What Do You See When You Pray?

Written as sermon for Redmond United Methodist Church, Redmond, Washington

When you pray, close your eyes and try hard NOT to see anything. Listen for the voice of God. Don't distract yourself or you won't hear God's answer to your prayer.

I always close my eyes when I pray. I started doing this when a former pastor stopped a worship service one Sunday and scolded the entire congregation for not closing our eyes. God, he insisted, asks that we pray inwardly—he cautioned that God might not answer our prayers when we stare around at our church surroundings.

I'm not here to scold anyone for praying in your own manner, even with eyes open. If your prayers are answered, you've accomplished one of the goals of effective prayer.

If you're still waiting, though, for an answer, let me explain how my prayer life has progressed. What I've learned about praying—about praying in a obedient and receptive way—is simple.

If I see anything when I pray, I personally plan to have that prayer unanswered—unanswered! If I see anything when I pray, I know I've gotten in the way of hearing God's answer. I haven't given God my full and undivided attention.

Things you might possibly see

Furnishings in church

What—you might ask—could be distracting in church? Well, just because this is God's house doesn't mean it's not our house. Wherever there are people, there are things to look at.

Start with the furnishings. Look around, we have these beautiful windows, the wooden beams and trimmings, the alter, the flowers, the candles, the cross, the pulpit, the pews, the banners, the baptismal, the piano and organ—I can stop, but the list goes on. If the day's warm, there's always a sunny patch somewhere in this sanctuary—and those dusty flecks dancing in the beams of light.

Furnishings in pews

In front of you are hymnals, song books, pew bibles, attendance pads, offering envelopes, pencils, bulletins and announcements. If you have children, you know they delight in studying these things, moving them around, writing on them, rustling them.

My wife almost always has a pile of "stuff" from our mailbox, or a bag of things to give to others or things she's been given. Half the Sundays of the year, I'm worse about bringing things right into the pew with us. Video tapes, Sunday School books, cameras, computer disks, committee reports, empty baking dishes from recent potlucks.

If we let them, these things are perfectly capable of diverting us from the goals and purposes of prayer.

Other people in church

Another really fine source of distraction, as if I needed anything else, is the people around me. Usually, you'll notice someone with a haircut or new hairstyle. Someone's wearing a new blouse or a tie I wish I could have bought. There's always someone dressed up, usually someone in blue jeans. There's a man here who always winks at me.

My own children, angels of course, are slumping down or twisting on parts of their clothing or—or, heaven forbid, fighting with each other. Other children are looking at caterpillars or lady bugs, sitting in laps drawing on pew envelopes, or leaning on convenient shoulders.

Please don't get me wrong, these things are normal and wonderful. I love looking around and seeing them. But they are all too easy to conjure up as images—when I really don't want to focus on my prayers.

Things you WANT to remember

One of the most distracting things I do during prayer time is to suddenly think of something I really need to remember. I start practicing all the mnemonic tricks to fix the thought in memory—I hurriedly and surreptitiously jot notes to bring it back later.

Perhaps the thought is God's way of telling me something—God's active involvement in my personal or professional life. For those times and thoughts, I give thanks.

More often, though, I'm think about rotating my tires, suddenly remembering where I left the scroll saw, perceiving a way to improve something on the computer, wondering how to get the kids to clean their rooms.

I become sufficiently self-centered that God can't get through. The heavenly telephone's ringing but I'm too distracted to pick it up.

Things you DON'T want to remember

Oh, yes—and then I have thoughts I don't want to remember—like that mess in the kids rooms, like the report that's due next week, like the dishes that aren't washed, or that I haven't done a full backup of my computer for a week or two, or three, or four.

Or, without any desire on my part, I suddenly remember something embarrassing that happened to me when I was 15 years old that caused all the other kids to giggle. If you've been watching people during the prayers, I hope you didn't see my ears turn red all over again.

I don't understand what makes the mind work—don't know why these thoughts intrude into what I wanted to be a two-way dialogue with God. But intrude they do, and make themselves the most important event of the moment.

Colors, strange images, imaginary things

Even with my eyes closed, I've sometimes seen things. When you press your hands into your eyes, stars appear—they come, I've been told, from pressure on the optic nerves.

Sometimes colored lines or circles have wheeled unbidden across the inside of my eyelids. I've seen birds, flowers, fireworks, cartoon characters. I once saw a highly-detailed road map of France, in negative colors, flipped so it faced the wrong way. So much for that prayer.

And during a visit to another church, I conjured up a full working vision of the furnishings of the entire Redmond UMC sanctuary. Everything—the alter, the cross, the piano, the stained glass. I don't remember the sermon; I don't remember the prayers; I don't even remember the name of that other church. But I do know I didn't hear God that day.

Whatever the cause, whatever I see in my prayers, the effect is always the same for me. I lose track of the prayer. Whether it's the pastor leading me in prayer, or my own silent inward prayer—when I see things, I spin aside; I forget why I'm praying.

The net loss is that God can't talk to me. I talk to God but God can't answer because I've distracted myself—when my eyes are turned elsewhere, my ears are sealed.

What prayer requires for effectiveness

Don't lecture God

Prayer, according to what I've read, requires a proper attitude to be effective. You can pray anytime, anywhere, and feel you've cleared your conscience. Or satisfied yourself by telling God what it is you need or want, and how God should help you solve that need. I frequently prayed about the day's tribulations while I'm stuck at a stoplight.

But this kind of prayer is like lecturing a teenager—you'll never know if you accomplished anything more than making yourself feel better. All you've done is lectured God.

One of my favorite quotes was written by Professor Ben Campbell Johnson of Columbia Theological Seminary in his tract Invitation To Pray: "Prayer offers us the most intimate of relationships with God, the invitation to pray is also an invitation to know God." (Johnson, Page 4).

I'm convinced that God is eager to be in conversation with me, and equally convinced that God gets frustrated when the conversation is all one way—from me to God.

Let God manage the conversation

The most important thing to remember about effective prayer is that you are not in charge. Prayer is your opportunity to let go—to cleanse yourself, of stress, of trouble, of pain, of worry. The only way you can do that is to stop managing the conversation.

Another quote, from the famous evangelist and missionary Dr. E. Stanley Jones in his book The Way: "Prayer is not trying to get God to do our will; it is getting our will into line with God's will." (Dough & Jones, Page 106).

Oh, you can pray any way you want, there is no prescribed course of study for proper prayer, and you can pray for anything you want, too.

But you might find yourself like the man in the story, who complains—"God doesn't answer prayers."

The angel Gabriel appears with a fanfare of trumpets, cradling the heavenly register. Turning the golden pages, he frowns. "Well, sir," he announces. "In 53 years, you have prayed 75,164 times."

The man argues, "But I never got an answer."

"Ah," sighed Gabriel, closing the book. "But you see, sir, God personally replied to each of your prayers. You never listened to hear the answers."

Listen to God

The theme of this talk is about listening to God. Unlike that man, I have heard the voice of God. I have received Divine guidance. My prayers have been answered.

Okay, most of the time, it takes me a while to comprehend what God's saying—but as I look back on my life, I am profoundly grateful for the many answers that have kept me out of costly situations or dangers.

God has consistently said "No," to my many prayers for a job. When I review all the interviews I've had, I'm struck by the regularity that those companies have gone out of business or the projects have been canceled or the jobs weren't right for the spiritual life I'm now living. Too many of them have been what I call "victim jobs," advertised every six months to claim another unfortunate victim. Thank you, Lord, for taking time to warn me about these risks.

Said God to the prophet Isaiah: "Listen now, my people, and come to me; and you will have life." (Isaiah 55:3).

Paul wrote in Ephesians: "Pray on every occasion as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up." (Ephesians 6:18)

I emphasize again Paul's words: "For this reason keep alert "

What God expects of you in prayer

What God expects of me of you of us in prayer, is part of the special grace God has provided for us. I'm quoting again: "After you have prayed for others, ask if there are any 'orders of the day' and then listen. God has purposes and plans He would unfold through you. Listen for specifications." (Dough & Jones, Page 106)

I know God has a purpose for my life. I hear God's voice at all times telling me to prepare myself. But it's only been recently that I've learned enough about prayer to ask God for specifics about God's mission for me.

Since then, I've been pushed into Vision 2000, into being our church's representative to the Annual Conference, into attending the Council on Evangelism and the Stewardship workshop, into this lay speaking adventure, and finally into assuming leadership of our publicity committee.

There's a common thread in all these—one I'm still piecing together. But I tell you that God spoke clearly to me in leading me to be involved in these events and processes. I've heard God's voice, felt God's hand on my shoulder. And sometimes, felt I had to argue with God.

Ben Campbell Johnson advises: "You may even feel angry with God Tell God exactly how you feel." (Johnson, Page 9)

God knows your feelings before you pray. You aren't telling God anything new or secret. God expects you to share those negative human emotions and allow God to help you review them, release them, and put them aside. In fact, God won't help solve your problems until you pray about them.

Take the Egyptian captivity story. Biblical scholars contend that the Hebrews might have been released decades earlier, if they had ALL prayed together about the bad deal they were suffering. When they finally did get going with coordinated prayers and lamentation, God immediately granted their desires and inspired Moses to lead them out of Egypt.

Another quote from Dr. Campbell Johnson: "Begin with the awareness that something inside you longs to know God, to connect with God's purposes in the world. This gentle desire comes from the Spirit of God; it is God's invitation to you personally to enter into a deeper relationship with your Creator." (Johnson, Page 10)

Remember Paul's words—" keep alert and never give up."

I used to spend my valuable prayer time just staring around. I know I missed the importance God placed on my church participation. I think back on all the years I wasted because I failed to grasp the significance of proper attitude in pray. I love what I'm doing in this church and because of this church—only since I started to practice clearing my mind during prayer have I been so involved and focused.

Of course, I'm still human. My mind still wanders—I still occasionally drift out of sync with the prayers—more often than I want.

It takes practice to do anything well, and prayer is something worth doing well. When you close your eyes during prayer, try to still your mind. Slow the engine and wait for God to reveal the Holy Spirit.

I guarantee it will happen—maybe not right away, maybe not every time you pray—but soon enough and often enough that you'll know the joy that I've found.

What you can do immediately to enhance the effect of your prayer is to seek the meaning of the event. Again, I quote from Dr. Campbell Johnson's Invitation To Pray:
"As you think about each of the movements in your life, ask yourself questions like these:
     What was God saying to me?
     What am I being called to do?
     How does this connect with the rest of my life?
     What hints about the future did this hold?"
(Johnson, Page 22)

Prayer opens your mind

God is wonderful. When God feels you are ready, when God knows you're asking these questions, God will start giving you answers.

Don't put stones in your path—the secular world already makes it hard enough to walk hand-in-hand with God. Our Gracious Lord wants to work miracles through you but if you aren't receptive to God's messages, to God's answers, nothing can happen.

God does not expect us to be divine. God knows we are human and sometimes won't be able to focus on prayer. That's why we need to pray consistently, maybe even constantly—to get in practice. Prayer is a skill we can learn, just like reading, and one at which we can become successful.

The Old Testament prophets, the disciples of Jesus, were no different than us—except they strove to listen—and listened very carefully—to God's answers to their prayers.

If you see anything when you pray—you're not seeing God. God's invisible. God was invisible to Moses, invisible to Isaiah, invisible to Jesus. But God shows us He's here with us in many different ways. The prophets didn't stop praying because they didn't see God—they just prayed harder—and listened harder.

The sense of knowing your prayers have been heard—that God is listening—is the most joyful thing in the world. Give up your need to see things as you give yourself to God. Give your prayers a chance to be effective. Give yourself the space to hear God's reply to your prayers.

From now on, during prayer, close your eyes—but open your mind. "Pray on every occasion as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up." (Ephesians 6:18)

Bibliography:
Dough, Whitney. The Way: The Sayings of E. Stanley Jones.
Johnson, Dr. Ben Campbell. Invitation To Pray.