What Happens When We Pray?
By Ricky Njoto
PRAYER; a simple word that’s supposed to be understood by everyone from every system of belief. But do we actually know what a prayer is? Often, it’s thought that praying is a method taken by human beings to communicate to a deity. But precisely because of that simplistic understanding, many of us Christians don’t know what really happens when we pray—and as result, we often don’t take prayers seriously enough. We think, “Isn’t praying easy? We just need to say what we want to God, right?” I think praying is actually one of the most important elements in the Christian faith that we don’t often do correctly. Below are several theological points that describe what happens when we pray.
First, God gives his blessings through prayers, not because of prayers. We often ask, “If God is all-knowing, why do we need to pray? Doesn’t he already know what we want before we express it?” But a Christian prayer is not a shopping list that we give to God so that he might grant us what we want. Rather, prayer is God’s way to give us what we need according to his will by his mercy so that we always depend on him. The initiative doesn’t come from us through our prayers, but from God through prayers that he himself enables. Prayer is God’s gift for us so that through it—not because of it—we can get his blessings that he has prepared for us.
Second, Christian prayers are trinitarian because we pray to the Trinity. Christians pray to God the Father through God the Son by God the Holy Spirit. We are enabled to pray, and to find words to pray, by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:26). We pray as the branches of the True Vine (Jn. 15:5–7) and through the Great High Priest Jesus Christ (Heb. 4:14–16). And we direct our prayers to the Father (Matt. 6:8–9). So, what happens when we pray? Prayer is God’s gift that allows us to participate in the life of the Trinitarian God. Every time we pray to the Father in the name of the Son by the Spirit, we are somehow joining in the happy and joyful life of God.
Every time we pray to the Father in the name of the Son by the Spirit, we are somehow joining in the happy and joyful life of God.
Ricky Njoto
Third, even though we participate in the life of God through prayers, Christian prayers are not a mystical hope for an abstract spiritual life outside of space and time. When we pray, we don’t hope to get out of this world so that we can deliver our prayers to a god that’s removed from the world. When we pray, we don’t somehow get taken away to the clouds to speak to a remote god. God has come down (Jn. 1:9), he is with us (Matt. 1:23), and he has promised to stay with us (Matt. 28:20). And so, we pray, “Let your kingdom COME, let your will be done on EARTH as it is in heaven.” When we pray, God is present among us in this world in the person of the Holy Spirit. And so, what happens when we pray? We don’t pray so that we can escape from this world. We pray so that we know our God-given role in this world. We pray as a Christian teacher, a Christian lawyer, a Christian architect, a Christian mum, etc.; with God on our side guiding us here on earth.
Fourth, praying is not our attempt to suppress and get rid of our physical desires. Rather, it’s God’s way to sanctify our physical desires. So, what happens when we pray? Through prayer, we ask that God might be the one who acts and implements everything in our life according to his will through us. Our desires don’t magically disappear. Our desires are shaped to fit his. And therefore, we pray, “Let your will be done.”
We don’t pray so that we can escape from this world. We pray so that we know our God-given role in this world.
Ricky Njoto
Fifth, Christian prayers prioritise corporate needs above personal needs. Christian prayers are not selfish. Christian prayers recognise that God’s plan is not for our individualistic, selfish gain, but for his people (and the whole world) to glorify him. A prayer that comes from a mature spiritual life always includes the needs of others. We pray to “our Father who art in heaven” to ask that he shall “give us our daily bread and forgive us our sins.” We pray as the branches—not a branch—of Christ, and as the children—not a child—of God. So, what happens when we pray? Every time we pray, God is giving us an opportunity to learn to be less individualistic and selfish, and to be more caring and loving towards each other.
God has revealed himself to us, and so, we should speak to and about him because we know what happens when we do. My resolution for the new year is to increase the quality of my prayer life. I invite you all to do the same.
Soli Deo gloria!
Ricky Njoto is a pastor of Church on the Corner, an English congregation of Camberwell Methodist Church, Melbourne.