Prayer in briefBy The Revd David Burgess
I wanted to write on prayer this month, but was undecided how I would go about it until today (‘today’ being the day I promised John and Anne that I’d have the article ready…). But three things have happened in the last 12 hours which have helped form the shape of the whole piece – all relevant, all pointing in the same direction, and each in its own way quite striking.
Firstly, I read a story about Winston Churchill that I’d not heard before; my second Churchill-related story in successive articles, I know. During World War II one of his advisors organised a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at a prescribed time for just one minute to pray collectively for Britain, its people and its peace.
Secondly, that story acted as an introduction to a prayer request currently being circulated by the Mothers’ Union in this country about the plight of the people in Zimbabwe. The main part was a harrowing description given by a Zimbabwean teenager on what life in that troubled part of the world is like. The conclusion was a plea to everyone reading the request (all four of our churches have or are about to have a copy) to pray for one minute in every day for God to intervene in Zimbabwe’s affairs.
Thirdly, the young people’s Confirmation group was considering prayer in this evening’s class, and particularly Jesus’ teaching in Matthew’s Gospel leading up to and including the Lord’s Prayer. If I may paraphrase… “Don’t show off with public displays or long words; keep it quiet; keep it simple; keep it brief; keep it to the point”.
In all three cases, it’s clearly the quality of prayer that matters, not its quantity or its length. But with quality, of course, comes concentration. These aren’t to be casual, throwaway prayers – the future of nations and the effectiveness of the Kingdom of God are at stake. Stop whatever else you’re doing, say the first two examples; lock yourself away and pray, says Jesus.
Brief, simple and specific prayer can be of enormous practical help. My thanks, for instance, to the paramedic who drove Penny and me to hospital back in October and later told Penny that he was a member of a church in Aylesbury, had worked out that I was a minister and had been praying for me during the drive to casualty. If I ever find out who he is, I’ll make sure I thank him personally.
Be reassured, then, that your 30-second prayers at the kitchen sink or at the desk or on the train or setting out on holiday have merit; but make sure that during these brief periods, that’s all you’re doing (which is why in the car on the way to work might not be a good idea; as a colleague once said, you may end up making your request to God in person!)
So do keep praying; and if you will, please spare some time as well to commit to God those embarking or who have recently embarked on a new stage in their lives; our four Confirmation candidates (Chris Young, Derek Larmour, Madeleine Allsop and Callum Bright), and a number of couples and children who are being married or baptised over the summer.
Quiet, simple, brief and to the point; it’s an excellent recipe for change.