From North Carolina pastor John Pavlovitz:
I still ask for people to pray and I still pray, but I try to reorient my prayers these days.
I no longer believe in prayer as a cause-an-effect endeavor.
I don’t believe in a supernatural Santa Claus who dispenses life and death based on the conduct or heart of the recipients.
I don’t believe in a God who withholds miraculous healing or compassionate care—until sufficiently begged by us to do so.
I believe prayer works by unlocking our empathy for others.
I believe it binds us together in relationship.
I believe it to be a beautiful expression of love for people who are suffering.
I believe it connects us personally to God in ways that cannot be quantified.
I believe it is a sacred act of kindness.
Plenty of people, many still of great conviction, pray without “unlocking” any real empathy, binding themselves to others, or being kind–and convince themselves in the process that they are actually accomplishing something worthwhile. Others pray to different gods and claim the same benefits.
And since we can express and develop concern for others in many ways that do not involve prayer, some of which have a more measurable impact on the world, it’s fair to say that these benefits, if real, are not unique to prayer.
I suspect that Mr. Pavlovitz has no need of prayer to be a kind and helpful person. What he brings to the table already is what he ends up getting out of it, just as it is for those who pray without kindness.
“And when healing doesn’t come, we second guess whether we’d prayed hard enough or we lament that we didn’t enlist enough ‘prayer warriors’…”
…Or contend that God has a plan that we just can’t understand. But to say that is to declare that your prayers have no effect, else you believe that your desires can sway the eternal plan of an omniscient, divine being.
I have always found it curious how quickly many religious people switch between believing that God is taking care of everything for the best and believing that they, with their comparatively limited knowledge, should somehow have the power to alter that plan.
“He didn’t get better. I refuse to try and figure out what that says about God’s character or about our prayers.”
That’s too bad, as it definitely says something.
After reading Pastor Pavlovitz’s blog for some time now, it seems to me that he cares deeply about some people and wants for those people to find acceptance and contentment. This is very good; however, In my humble opinion, this post by the good pastor is very instructive regarding his misunderstanding of prayer and God. The fact that Pastor Pavlovitz once believed that enough prayer warriors could change God’s mind and thus have him bestow whatever blessing was requested shows an immature understanding of God, faith, and prayer. Indeed as Pastor Pavlovitz had come to correctly understand, God is not some benevolent Santa Claus that responds to our prayers with gifts if only we believe and pray hard enough. Unfortunately, thinking that prayer now serves no purpose other than to unite others in empathy and solidarity is also a misunderstanding of the purpose of prayer. While prayer may indeed serve in an ancillary capacity in that manner, it is certainly not the primary reason for it.
How does one person grow closer to another? I would submit is through communication. If we seldom spoke to our spouse, we would not grow in closeness, knowledge, love and respect for them. The same is true for friends and other loved ones. So how do we grow closer to God? We communicate with him. We read his word in scripture. We seek to do his will and not our own through an informed conscience. In other words, we pray. Indeed, the primary purpose of prayer is to increase our union with God.
If one uses “prayer” as a means to get what one wants or uses it to be seen as holier than others or for political purposes and such, than one is no different than the Pharisees, as Jesus instructed. “Amen I say to you, they have received their reward” (Mt 6:5).
I pray that the good pastor comes to understand the true purpose and true power of prayer so that he can better lead his flock. Far from being the “only thing one can do as a last resort”, prayer so as to grow closer to God in thanksgiving, praise, petition, and adoration will only help to strengthen that ultimate relationship between Creator and his beloved creatures. THAT is the purpose of prayer!