reflections on prayer - continued

So, I kind of left the last post feeling a little unfinished in my mind. I had a bit more to say about prayer itself, but felt the need to actually pray... which as you can read, I did. To some it may read as a very simple, direct, personal prayer, but to me it was much more moving. Everything I typed was a spur of the moment, verbatim, as-I-prayed-it thought - and yes, I did actually have to take a few moments to compose myself when I was done. However, going back to prayer in general, even the one I shared has a very important aspect to it - something I learned from a good friend. Prayer isn't about what we want; it's about what we need.

I promised myself I wouldn't do it; I wouldn't bring myself to blog about the whole Terri Shiavo situation. However, I feel it serves as a poignant, current events example that we can learn from. Through the news I heard about all the different religious groups praying for her to live, and praying for the government to intervene. I'm sure there were even those praying for her to pass on, since "that's what she would have wanted." Honestly, at this point no one can definitively say whether Terri was even cognitive enough to have wants or the ability to respond; for all we know everything she exhibited in the form of a response was merely involuntary reaction to environmental stimuli. I refuse to voice my opinion to whether I felt it was right or not to remove the feeding tube and let her pass on, because that is not what this post is about. I am talking about prayer, and the role is has in the life of a Christian. We, Christians, should not be praying for outcomes, because the outcomes we pray for are often jaded by our own human desires and understanding. If all the prayers were answered and Terri's feeding tube was reinserted, but she continued to live in a vegetative state for another 15 years, what purpose would that have served? Would her parents have been comforted any further by their daughter being in the hospital for another 15 years, with supposedly every doctor saying her condition was irreversible? On the other hand, if people were praying that she would be allowed to pass on, do you think your prayers were answered? Does praying for the death of a woman you know only through the news seem like the right thing to do? And because what you prayed for came to pass, does that make you right?

Yes, those are all heavily baited, rhetorical questions. Why? To show that praying for the outcome is selfish, it is asking God to intervene in something and give us what we want. What if what the Shiavo and Schindler families really needed in the end was closure? Could you hold yourself together for 15 years, knowing your child/spouse/sibling was probably never going to recover, but hoping against the odds everyday anyway? Prayer is personal, but it is also a means to and of spiritual healing. I know that a common prayer will come up, now that Terri has passed, and it will be a prayer for the compassionate, comforting, and healing presence of God to be with Terri's family as they cope with their loss and begin anew their lives. What reason do we have for not praying something like this from the beginning? Let the outcome play out, but pray instead for comfort and healing for the family. Terri's fate always was in God's hands, but still we could have prayed that through it all she feel the love of her family and the love of God (regardless of the medical prognosis of her cognitive abilities). Jesus said it best, "not my will, but yours be done." We cannot always know what is best for us, so why make that presumption in prayer? Sometimes we must endure hardship in order to grow and mature as people, and it is how we respond during the difficult times that shapes our character. That good friend of mine had an expression that he used in prayer: "Lord, may you touch them at the point of their need." Loosely translated and expounded - God knows us better than we know ourselves, so who better to know just what we need in our darkest hour. So next time you find yourself praying for someone, don't pray for God to jump in to save the day like some heroic quarterback for a losing team in the fourth quarter. Pray for the healing process to begin in the hearts of all those involved and affected, that all would experience the love and comfort of God. But if you feel the need to pray for what you would like to happen (because everyone likes a happy ending), recognize the possibility that it might not be in the cards - along the lines of "if it is possible, let x-y-z come to pass". Remember, sometimes tragedy can be the best tool for opening doors... after all, it did once before.