MY PROBLEM WITH PRAYER
Luke 11:1-13
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year C
Analysis by Paul G. Theiss
1He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2So he said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, may your name be revered as holy.
May your kingdom come.
3Give us each day our daily bread.
4And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.”
5And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything out of friendship, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11Is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for a fish, would give a snake instead of a fish? 12Or if the child asked for an egg, would give a scorpion? 13If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
“His prayer, his relationship with the Father, becomes our prayer, and so it becomes our relationship with the Father, totally by grace, a gift undeserved and free. Free to us, but at great cost to him.”
DIAGNOSIS: My prayers at times seem fruitless, only increasing a sense of alienation from God
Step One: Initial Diagnosis (External Problem) – I also would like to know how to pray
Grounding: “Lord, teach us how to pray.”
Tracking: Of course, I know how to pray. I pray all the time. I mouth the words every Sunday and often times in between. But do I really know how? If I did, maybe, just maybe, things would be different. I’d be in a blissful state. I’d be healed from this ailment. My relationships would be serene. My world would be a better place.
Step Two: Advanced Diagnosis (Internal Problem) – Maybe it’s me; or maybe it’s you, God
Grounding: “as John taught his disciples.” If John did it for them, Jesus, why haven’t you done it for us?
Tracking: I feel the lack in my praying, and I wonder where the lack comes from. Maybe it’s me: my ignorance, my indolence, my discouragement. Or maybe it’s you, God. Maybe you’re holding out on me, not revealing to me something that I need to have in order to get what I need from you.
Step Three: Final Diagnosis (Ultimate Problem) – What if it is you, God?
Grounding: “save us from the time of trial.”
Tracking: I’ve walked myself into a time of trial. You are the Judge in this courtroom, God. You know I’m a failure at prayer, as I am in so many other things. Now you’ve left me hanging. I feel so helpless, so separated from you, God. So where do I go? I give up.
PROGNOSIS: In Prayer Jesus Brings Me to God
Step Four: Initial Prognosis (Ultimate Solution) – Yes, it is you, God, after all
Grounding: “Father”
Tracking: Jesus’ first word in showing us how to pray is “Father.” With this one word he invites us, as we are, into his privileged relationship with his Abba. He welcomes us: helpless, ignorant, indolent, judged. Taking that judgement on himself, crying out to his Father from the cross. Lifting the judgement off us, physically and spiritually. Coming back to us alive, offering his life in this prayer.
His prayer, his relationship with the Father, becomes our prayer, and so it becomes our relationship with the Father, totally by grace, a gift undeserved and free. Free to us, but at great cost to him.
Step Five: Advanced Prognosis (Internal Solution) – Come on in, the water’s fine
Grounding: “when you pray, say…”
Tracking: This whole Gospel is a loving invitation to prayer, as are so many other Scriptures (the Psalms; Isaiah 55; Luke 18:1-8; Romans 8:26-27; etc.). Jesus literally gives us words to say, a prayer that never stops revealing God’s love to us. With this prayer, we’re good to go, anytime day or night. Even more than listening to us, Jesus is with us in our prayer. The parables in this Gospel are Jesus’ answers to our fears of discouragement and indolence. Don’t worry, Jesus says: I’ve got this – for you! So, relax, pray, and enjoy.
Step Six: Final Prognosis (External Solution) – Prayer changes things
Grounding: “how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit…”
Tracking: As I pray, as we pray together with Jesus, we have no idea how and where those prayers will go in the Spirit. And that’s okay! Responding to Jesus’ promise, spoken in the Spirit’s invitation, we know that they will go where they’re meant to go, do what they’re meant to do. But from time to time and over time, we get to experience those promised blessings of the Spirit, answers to prayer that we can’t program but which give us joy, a foretaste of the feast to come. And others will come to that feast with open hands.
