Dear people of Grace,

Last week I introduced a series on prayer by discussing if it is appropriate to pray for the weather. This week, under clear skies, I want to focus on that most basic of big questions: what is prayer?

Our Catechism, the “outline of the faith” which is used for teaching and as a reference for inquiring Christians as to what we believe, has the following entry regarding prayer (Book of Common Prayer, p. 856):

Q. What is prayer?
A. Prayer is responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with or without words.

Q. What is Christian Prayer?
A. Christian prayer is response to God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the power
of the Holy Spirit.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I really don’t find these answers very satisfying. So let’s park these definitions and develop our own understanding by thinking about prayer in terms of relationship, primarily as the way we express our relationship with God.

Human relationships are lived out through our senses. We see, touch, talk to and listen to other people in a way which is impossible with God. Although there are times where we might talk about getting a glimpse of God in nature or another person, and we might even hear God speak to us from time to time, these are extraordinary moments – i.e. they are not ordinary, everyday occurrences.

Our relationship with God is going to look different from all of our other relationships. It is not based on a temporal (worldly) reality but on a spiritual one, one which transcends time and space. The way we enter this spiritual space is through prayer, but how we access this spiritual space is as varied as the human faces on this earth. For some, prayer is a silent activity, devoid of all distraction. For others, they reach out to God through exercise, music or art. I, personally, favor quiet time with God, but this might be while walking my dog or, lately, swimming in the ocean. I also participate in my relationship with God through our community Morning Prayer at Grace and, of course, Sunday worship.

Relationships are both personal and reciprocal. When we are in relationship we are each affected by the other’s words, deeds and feelings. This is what our Catechism is getting at when it talks about prayer as ‘response to God.’ When God touches our hearts, we should respond to him in prayer. When we are joyous, sad, frightened, overwhelmed, or whatever it may be, we share these feelings with those close to us, with those who know us best; we share them with God, through prayer, because we are in relationship.

Next week, I’ll take a look at how our temporal (worldly) relationships feature into our prayers. Until then, persevere in prayer, “for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer” (1Peter 3.12).

Blessings and peace,
Deacon Nick