But this doesn’t look like a place for prayer

13May
by Jon Swanson

I’ve been talking about the geography of prayer the past two days.

I didn’t tell you that’s what I was doing. Instead, I talked about two chairs and two mountains, images of where God is when we’re talking with him (or them).

But where are we supposed to be standing or sitting or kneeling or laying?  I mean, in order to be where God can hear us, to be in the perfect geographic location for prayer, where do we need to be?

As I look at the stories Jesus tells, the story Jesus lives, somehow, it doesn’t seem to matter. We can go into a room, alone. We can stand on the fringes of the worship space.  We can stand, as Jesus did,  in the middle of a crowd of 15,000 people. Or we can go up into the mountains. Or we can stand in front of a tomb. Or we can hang on a cross. In every one of those stories, people talk to God and God hears.

Take this thinking about prayer geography a bit further. Every conversation with Jesus we read about in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is prayer. I mean, if praying is talking with God (or hollering at or laughing with or listening to), then every conversation we read, and every conversation not recorded,  counts as prayer.

So conversations while walking ankle-deep in dust were prayer, just as much as if someone stood behind a pulpit reading.  And the last Waltonesque “Good night John Thunder” “Good night Jesus” by a fire along the lake was as much prayer as a liturgical recitation. And every silly or disrespectful or misguided statement of the disciples was prayer.

Because the prayer geography that most matters isn’t what building the conversation happens in, it’s who is involved in conversation.

14 thoughts on “But this doesn’t look like a place for prayer”

    2. Jon Swanson's avatar

      Jon Swanson

      It’s funny, tyler. The conversation behind this conversation started with that very phrase. “What do we mean when we say, ‘in Jesus’ name’?” Is it a formula? Why does it always have to come at the end? Shouldn’t if maybe come at the beginning?

      Suddenly, I;m thinking I have another post cooking.

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  3. Frank Reed's avatar

    Frank Reed

    When Paul tells us in 2Thes 5:16-18

    16 Be joyful always 17pray continually 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

    It doesn’t get any more clear than that. Prayer not only can but should happen everywhere at every time. No geo-location devices needed.

    Thanks as always, Jon. I needed to hear this today.

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    1. Jon Swanson's avatar

      Jon Swanson

      Frank – sometimes I think that “continually” is like the texts Nancy and I send each other during the day. No intro, no ending, just a note, a question, a comment. So maybe we get to have ambient intimacy with God. texting, tweeting, wanting each other’s status updates. Social media makes the idea of praying continually a bit more comprehensible.

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  4. Rich Dixon's avatar

    Rich Dixon

    I think about this every time we celebrate our “National Day Of Prayer.” So what are the other days?

    It also applies to “worship.” Many times when I speak at a church they have a “worship leader” who guides a “time of worship” before we move on to other things which, I guess, aren’t “worship?”

    At our church we even have a worship pastor who’s not the teaching pastor, so is teaching not worship?

    I know that’s not the intent, but we have a never-ending need for rules and categories and distinctions that don’t have much to do with Jesus.

    If we do it right (and I surely don’t) prayer and worship are integrated into everything else we do. I’ll get back to you when I figure out how to do that.

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  5. steve g's avatar

    steve g

    There’s a prayer that I believe originated in East India that since first hearing a few decades ago, I use almost daily.
    “You are everywhere my Lord, I worship you here – (wherever)
    You take all forms, I worship you in this form.”- (whatever we acknowledge as a blessing, i.e. trees, a child’s smile, the feeling of love for another, joy w/ one’s job, a cure from an illness, etc.).
    No matter what one’s faith, why should prayer be confined to any space, or calendar?

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    1. Jon Swanson's avatar

      Jon Swanson

      Steve – i agree completely that the parameters we put on prayer – times, locations, events – so limit the conversational invitation that God offers. What matters far more than where we are talking is who we are talking with.

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  6. Joseph Ruiz's avatar

    Joseph Ruiz

    Jon I love the post and the thought. As I was reading the comments about worship and place etc it reminded me of one of my favorite (this is sarcastic) phrases “then God showed up”. Which usually translates we got what we wanted.

    I have really been challenged by the notion of praying continually it can’t help but change how you view prayer. And even through new lenses it is a challenge for me.

    thanks for the post.
    Joe

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  7. Hannah's avatar

    Hannah

    We were in the middle of the Ninth Ward in NOLA, speechless at the desolation, until my pastor murmured, “It is indeed right and good that we always and everywhere give thanks and praise…”

    Everything made sense then.

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