When a brother asked Abba Antony to pray for him, the old man replied, “Try to pray your own prayers”.Excerpt from By Way of the Desert, 365 Daily Readings.
The wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers is often right to the point and more often stated with very few words. The answer to the above question may seem to be an abrupt and rude response to a request for prayer. No one I know would answer me in that way (I don’t think) and I certainly would not be inclined to say to my brother in need “go and pray your own prayers, brother!”. But I think there is something much deeper here that warrants careful thought.
Are we people of prayer? Would we rather have someone else pray for us and for our well-being than to do the work of prayer ourselves?
I think these are the real questions that Abba Antony’s response is aimed at. I think we in the culture in which we live are in danger of losing our passion for prayer (if we ever had it). We seem to be attracted to the big mega churches with their polished services that entertain, we plug into pre-packaged programs for ministry that guarantee success, we send our kids to other people to teach them, we are fine with 20% doing 80% of the work in the church though once in awhile we will do a little service project because it makes us feel better, we like to hear messages that are always affirming and don’t require too much of us and most of all we are all too busy to pray. Having the pastor say a little prayer somewhere in the service is good enough and in emergencies we will ask someone else to pray for us.
Unfortunately all of us who have fallen into this type of “Christian” life eventually discover it is powerless and ineffective. Before long we begin to discover we really don’t have a clue who God is and how He could ever interact in our lives. Prayer simply becomes a moment for saying to God thanks for the grub and maybe, before we turn it over to the professionals or serious Jesus people, we will say the occasional, “O God I am in big trouble here…a little help…where are You”?
However, prayer is one of the most important formational aspects of the Christian’s walk…this journey to be conformed into the image of Christ. Prayer is not only speaking to God, but listening. Prayer is coming to God and waiting and listening and regularly saying “Have mercy on me a sinner”…”Search my heart, O Lord”…”Show me your ways”. Prayer can fill our hearts full with grace when we come with the primary goal to Know God and His magnificence rather than to tell Him how good and righteous we are and that we should be rewarded accordingly.
This is what I would like to encourage all desiring to know God to do, to commit to pray your own prayers, often and regularly. Commit to get to know God in a personal and intimate way. Breathe in scripture (God’s word to you) and breathe out your praise, petitions, intercessions, confessions, love. Spend a few minutes each day in silence before Him and ask that He quiet your heart so that through your heart you could begin to hear that still, small voice. Spend some time each day praying for someone besides your self. Spend some time praying the prayer of adoration. Find a short breath prayer that you can lift up to Him constantly. Mine is “Jesus, I need You!” Yours may be Lord have mercy, Lord you are good, Jesus, I just want to know you…Teach your kids how to pray, ask a mature and thoughtful believer how they pray, search the scriptures for how the people of God pray…and finally take the book of psalms and pray these often.
Just pray your own prayers. Its good to seek your brothers and sisters for support and their intercession, but what we really need to do is meet with God personally. We don’t need a go between to speak to our God. Jesus paid that price for you and me to be able to enter into His throne room.
Just pray, your own prayers.
For Wellspring, © Scott 2008
