The Dangers of Christian Minimalism, pt. 3: Let’s Pray about It
Introduction
Doug Wilson is fond of saying “your theology comes out your fingertips.” Everyone believes something about God. That belief shows itself in how they behave. You could have a bunch of theological knowledge, but if you don’t really believe what you know, then you’ll live like a hypocrite. But if you truly trust God, it will show itself in the mundane, day-to-day actions.
The Passage
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, Ephesians 6:18
Explain the Passage
This verse concludes the passage on the armor of God. Paul describes the armor of God in terms of the grace we have in Christ. We have truth, righteousness, gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Scriptures. All of these are gracious gifts from God that we receive in Christ. Prayer is another one of these gifts.
Many of us know that we need to pray more, but we busy ourselves with other things. The danger of minimizing prayer is that you lack communication during wartime. Prayer is relying on God. That means prayerlessness is relying on self. But if you could save yourself, you wouldn’t need armor in the first place.
Prayer as Incense, Singing, and Paradox
The scriptures sometimes refer to the prayers of the saints as incense (Ps 141:2; Ex 30:7-8; Rev 8:3). The worship of God pleases God (Rom 12:1-2). Our prayers are like a sweet-smelling perfume.
Singing songs to God is a type of praying. Congregational singing is glorified prayer. Many of the psalms are prayers. God commands Christians to sing psalms together in worship (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16), which implies we are to sing prayers together in worship. In many ways, the entire service is a prayer. When we as aa congregation sing biblical praises to God, it’s like audible perfume. This is one reason among many that churches should prioritize music. There seems to be a correlation between zeal for beautiful congregational singing and zeal for biblical prayers.
Prayer is a seeming paradox. Prayer acknowledges our constraints; it reveals our limitations, dependence on God, and our sinfulness. Prayer is an admission that we’re not God. At the same time, prayer glorifies God (e.g., Ps 79:9; Matt 6:9; Phil 1:9-11).
All Prayer All the Time with All Perseverance for All the Saints
God considers prayer a great gift, which is why He wants us to glorify it, expand it, multiply it. This passage gives four alls for us to consider in our maximizing prayer life.
First, all prayer probably refers to “every” prayer. We pray petitions when we ask God for healing, a new car, wisdom. We pray thanksgivings when we thank God for answering our petitions as well as graciously giving us all that we have. We pray praises or adorations when we glorify God for who He is. Many of our hymns are prayers of praise. Finally, we pray prayers of confession when we confess our sins to God with the desire to repent of those sins. The Lord’s prayer touches on these aspects (Matt 6:9-13).
Second, God expects us to pray at all times (Luke 18:1; 1 Thess 5:17). First, God wouldn’t tell us to pray at all times if He didn’t mean it. This passage doesn’t tell us to try our best to pray most of the time. He says pray at all times. Second, prayer doesn’t mean you have to be saying anything at every particular moment. This includes your inner voice, your thoughts, and even your emotions. Are they all a sweet-smelling incense to God? Are you burning all of your life to God? Are you living coram deo, in the presence of God? If you are, then you’ll probably be careful what you say and how you say it.
I will skip the third “all” and go to the fourth, God desires us to pray for all the saints. You should develop a habit praying for God’s people. The deacons pray through the church roll during deacon’s meeting. I know some of you pray through the prayer list in the bulletin or our church directory. Pray for them like Paul, that all of your brothers and sisters in the faith will proudly wear their spiritual armor and fight! I also encourage you to pray for people according to the scriptures applicable to them. For example, an OT prayer for daughters is that her children will possess the gates of their enemies (Gen 24:60) and that her children will bless her, and her husband praise her (Prov 31:28). This causes you to prioritize what God prioritizes.
Now, back to the third “all.” Be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. The manner of our prayers should be with all perseverance. The idea here is persistent and patient prayer.
Conclusion: In Jesus Name
We conclude all these prayers in Jesus name because of the ascension of Jesus. Right now, He sits in heaven making intercession for us to His father (Heb 7:25). When we approach the throne of grace, we do not come because of our earned merits or deserved access. God hears us because God hears Jesus.