Lenten Question: "Why Pray?"

           

                     

photo by Keith Riley-Whittingham / flik    

My son and I planted some flowers in the back of our house. And when we were finished and said, “You want  to pray that they’ll come up and be beautiful.” He said: “Nah. The last time we did this, we prayed and nothing came up."

A whole lot of us wonder sometimes. Why pray, we mutter? And nothing happens. Looking back on my own pitiable prayer life—on again, off again I’ve wondered. Does prayer matter? I’ve asked the question before broken marriages, cancer, AIDS, suicides, mental illness and a whole lot of heart-breaking topics like this terrible virus and the utter heart-breaking news from Ukraine.

Someone asked Carlyle Marney years ago why God didn’t fix the terrible racial problem in the South. And Marney said, “Why should God fix it when his churches have an absolute majority in the South! Maybe he leaves it up to us.”

So why pray for Ukraine it seems so hopeless. And then I think of all those delivering food to the hungry, digging through debris looking for loved ones, doctors and nurses still ministering to the sick in a bombed out hospital. 

So people say well, prayer might just help the pray-er if nothing else. There are sometimes I have found my attitudes softening or even changed. I have sometimes felt my heart strangely warmed  because someone prayed for me. I think it matters. But just heltping the pray-er leaves a lot of the world out.

After all these years I have found myself still praying. For myself. For my family or for a friend sick or in trouble. Sometimes the divisions in my own life. I pray for a whole lots of folks. And sometimes I just sit in a chair and let the silence surround me  and then I find myself praying one of the oldest prayers in the church. I whisper over and over like a mantra: “Jesus…Jesus…Jesus.”I lay it all out at Jesus’ feet. 

Does it work, who knows? But I believe in the energy of God is released when people pray. I do believe the President of Ukraine and all their tears and grief are not alone.  But I would add the rest of us too.  And deep down despite the chaotic and divided world within us and out there everywhere I still believe it matters. More than I know.

Archbishops Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell from England wrote this prayer for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.

"God of peace and justice,

we pray for the people of Ukraine today.

We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.

 We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow,

We pray that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.

We pray for those with power over war and peace,

for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions.

Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear,

that your would hold and protect them, 

We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace."

Amen

photo by Manhha / flikr

--Roger Lovette / rogerlovette.blogspot.com