“The disciplines: prayer as connection.”

H,

It has always been hard to connect immediate problems of life on earth with the high idea of a present God. We might see the Godhead in overarching themes but not in the daily drudgery of making a living or framing a life. This also means that God becomes not just a distant being but also a useful one. A disposal presence for the little stuff and inconvenient spaces of our lives but a fine refuge and help when we get into the more absorbing troubles of purpose and being. This dichotomy creates the space between what we profess and how we live.

Now, we all do this. We all reduce God. At least I can speak for both of us. We have had many conversations either way. The first one would be about how we can tackle some real issue in front of us, something based in brown earth and in need of a practical response that trumpets, robes and winged creatures might find unappealing. We think through it and we say such nonsense as “well, God gave us a brain to solve problems. We can think our way out of this.” The second one is trickier problem, a little rugged path and a mountainous quest. The thinking has failed and we are out of our depth and suddenly it is time to get the old miracle worker in the room. Cue: song, dance, lights, camera, prophecy and action.

In both responses we have missed the point of the whole thing.

Prayer connects us to God in the most intimate way possible in our present state. It is intrusive because we are reminded of our helplessness. Our great fear is to be helpless, to appear weak, to not be a hero and to be only a small part of a much larger wheel. Our great fear it to realise who we truly are. We cannot have intimacy without revelation. We cannot come close to the light and not be aware of the many plot holes in our ongoing storylines. We cannot come to real prayer without the vulnerability that we so desperately avoid in real life for fear of being weak and the much greater fear of being used by others because of weakness.

We forget that we are not being weak to lovers, friends, landlords, rivals, parents or even ourselves. We are being ourselves in front of our Creator. That is always a good place to start.