"Let's eat!"
If you're anticipating a good meal, you might be calling up visions of particular menu items arranged attractively on your plate. Saliva glands might even kick in.
"Let's go!"
If you have planned a trip, usually you have an idea of where you're headed and images of the desired destination make you want to put on your hiking boots on or maybe your beach sandals (unless, of course, it is a visit to the dentist).
"Let's party!"
I don't know about you, but when I have been invited to a party, I am eagerly looking forward to seeing and talking with friends and family.
So what comes to mind when someone invites, "Let's pray!"?
Do you get into your formal mood? Does your mind start scrambling for something to say? As you shut your eyes, do you begin to feel isolated from others?
Drop the Formalism
If it is true that "prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend" (Steps to Christ, p.93), is there any need for formalism? Whether we're kneeling behind a pew in church or sitting in a circle with friends, one Being should rise up in our consciousness--Christ. If you have a habit of talking to Him in prayer by your bedside or in your "closet", why should it feel strange to talk with Him in a group?
On My Mind
If we take Paul's admonition to, "Pray without ceasing" in a somewhat literal sense, it seems there would be something from a recent conversation with God to pray about. Or maybe someone's recent report about a suffering loved one or a recent disaster creating chaos is where your thoughts are centered. It seems our lives are made up of worthy subjects for prayer.
Alone
Probably the first thing we understand in childhood about prayer is the "right" position: hands folded, kneeling, and of course--eyes closed. Did you ever figure out just why you were instructed to close your eyes? The logical answer seems to be that you can't mess around if your eyes are closed. But if all you're doing is shutting out distractions, an empty mind isn't of much value, and a self-inflicted isolation isn't too desirable.
Together
However, as we grow in our relationship with Christ, we will more and more "desire not merely His blessing, but Himself" (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, p.131). As we experience the joy of His presence in our secret prayer time, we will also anticipate more and more the reality of His promise, "where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). The God of the Universe has promised to be with those who gather to pray. Who would want to miss such an opportunity?
Something More
Besides needing to gather with others for prayer, Jesus also recognized cases where the powers of darkness were entrenched and holding. Ousting them required something more.
"And Jesus said unto them, . . . . 'If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting'" (Matthew 17:20, 21).
Urgent, impossible circumstances should be a call for united prayer.
“Now and onward till the close of time the people of God should be more earnest, more wide- awake, not trusting in their own wisdom, but in the wisdom of their Leader. They should set aside days for fasting and prayer” (Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, Feb. 11, 1904).
Invitation
I would like to invite you to the quarterly Day of Prayer and Fasting developed through the Ministerial Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Their website, "Revival and Reformation" offers various prayer opportunities, rich resources for inspiration, and events in which to participate.
The third quarter Day of Prayer and Fasting for 2020 is Sabbath, July 4, 2020. Do you know what else happened on July 4 in history? Check it out by reading the theme devotional, "Pioneer Prayer: Today in Reformation". You can participate as individuals, small groups, and by churches. Leading such a group is made easy with suggested materials on the website. Why don't you make plans with your small group or church to join us?
Pray Unitedly
Incidentally, with the North American Division (NAD) Nominating Committee meeting on July 6, the NAD Executive Committee meeting on July 7, and the General Conference Executive Committee meeting virtually on July 9 in the process of electing a new NAD president, can you think of anything we can pray about?
Come on, let's pray!
BIO: Cathlynn Doré Law is a happy homemaker. Doing anything with her best friend and husband, Mark Law, two sons, daughters-in-law, and ten grandchildren is a good day.