patience like the saints of old, even to the point of being content to die knowing that not all of our prayers were answered (hebrews 11)...
.
...there's a thought -- not all of our prayers will be answered...
..
...by praying for things big and small according to the kingdom flow of an entire book (and even then in canonical relation to other bible books), this practice moves us closer to the nexus between two virtues: rememberance and prayer...the act of "rememberance" as an inventory of God's past works...the act of "prayer" as an invitation to participate in God's future...both strands come together in the present...
.
...this nexus is evident throughout scripture, from the covenant recitals of God's past dealings in the suzerain-vassal structure of deuteronomy (e.g., deut. 8; also exod. 20) to the historical accounts presented in the wisdom psalms (e.g., psalm 78) to the remembrance of God's character and ways in the prophet daniel's prayer in daniel 9...we see this nexus of rememberance and prayer in the book of acts (e.g., acts 4), albeit with an emphasis on preaching...
.
...with this small sampling of scripture, coupled with my own testimony, i'd like to commend to you the practice of expanding the scope of our prayers by using entire books -- not just verses (although verses in context are certainly helpful) -- as a corrective against listless prayer...
.
.
.
::: today i put on a down jacket and set out for a time of extended prayer...i put a copy of the book of romans in one pocket, the gospel of mark in the other...three hours later i returned home, my legs tired but my soul enriched after praying through these two texts...as an antidote to listless prayer, i've often heard many people recommend the practice of taking a scripture verse and using it to pray for yourself and others...
.
...if i may, from one learner to another, while some thoughts are still fresh in my mind, i'd like to challenge that practice and raise the bar in the spirit of mutual encouragement...
.
...instead of using verses, i've found that praying through an entire book of scripture leads to greater freedom, joy and effectiveness in prayer...why?...because it boils down to scope...when you pick and choose a verse to pray through, that verse easily can be taken out of context...string enough stripped-down verses together and soon you may run the risk of developing a prayer life that is selective, at best, or self-serving, at worst...impatience, disappointment, muted hopes, and even resignation are not uncommon features of this manner of prayer...
.
...i've definitely been down that road too many times...
.
...not to say that i've got it together at this point, but i AM glad to say that God has helped me apply this corrective: praying through an entire book allows you to pray according to its biblical flow...your prayers for a person or a family or a city or a nation is set against God's kingdom meta-narrative (the overall story of God's salvation for creation as revealed in the bible)...in other words, your scope (or story) changes...instead of praying within the confines of our stories (which is not to discount our individual journeys, for God treasures each one of us), we pray in the plot -- and power -- of God's spectacular story...
.
...this corrective leads to more courageous praying...
.
...the kind of praying that changes not only lives, but history (think back to haystack prayer meeting of 1806, where God used the courageous prayers of a handful of college students to launch the modern missions movement in america that continues today with urbana 2006 this month)...history can change when the vistas of our prayers expand, our desires are weaned, our times of searching and questioning are framed by a more informed and illuminated sense of God's grand timing and ways...prayers are anchored, affording us the privilege to endure courageously with faith and patience like the saints of old, even to the point of being content to die knowing that not all of our prayers were answered (hebrews 11)...
.
...there's a thought -- not all of our prayers will be answered...
..
...by praying for things big and small according to the kingdom flow of an entire book (and even then in canonical relation to other bible books), this practice moves us closer to the nexus between two virtues: rememberance and prayer...the act of "rememberance" as an inventory of God's past works...the act of "prayer" as an invitation to participate in God's future...both strands come together in the present...
.
...this nexus is evident throughout scripture, from the covenant recitals of God's past dealings in the suzerain-vassal structure of deuteronomy (e.g., deut. 8; also exod. 20) to the historical accounts presented in the wisdom psalms (e.g., psalm 78) to the remembrance of God's character and ways in the prophet daniel's prayer in daniel 9...we see this nexus of rememberance and prayer in the book of acts (e.g., acts 4), albeit with an emphasis on preaching...
.
...with this small sampling of scripture, coupled with my own testimony, i'd like to commend to you the practice of expanding the scope of our prayers by using entire books -- not just verses (although verses in context are certainly helpful) -- as a corrective against listless prayer...
.
.
...this has got me all excited to pray...
.:::
.
posted by B & C at
10:45 PM
1 Comments:
wow, thanks so much for sharing this and for continually being a blessing to me. i got your card in the mail today- that was the work of mister bobby ryu, wasn't it? wow! double-sided and everything! just as your card made me feel miles closer to you guys, please know that i'm thinking of you a lot this Christmas! much love, jeana
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