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The Meaning of Prayer To the choir director. A psalm of David. 1. (May) Yahweh answer you in the day of trouble. The name of the God of Jacob protect you, 2. Send you help from the sanctuary, and assist you from Zion. 3. (May He) remember all your offerings, and be pleased with your sacrifices. Sela...

The Meaning of Prayer To the choir director. A psalm of David. 1. (May) Yahweh answer you in the day of trouble. The name of the God of Jacob protect you, 2. Send you help from the sanctuary, and assist you from Zion. 3. (May He) remember all your offerings, and be pleased with your sacrifices. Selah. 4. (May He) grant you according to your heart and fulfill all your counsel. 5. We shall acclaim your deliverance, and in the name of our God set up a banner. (May) Yahweh fulfill all your petitions. 6. Now I know that Yahweh will deliver His anointed. He will answer from His holy heaven, with powerful deliverance by His right hand. 7. Some (boast) of chariots and some of horses, but we remember the name 0£ Yahweh our God. 8. They are brought down and fallen, but we rise and stand upright. 9. Deliver the king, Yahweh, answer us in the day we call. PSALM - M 120 20 THE MEANING OF PRAYER 121 Prayer precelks any apologetic for its use. The psalmist no more questions the need of prayer than he questions the existence of God. Yet we are faced at every turn with criticism, particularly concerning the type of petition which assumes the possible alteration of physical law. Pain and drought are said to result from physical causes rather than moral appeals. Prayer relieved of such consideration, while perhaps of less offense to contemporary thought, seems to lack something of Biblical reality. This dilemma hovers like a spectre over our consideration of the subject. EXPERIENTIAL CONTEXT The psalm is not a treatise on prayer. It is a petition on behalf of a king, likely in preparation for conflict. There is intercession (vss. 1-5), assurance of God's deliverance (vss. 6-8), and concluding supplication (vs. 9). What we may learn of prayer we must find largely in an indirect fashion. Yet, while there is little formal trearment of the subject, the text breathes with the existential reality of prayer. Prayer as Natural Prayer is apparently accepted as a natural expression of man, the reflection of a dimension of his personality. Absence of prayer may be as much abnormality as impiety: "Therefore the only monstrosity of nature, just as much a monstrosity as a wingless fisp, is the prayerless man or woman, because the deepest and most real instinct is not satisfied. " 1 Prayer marks the being created for communion with God. Today, however, the advent of secularization has been announced, and with it a new norm for human experience. Harvey Cox characterizes the advent as "the loosing of the world from religious and quasi-religious understandings of itself, the dispelling of all closed world-views, the breaking of all supernatural myths and sacred symbols." 2 He proceeds to distinguish between secJames Hastings (ed.), The Doctrine of Prayer, p. 3. :Harvey Cox, The Secular City, p. 2. 1 122 PSYCHOLOGY IN THE PSALMS ularization, an irreversible historical process by which society is delivered from servitude to religious and metaphysical worldviews, and secularism, a new closed view which functions similarly to religion. Secularization, Cox says, has developed in large measure from the formative influence of Biblical faith. Cox has a point. There is a sense in which Genesis is a form of "atheistic propaganda," the divesting of the universe of the divine. The Christian Deity is not a nature god, but the God of nature. The sharpest differentiation is made between the Creator and His creation. There is a natural world, and if prayer is to be, it must be seen as a phenomenon related to the natural order. Prayer concerns real things. ~ome have thought that the psalm reflects David's expedition against Syria (II Sam. 8:4-5; 10:15-19). In any case, it is not polite conversation but urg0nt appeal. Prayer is distorted where natural events are not taken seriously. It is communication born of sensed need. Prayer as Supernatural The world does not exist as a self-contained framework of meaning. Christianity synthesizes the natural into a more comprehensive explication of life. Prayer, too, must be understood within the larger context of understanding. Cox is correct in his estimation that Christianity repudiates "life in an enchanted forest," where reality is "charged with a magical power that erupts here and there to threaten or benefit man. Properly managed and utilized, this invisible energy can be supplicated, warded off, or channeled. " 3 But Cox seems to confuse the nature of the Biblical distinction and therefore accepts rather uncritically the arrival of the secular city. Eugene Nida assists us at this juncture. In a prepared lecture he developed extensively the difference between superstition and the supernatural. The former has to do with an essentially mechanistic universe which can be manipulated by skill. The latter is a personal world where man is understood to be morally responsible. The Scripture disavows the superstitious; but is candidly supematuralistic. 2 /bid., p. 21. THE MEANING OF PRAYER 12 3 Prayer is best understood as the soul of worship. God, rather than creation, is the subject of supreme worth. He is not the impersonal ground of being but the personal object of faith. The basic idea of prayer "is that of two-way communication, call and response of some sort, or, as we might term it, genuine personal fellowship/'' The psalmist employs the personal name of God (vss. 1, 5, 7, 9); Jesus stressed the most intimate of designations"our Father." The believer finds the worship of brick and mortar little improvement over that of wood and stone, and a poor substitute for the living God. Praying man is in communion. Prayer as Operational Prayer is·the handmaiden of responsibility. It is asking God to "bless our own efforts and labors and make them effective insofar as they can be effective and to add to them when they must be supplemented."5 The believer realizes the need both of enabling grace in his own efforts, and of extended grace in regard to God's overruling providence. His concern in prayer is to be available for God's use in realizing His purpose (vs. 2). The form of pietism which curtails creative thought and purposeful action and calls such curtailing the will of God must rank among the chief offenses. An asinine act turns into blasphemy when perpetrated in the name of God. Prayer not only prescribes that man shall act, but that he act wisely. "The only causes... for which we may fight are those which we can take into God's house; the only swords we can draw are those which we can lay on the altar." 6 Praying man is to act responsibly. We ha.ve come to understand the context of prayer by the accident of life, the availability of God, and the accountability of man. Several questions are related. Does prayer perpetuate the infancy of man? Does God really alter the physical order? Can man have thorough confidence in the exercise of prayer? We shall consider these questions in order.. The need which urges prayerfulness is not to be thought of as 'Winston King, Buddhmn and Chriuianity, Some Bridges of Understanding, p. 24. 'Fred Fisher, Prayer in the New Testament, p. 77. 124 PSYCHOLOGY IN THE PSALMS an infant dependence but as the critical stress arising from growth and action. "If trne prayer sometimes springs from weakness, it is at least from willingnes.5, with the realization that unaided one will find it difficult to advance from weakness to strength." 7 Jesus' life was the most adequate ever lived, but He resorted periodically to prayer. Luke's Gospel in particular is careful to point out how Jesus armed Himself with prayer when approaching the critical decisions of life. The maturing Christian finds that his need for prayer is not lessened, but that the subject and nature of prayer is altered. He realizes that certain victories may be claimed, and that he can go on to new tasks and challenges. He also discovers that his prayers tend to become less self-centered and self-seeking. The needs of others and his concern to be of help replaces the obses-sion with his own frailty. The mature pray differently but, as they are sensitive to their needs, with renewed urgency. A related issue concerns the idea of God altering physical forces, and here the Christian does well not to limit the way in which the Almighty may choose to work. George Millier described as the prime motive in his orphanage work "to have something to point to as a visible proof that our God and Father is the same faithful God that he ever was-as willing as ever to prove himself the living God, in our day as formerly, to all that put their trust in him." 8 His experience illustrates the diversity and creativity of God's work, rather than prescribing a pattern which all must follow. A final question has to do with man's confidence in prayer. Faith requires encouragement. The psalmist's reference to "the name" ( vs. 1) is meant to remind the listeners of the nature of the Person. All analogy drawn from human relationship breaks down because of man's finiteness and failure. Simply to allow "the name" to pass one's lips is an invitation to believe. Yahweh is particularized as "the God of Jacob" (vs. 1). The Talmud has what at first seems to be a rather novel explanation of 8 J. R. P. Sclater, The Interpreter's Bible, IV, p. 109. 1 8 Horatio Dresser, Outlines of the Psychology of Religion, p. 60. The Life of Trust, p, 126. THE MEANING OF PRAYER 125 the title, but which reflects the pious wisdom of the sages: "The God of Jacob and not the God of Abraham and Isaac? This teaches that the owner of the beam should go in with the thickest part of it." 9 The reasoning is that one puts the thicker end of a beam to the ground to provide better support, and Jacob is the more immediate ancestor of the Jewish people. The lesson is that encouragement is best mediated through those closest to us. In any case, prayer is the mark of a maturing individual, aware of his responsibility and the availability of God. While realizing that his effectiveness is less than complete, the disciple is confident that the Almighty can take much less than the desired response and turn it to good ends. The Christian's experience is far removed from the enchanted forest, but it transcends with marked contrast the cycle of despair and ill-founded optimism of the secular city. EXAMPLES OF PETITION While the nature of prayer is dialogue, its basic thrust takes the form of petition. Man calls to God out of need to enable him to further divine purpose. We shall reflect on those petitions which make up the first division of the psalm (vss. 1-5), and consider at the same time the teaching of the Disciples' Prayer (Matt. 6:9-15). The petition for audience (vs. 1). The first petition appropriately recognizes the sovereignty of God and that as subject, man awaits the divine Ruler's summons. Similarly, Jesus spoke of God's special habitat as heaven, reminding us of His transcendent majesty and power. V. Raymond Edman never seemed to tire of telling of his experience of being received by Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, likening it to. an audience with the King of kings. This favorite topic of worship as an audience with a· king was on his lips when he collapsed in the pulpit of the Wheaton College Chapel named for him, and was ushered into the presence of God. Dr. Edman used to describe not only the necessary respect re-quired for royalty, but the deep interest expressed by the Em0 Berakotb, 64a. The Babylonian Talmud. 126 PSYCHOLOGY IN THE PSALMS peror in him and his work. So Christ taught His disciples to use the ascription "our Father" as a reminder o{ God's concern for each person separately and for the community of faith corporately. The petition for protection (vs. 1). "God is our refuge and strength, a very present (well-proved) help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah" (Psa. 46: 1-3). The psalmist turns to God in the time of crisis, reflecting not simply the urgency of the situation but the moral issue involved. The holiness of God precludes any other possibility than God's help. Only the man whose values are in heaven can pray for God's will to be done on earth. Ernest Ligon reminds us that it is easy to "pray with deep piety for God's will to be done, and then refuse to spend any time at all finding out what it is."10 The devotee of any enterprise must accept the responsibility of perfecting his vocation. The teachings of Scripture are the guidelines which provide the content for otherwise meaningless words. The petition for assisttrnce (vs. 2). Man is normally God's instrument for blessing. The disciple prays that the heavenly power may be available for his earthly ministry. His petition is task-centered but heaven-conscious. He recognizes the danger of assuming his wishes to be right, and earnestly attempts to perceive the will of God. The prayer for assistance does not lessen but increases obligation. Sacrifice is called forth by service. The effort needed to maintain the status quo is comparatively slight, but that required to achieve some new success is demanding. Similarly, to pray for "our daily bread" is to assume a responsibility in regard not only to one's own ne~ds but to that of his fellows. These words, so often uttered selfishly, are intended to bind the disciple in Christian concern to those in need. We observe that petition has a way of opening man to the world to be served. It is a means of releasing life to the control of God. Progress is initiated by petition. The importance of being "'Ernest Ligon, The Psychology of Christian Persomtlity, p,. 201. THE M,EANING OF PRAYER 127 relentless in prayer (Luke 18: 1) becomes evident at this point. The petition for absolution (vs. 3). As the disciple sees his responsibility, he becomes painfully aware of how far short of spiritual capacity he has come. The language of the psalm takes on that of the sacrificial ritual (cf. Lev. 2:2); the disciple prays that his life might be as a living offering employed by God to His purpose (Rom. 12: 1). Within the context of service it is much easier to understand the disciple's request, "Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors" ( Matt. 6: 12). Forgiveness of others is not the formal ground for divine forgiveness, but the life-dynamic of reconciliation. He who accepts the road of service finds obstacles of human resentment and hostility. His ministry involves not only returning good for evil, but forgiveness for persecution and love for hate. His approximation of the Christian ideal is less than perfect, and the disparity weighs heavily upon him. In this state of concern, he prays for the forgiveness of God, even as he seeks to forgive those who offend him. 'The petition for creative imagination (vs. 4). Prayer is not an introduction to bondage but an invitation to freedom. It ''is the voice of one who was created free, although he was born in chains; it is at once self-assertion and self-surrender; it claims a will even in surrendering it, when it says, 'Not my will, but Thine, be done.'... Prayer is God's acknowledgment, His endorsement of His own gift of freedom to man: it is His royal invitation... to man to exert this privilege, to use this power." 11 Purposefully, the disciple prays that his creative powers may be developed to the full in order to cope with the complex. order of events which confront him. No set way of applying divine principles can be allowed. The disciple must create priorities and means to make available the grace of God. There are few more exciting prospects to discipleship than the kind of sanctified brainstorming implied here. Man ceases to be an automaton and functions as the creative being which he was intended to be. Implied are the need of personal and group flexibility, the realization that one is part of a dynamic interplay uoora Greenwell and P. T. Forsyth, The Power of Prayer, pp. 24-25. 128 PSYCHOLOGY IN THE PSALMS of forces, an openness to life and its possibilities, and a stability of faith which keeps the disciple from being swayed by every shift of public sentiment. The petition for specific tasks (vs. 5). Prayer must become pointed. It has to go beyond a vague request for success to a particular occasion and specific means. C. S. Lewis's clever demonic figure Screwtape thought an effective way to frustrate one's prayer life was to keep prayer "spiritual," unrelated to the real situation. So he instructed the junior tempter to make his human subject separate his imagined from his real mother so that "no thought or feeling from his prayers for the imagined mother will ever flow over into his treaanent of the real one.'' 12 The way to frustrate such diabolical planning is by directing prayer to reality in its most concrete f onn. Once again we see that the Christian ideal offers no escape from responsibility but provides the means of creatively handling a given situation. The undertaking is nonetheless plagued with problems. Man is sorely tempted to abuse his abilities, to turn his constructive potential to destructive ends. The disciple prays that he might escape this snare (Matt. 6: 13). He is also tempted to despair of the strenuous road of discipleship, and so prays that grace may enable him to persevere. The Christian life must never become stagnant. The tasks which the disciple faces remind him of the need of further growth. He prays for deliverance, not from the arena of evil, but from its domination ( Matt. 6: 13); not for escape but for effectiveness. We have considered the petitions in order. They are like a flower opening to the sunlight of God's love and blooming to His glory. They reject the concept of Deus ex machina (God out of the machine), the recourse to God to resolve those issues for which man hesitates to accept responsibility. The petitions rather reflect the awakening of man to accountability and to the grace of God as available to support him in assuming his creative and active role. 12C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, pp. 21-22. THE MEANING OF PRAYER 129 EFFECTIVE PRAYER Prayer is ascribed to Yahweh, the living and self-revealing One, and is prescribed by His nature. Prayer is not at all effective in the sense of being able to manipulate divine justice, but it is essential in detennining the means of its operation. Therefore, prayer is best thought of as communal, its effectiveness lying in the divine-human dialogue rather than in some rite which would obligate God to a prescribed course of action. The man of faith is committed to the moral purpose of God. He is assured that in the long run righteousness exalts and sin degenerates (vss. 7-8). The forrones of life change, but the obligation to responsibility remains unaltered. In this realization, Tenullian warned the Christian against obsession over.recognition. "Never mind the state horses with their crown. Your Lord, when... He would enter Jerusalem in triumph, had not even an ass of His own. These (put their trust) in chariots, and these in horses; but we will seek our help in the name of the Lord our God."13 Cyprian similarly encouraged believers during trial: "Wherefore in persecution let no one think what danger the devil is bringing in, but let him indeed consider what help God affords; not let human mischief overpower the mind, but let divine protection strengthen the faith. " 14 Effective prayer remains resolute to the person and purpose of God. It is tenacious in its determinatiqn, neither relaxed nor discouraged by the changing circumstances of life (Luke 18: 1). Prayer must be experienced. It loses too much in the translation to be grasped otherwise. The confidence of the psalmist (vss. 68) came as a result of praying (vss. 1-5). He began with knowledge of a personal God ( vs. 1) and realization of His presence (vs. 3), and through experience in prayer he came to confidence in His sustaining grace. Those who are persuaded pray, but those who are not refrain from prayer. Effective prayer is not formal but existential, not conceptualized but realized. It is born out of faith applied to situation. 11Tertullian, The Chaplet, XIII, 21-27. 'Cyprian, The Treatises, X, 65-70. 1 130 PSYCHOLOGY IN THE PSALMS An individual needs a certain equilibrium in order to function properly. Chaos reaps confusion. Prayer has a function in integrating the personality around an ideal structure. It provides the means of reflection on and adaptation of aspects of life to those values thought important. Similarly, prayer stabilizes the aspirations, allowing psychical energies to be expended along more clearly defined channels. Prayer molds an organism into a person. Prayer not only assists in orientation but also in acceptance of the self. For the Christian, this involves being a son of God (Rom. 8: 14, 19; Phil. 2: 15; I John 3: 1-2}, and results in a reverence for life. In realizing that he is valued, the disciple learns to value himself and others. Prayer gives direction. The developing life is active. Each response to a challenge leaves the person better able to meet successive challenges. Prayer provides the vision necessary to order events in keeping with long-range goals. It solicits the courage to face difficult tasks. It revives the spirit to meet the demands of life. Prayer is the means of stabilizing the individual, achieving self-acceptance, and giving direction. Effective prayer has been defined in connection with the nature and purpose of God, the experience of man, a,nd the fulfillment of life. It is inexorably tied to the kingdom of God. When man advances "beyond the Santa Claus stage of prayer he will he asking for the secrets of transforming personality, for insight into the nature of the kingdom of heaven, and for knowledge of how this kingdom can be brought about on earth. " 15 These are extending concerns for which only prayer has the length of reach. ENTREATY FOR THE KING The psalm concludes with an intercession for the king (vs. 9). Where the earlier petitions had to do with the undertaking of the leader, this verse concerns his office. What may be implied concerning prayer for those in authority? The Christian is directed to be subject to those in authority (Rom. 13: 1-7), and is specifically enjoined to bear them up in »Ligon, op. cit., p. 191. THE. MEANING OF PRAYER 131 prayer (I Tim. 2: 1-3). The latter injunction might well have been written during the barbarous rule of Nero, and certainly reflects a time of stress. Yet, the Christian is urged to pray for those who rule over him. He is to pray for serenity, godliness, and respect for the man with authority (I Tim. 2:2), implying several guidelines for his prayer concern. Person An authority figure is still a person and subject to the same compassion extended to others. We feel a peculiar ambivalence toward those in authority, since they are the symbols both of protection and of threat to our autonomy. Either view or both together tend to depersonalize the authority figure. "He-is-tome" replaces the distinctive "he is." The person is no longer accepted as a subject; but as a means of organizing society. No doubt something of this sort is not only necessary but good. The problem arises when the person is emptied of his humanity and only the office ,.-emains. He becomes equivalent to his r9le. The concern of Paul for tranquility of the ruler is in sharp contrast to the depersonalization of the authority figure. Prayer must encompass not only the functions of office but the facts of human personality. It must embrace the person who is performing the service. Purpose God's injunction is to be universally applied; man is to be subject to and solicitious of all authority: "To every one, whom we know to be placed in authority over us by his ap·pointment, we should render reverence, obedience, gratitude, and all the other services in our power. Nor does it make any difference, whether they are worthy of this honour, or not. " 16 The person in authority is subject to God, whether he cares to be or not, or whether he is aware of the fact or not. He will give account of the responsibility committed to his care. Much is required of those to whom much is given (Luke st John Calvin, Institutes qf the Christian Religion, II, 8:35. 13 2 PSYCHOLOGY IN THE PSALMS 12:48). The authoritative role is not to be coveted but rather accepted with reverence. The Christian recognizes the rights and obligations of government in prayer. He esteems the office for the potential of good which it holds. He is reluctant to disparage the man in office, except in the most constructive fashion, for fear that in so doing he may undermine the very nature of authority itself. Chaos is no substitute for injustice. Power Paul admonishes us to pray for the godliness of those who rule. The psahnist reminds us that no authority is immune to the disposition and concern of God (vs. 9). The kingdoms of this world are under the judgment of the Almighty. Prayer is not passive, as we have seen. The Christian clarifies in prayer the course of constructive support, the point and means of creative criticism, and the occasion when he may have to reject the demands of authority in the Name of a Greater One. As Bonhoeffer has been reported to have said: "It is not only my task to look after the victims of madmen who drive a motorcar in a crowded street, but to do all in· my power to stop their driving at all." Responsible citizenship is the ideal of pious reflection. The Kingdom is already being realized where the will of God is recognized as normative. The Christian senses the divine pulse in human society. He is more a citizen of this world for being a pilgrim toward the next. Authority is good; only in its abuse is it evil. The Christian supports the person in authority, his role as an official, and the place of authority within the larger demands ~f the Kingdom. He renders reverence, obedience, and gratitude to those who accept on his behalf and before God the fearful task of leadership. Prayer is indicative of his commitment, illustrative of his concern, and effective in determining the nature of his creative support. EPITOME Prayer often seems strange and strained to contemporary man. THE MEANING OF PRAYER 13 3 Part of the reason for this is that prayer is wrongly conceived as a·means of manipulating God or retarding the Deus ex machina. Properly conceived, prayer is intrinsic to responsible living. It is a divine-human dialogue concerning the expanding horizons of service. Prayer is more urgent than it ever was, and more demanding on the petitioner. It reflects the cooperation of man with his Maker. God does not cease to labor when man accepts more of his responsibility, but perhaps we can think of Him as increasing His endeavors. Every responsible act by man calls into being more of divine promise. Petition is the sharp edge of prayer. Here man identifies the issues and develops his potential to cope with them. In petition he locates the resources of God by way of application to real situations. Petition strips dialogue of its niceties and gets down to critical concerns. It is the mark of man discovering meaning. Effective prayer adequately grasps and reflects the great dialogue. It places one foot on the eternal purpose of God and the other in the changing arena of human activity. It activates the resources of communion rather than discussing the possible merits. Effective prayer both makes possible and is enriched by facing life together with the Almighty. Prayer is socially sensitive, observing that social structure is necessary to man and good in God's sight. Prayer clarifies the nature of obligation and the means by which the Christian seeks to serve God within the society of which he is inevitably a part. Prayer is power, both to the individual and to the society of men.