A Praying Church, Part 8
May 4, 2023 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
In this series of articles, I seek to unpack the teaching of Paul Miller’s new book, A Praying Church, and apply the principles to our church. As we grow in our prayer habits, may we become people of hope in a discouraging world.
In a very practical and insightful chapter, Miller addresses the pitfalls of prayer. Jesus highlights in the Sermon on the Mount that there are pitfalls when we engage in prayer. He warns to not be like the hypocrites who pray to be seen (Matt. 6:5-6). He warns against heaping up empty phrases (6:7-8). He warns against putting on a dramatic show to be seen by others (6:16-18). Miller follows Jesus’ lead, and other Scripture passages, to provide five pitfalls to avoid when praying.
- Avoid Over-Spiritualizing
We over-spiritualize our prayers when we use different language or vocabulary than our normal speech. For example, we might think we need to pray using King James language, employing “thees” and “thous.” The problem is that this language is often fake, not reflecting our hearts. Miller comments, “Too often our public prayers are for show and pious effect. They don’t come from the heart. That creates cynicism, which mocks the good. The bottom line is that when pietism does bad, it gets cheesy… Be real. Be yourself. Be careful of a ‘prayer language’ when talking to God. Let prayer be part of the warp and woof of your life” (p. 157).
- Avoid Under-Spiritualizing
When our prayers focus merely on physical circumstances in our lives, we end up under-spiritualizing our prayer life. In this pitfall, our prayers focus on things like, “help me find my keys this morning;” or “may there be no traffic to make me late;” or “help me get a good night sleep.” It is not necessarily wrong to pray for these types of requests, but God invites us to ask for more, things that make an eternal impact. And if we pray for every physical component of our day, as if everything takes a miracle of God, we cheapen the real power of God to work miracles. Miller explains, “Pietism tends to run everything through a ‘super-spiritual’ lens, so every provision has to be by prayer, which is just a bit off. Paul doesn’t say lazy Christians should pray more for God’s provisions; he says they shouldn’t eat (2 Thes. 3:10)… When everything has to be a miracle, it cheapens the real miracles” (p. 160).
Avoid Boasting
Pride is the pernicious sin that lies under every other vice. Prayer may start as the humble declaration of dependence on God, but pride lurks in the shadows, ready to turn prayer into bragging rights. Pride reveals itself when we boast or think highly of ourselves for praying for requests which are answered favorably. It’s a bad formula. Miller warns, “Faith, when intertwined with pride, kills the very thing it is trying to foster—intimacy with God” (p. 160).
- Avoid Prayer Without Love
James gives an example of praying for someone without love. He writes, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” (James 2:15-16). When people share a need, yes, we ought to pray for them, but we also, out of love for our neighbor, seek to meet that need. Miller comments, “When religious words outpace love, it creates dangerous, hollow space” (p. 162).
- Avoid Drama-Filled Prayers
Also rooted in our pride is the belief that we can manipulate the outcome of our prayers through the manner we pray. When we are the focus of the prayers, we are not depending on God. As Jesus warned in Matthew 6:16, “they have received their reward.” Miller adds, “The Spirit will not let himself be treated as a drug or stimulant, nor will he separate himself from the person of Jesus” (p. 163).
None of these pitfalls should keep us from praying, nor from praying with our church family. Self-awareness in our prayers, though, will help the whole church grow as a praying church. Miller closes his chapter with the wise and practical tip, “If you pray better in public than you do in your closet, it might be wise to pray less in public and more in your closet” (p. 166). And I would add that this is not a permanent solution, but a process to grow in our prayers.
