Go ahead, pray, everyone's doing it

By Brian Wiebe

Promontory Community Church

Do you pray? I mean, on your own, regardless of your "beliefs", do you pray? I think lots of people do. I met a fellow the other day who said, "I don't go to church, but I pray everyday, often. I do believe in God." Turned off or disinterested by the practice of religion, yes, but still spiritual, and seeking to connect to God.

Abbotsford is home to something called "The Healing Room." I haven't seen it, but I'm told it's a drop-in prayer clinic. Anyone seeking prayer for any concern can drop in, and they will be prayed for discreetly and professionally by volunteer prayer team members. It's not open every night, but people always come by when it is.

There's always been a buzz about prayer. The majority of the world's non-western population is religious, and prayer of some kind is a normal for them. But religious or not, the majority of people claim to pray. For example, a 2001 survey out of the US found that 82 per cent "prayed to God" in the preceding week. The survey results were consistent with two more surveys taken in 1996 and 2000 (both at 83 per cent). Compare that with only 20-21 per cent who "volunteered at a church" ("The State of the Church in America", www.barna.org).

So why do people pray, even though their involvement in religious activity (e.g., attending worship, reading the Bible or other books) is minimal? I heard one preacher explain that "it's easier to talk to God than to listen to God." Perhaps, but I think it's more than that.

It's not that people respect God more than they used to. If anything, God's name has become completely trampled in the modern vernacular -adults, children, even faithful Christ-followers are heard to exclaim, "Omagod!" I don't think they mean it poorly-they just don't think about it.

If you've seen the movie Bruce Almighty, you may recall the scenes where Bruce (played by Jim Carey) begins to hear prayers intended for God. The voices are overwhelming, as the prayers come in by the millions. And when he arranges to respond by email, his prayer inbox is bombarded with prayers: trivial, serious, conflicting and more-for sports team wins, or weather, or success in dieting, to name a few. I think that movie was popular because people want to believe that somewhere, God is listening; that in moments of quiet joy or desperation, there is something or someone transcendent enough to hear them when they call.

While all religions pray, there's a reason why Christians pray: it's because we have faith in God to respond, to act, to answer. No, the answer may not come in the way we want it to, but we still pray. Yet in authentic prayer, we discover something even better than the answer: a growing relationship with God. After all, how else do you build a friendship but by spending time together?

There's no shortage of things to be concerned about, but the Bible says, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done" (Philippians 4:6).

Do you pray? Go ahead, it's good for you. And you might just make some surprising discoveries.

ù Brian Wiebe is a pastor with Promontory Community Church.

published on 07/29/2005