Prayer by Contrast

(Transcribed from my daily notes for today, December 20, 2011)

The Scripture says of Jesus, “that He… went to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.”  Over and over throughout the Gospels, Jesus is seen “in prayer.”  The construction of this verse combines the verb “to pray” – proseuchomai, προσεύχομαι and the noun “prayer” proseuche, προσευχή .  Jesus went to pray and he continued all night in prayer to God.

Part of the significance and meaning of this statement comes in the contrast it makes to the statement regarding prayer of the disciples of John and the Pharisees which is in the previous chapter.  Luke 5:33 states that these “disciples... make prayers.”  The original language is quite specific and uses different words for this act – “to make,” poieo, ποιέω and “prayers,” deesis, δέησις, literally “a seeking, entreaty.”

I confess that the deeper meaning of the Greek vocabulary and word choice is a little past my pay grade, but I do see something remarkable.  Prayer can be communication in a very personal and intimate manner as Jesus spent the night praying in prayer, or it can be a formal, studied, and created petition offered as a statement to God.  I fear that much of what I hear as prayer is a manufactured declaration, while my heart yearns to communicate with my God.
Coram deo

True Prayer or Hypocritical

“If You will, You can….”  Luke 5:12

This verse condenses prayer to four Greek words translated, “Lord, if You are willing, You can…” – Κύριε ἐὰν θέλῃς δύνασαί  (NKJV).  In all of my life and experience, prayer comes down to the same expression, simply “Lord, if You will, You can.”

The other side of that expression is just as important and complete.  When I say to the Lord, “if You will, You  can,” I am also saying, “no matter how hard I try, I cannot.”  The great cry of my humanity and experience of failure is, “You can; I cannot!”

I wonder how much of my prayers , however, go unanswered because I have not come to the conviction that, “I cannot.”  Until I am truly convinced that I cannot, I am hypocritical or lazy or both when I pray, “If You will, You can.”