Why Pray?

​“O LORD you indwell our shabby human life, lifting it now and then above the dominance of animal passion and greed, allowing it to shine with borrowed lights of love and joy and peace, and making it a mirror of the beauties of a world unseen.”
 
This prayer is from a classic devotional by John Baillie, “A Diary of Private Prayer.”  John was a Scottish theologian most known for his work helping the church think through its approach to evangelism in the post World War II era.  But the volume he’s most remembered for are his prayers.
 
My wife and I have begun to rely on these prayers.  When you find deep prayers that express your heart, it’s like discovering treasure.  No wonder the disciples had to know how Jesus prayed.  Jesus’ prayer in Luke 11 is just 38 words long, but his parable and teaching is 230 words long.  It’s remarkable that Jesus spends more time on the WHY then on the WHAT of prayer. 
 
The WHY we learn from the parable of the friend at midnight (Luke 11:5-8)  is that we can bang on God’s door anytime of day or night with no doubt or fear about whether He will answer because His reputation is on the line.  To refuse a friend or a guest in many culture, especially Middle-Eastern culture, would bring dishonor on the whole community.  God is THE BEST HOST of all, and He will not let a friend at any time go away empty.  (see Kenneth Baily for more of his understanding about this). 
 
So why pray?  Prayer is urgent – taking a need of a friend to God’s welcome door.  Prayer is moving in faith – trust that God will gladly hear and respond.  Prayer is partnership – connecting us with friends and travelers from all over the world, and linking us into the Fathe who is abundant and available and loves to give good gifts to His children. 
 
Twelve of us from Inter-Varsity traveled to Guyana last week.   We met with leaders from the Inter-Varsity of Guyana, called IS/IVCF.  Each day we studied a parable together and spent time telling our stories.  We studied Luke 11 and that inspired us to spend time praying together for Guyana and for the Caribbean, and for Canada, and for the whole world.  Exercising our faith together in this way was inspiring.  Even better was hearing from God “You are are not forgotten.”  “You are all one body in Christ.  Each experiencing the same kind of suffering.”  “God will take you out of stagnant places, into new places far and wide.” 
 
Many years ago a Canadian Inter-Varsity staff named Cathy Nichol began a bible study in Jamaica.  That bible study became the Inter-Varsity movement that spread throughout the Caribbean.  We celebrated this history with the Caribbean and its 60 years of IS/IVCF. 
 
And we joined in together praying that God’s kingdom would come to the far and wide places of our countries, and call forth this generation into living lives for the gospel of His kingdom.
 
John Baillie’s prayer closes,
​“O God, the reflection of your transcendent glory once appeared unbroken in the face of Jesus Christ.  Give me today a heart like his:  a brave heart, a true heart, a tender heart, a heart with great room in it, a heart fixed on you; for His name’s sake.”
 
Amen.

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