It is Friday…
Okay…
So what have you been praying for—other than Spring? Peace? Health?
Why do we pray?
Yes, I think it a good thing to think about our habits and methods… our prayer life.
So why do we pray?
Because God tells us to.
But if He knows everything—even what we need before we ask… (as the Bible tells us)…
Why do we need to pray for things?
Because God tells us to.
Back to this?
Yes, because we need to be doing it—praying all the time, but doing so without blundering and fumbling around while trying to do it!
It is… and things are… hard enough to do without that.
And no, we are not born knowing how to pray. That is the first lie we must get rid of.
John the Baptist had to teach his disciples as Jesus taught His, and thus us, through them.
And there are different kinds and ways to do so.
But ask, and lean, and trust, and yell, and whimper, and desperately beg…
Or we might be in such a good way… that we forget (how often does that happen?)!
Or we think that somehow God wants us to figure things out on our own… to be grown-up already!
No… that will not happen in this life… I mean not much, anyway…
But…
And so…
C.S. Lewis has this question put forward in His Narnia series…
Why does the character Digory need to ask Aslan? Because, the person (a talking horse) responding, and says, “ …I’ve a sort of an idea he likes to be asked.”
Meaning Aslan… meaning the Christ in, and of Narnia, who is the same being as the Christ in our world, we find out. Aslan tells the Pevensie children this very thing in another of the stories. He says that they must learn to recognize Him in their world. Here is the wonderful quote:
“I am [in your world].” said Aslan. “‘”But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
CS Lewis – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
But this is part of the reason too, that we pray. And pray from and with the Scriptures, not from the “poverty of our hearts” as Dietric Bonhoeffer aptly describes our untrained attempts.
Will God still hear and answer those? Do we still help and give and provide for our children who do not know how to talk so well at 2?
Of course…
But then we expect them to ask rightly when they have learned.
I know I have said (maybe in your hearing before, or in what I have written) that even though this is all true (He gives without our asking—Thank God! And that also He may withhold if we don’t ask) that this is part of our work—the good works we are to do…
God commands it. Prayer, as well as other good works.
But again, lives and salvation of souls are not dependent upon us. Thanks be to God, else who would ever be saved?
But then again, people are helped and souls are saved because of our prayers and work in their lives.
Yes, another one of those “heavenly physics” kind of thing.
I mean, how can what we do help God, or help our neighbor in heavenly matters? He makes room for us somehow in what He does.
Prayer is a good work that benefits us and those whom we ask for.
The best that I have come up with is to describe our help (whether prayers or other ways and things we do—the good works) is like when my grandfather would ask me to help him in his garage while he was fixing a car.
He was a master mechanic for Studebaker at one time.
So, at 6 years old, can I be of help? Will the car get fixed without me?
Yes, of course!
But is my help real help? Yes, of course it is.
Getting the wrench, a rag, a glass of water while he is elbow deep in grease is certainly help.
It is helpful but not critical.
This is the same with what we do with what God has asked us to help. He has made room for us so we can be involved in His Work.
And…
Usually there was ice cream at the end of the test drive when things were finished.
Same with God.
Now I could also refuse. The car would still get fixed. But I would not have the benefit of time spent with my grandfather. All that knowledge that I would have lost out on learning—even now I wished I had had more time to ask him more things.
Then the ice cream is missed! Not that! That is a tragedy!
Same with God.
So, is praying necessary for things to get done in the Kingdom? Yes, but just not absolutely necessary.
You don’t want to be that guy who dies on the roof waiting for God to answer his prayer…
Oh, wait, that is a different story…
I will tell you about it later.
But…
It is Friday….
…and Sunday, is only 2 days away…
Where we will once again be instructed on how to pray, and actually do so according to His Word…
St. Augustine says that singing (Hymns and spiritual songs) means you actually pray twice!
This coming Sunday – Second Sunday after Epiphany – January 18th 2026
Old Testament – Deuteronomy 18:15-19
Epistle – Romans 12:6-16
Gospel – John 2:6-16
Psalm – 67
Sermon – THE BEST FOR LAST
Based on The Gospel Reading
Prayers: For a lasting peace in our world and in our cities—especially Minneapolis! That a lasting one would remain between the people of Israel and Gaza as well as for the people of Russia and the Ukraine. That the people of Iran would be free from tyranny and that the evil there would be put down. For our congregation that it would please our Lord that we would increase in numbers and there remain in this place a congregation that calls upon Him rightly, practicing the faith according to the Scriptures. For those who are being persecuted and murdered because they call upon the name of Jesus—especially in Africa. For the end of violence in our cities and that our schools and congregations would be protected from those who wish them harm. For our families that parents would courageously discipline their children and raise them in the fear of the Lord, teaching them about salvation in Jesus alone.
Reflection on Prayer from Luther:
On Necessity & Priority
“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”
“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”
“Prayer is a strong wall and fortress of the church.”
“God wants us to pray, and he wants to hear our prayers—not because we are worthy, but because he is merciful.”
On How to Pray
“Pray and let God worry.”
“I must first finish this or that.” (Describing distractions to avoid in prayer)
“Prayer is a powerful thing; for God has bound and tied himself thereunto.”
On Content & Focus
“We need to call upon God incessantly and to drum into his ears our prayer that he may give, preserve, and increase in us faith and the fulfillment of the Ten Commandments and remove all that stands in our way and hinders us in this regard.”
On Faith & God’s Will
Faith needs resistance to be called out in strength, as seen in the Syro-Phoenician woman’s story, where “the Kingdom of Heaven… conquers by benignity”.