Spiritual Hydration

I get together once a week with a group of guys and we pray. My prayer life the rest of the week is sporadic at best. If someone approaches me with a request I’ll usually pray for them right then and there or it probably doesn’t happen. That’s true of a lot of things in my life, but that’s not what this is about.

Anyway there’s a group that meets at our church on Wednesday mornings form 6:30 to 8:30. The guy that hosts the prayer on Tuesdays was recently elected as an elder and as such was encouraged to attend and help lead Wednesday morning prayer. So last night he invited us to come. It’s not like I didn’t know about it and it’s not like an invitation was required, but the extra bit of social pressure to come was the impetus I needed.

I came home last night and told Leigh that I needed to get up a little earlier on Wednesdays to go to prayer. She said that she was glad I felt the need. I said, in a flash of inspiration, something that seemed brilliant at the time, but had the odor of BS about it. I said that I didn’t feel the need, because much like drinking water if you felt thirsty you were already dehydrated.

The last bit about water is fairly true. The BS part is that I don’t “feel the need”. Prayer is a vital part of our “spiritual hydration”. I have been thirsty, it wasn’t until I got to church this morning that I realized how parched I am. Being in prayer for others was like a long drink of cool spring water. Now I’ll be regularly praying twice a week with a group.

It doesn’t end there though. Prayer is also something that should be happening daily in my life, just between me and God (okay God and I, whatever Mr. English Major). Again that’s not all that is necessary. I need to be studying the Word with greater frequency. I’m not trying to “turn over a new leaf” as that never works for me. It is a recognition of what I need though and hopefully I wouldn’t deny myself that any more than I’d deny myself water or air.

Jer 2:13 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

  • http://strangecultureblog.com RC of strangeculture

    Good thoughts. I love the opportunity to pray with others…and it seems like something we rarely CHOOSE to do without a little social pressure, but we really do feel refreshed afterwards and think “why wouldn’t I want this?”

  • http://pinakidion.org pinakidion

    You should trust yourself. It is properly stated as “God and me”.

  • http://www.chrislester.org Chris Lester

    That’s a great verse; very powerful and timely.

    I’ve been feeling my own lack of consistency lately in my devotional life. I get in a good amount of worship time because I’m a worship leader and have to practice the songs regularly, but in other areas I haven’t been connecting as much with God and the Bible.

    I think that, in a lot of ways, I’m closer to reflecting God’s heart for people than I ever have been, but I can tell I’m starting to get rusty with the Word. Thanks for the reminder to get back to doing what I should be doing. :)

  • Scott

    I never trust myself when it comes to grammar. Spelling yes, grammar no. Thanks.

  • Scott

    You’re welcome Chris!

  • http://strangecultureblog.com RC of strangeculture

    Good thoughts. I love the opportunity to pray with others…and it seems like something we rarely CHOOSE to do without a little social pressure, but we really do feel refreshed afterwards and think “why wouldn’t I want this?”

  • http://sidfaiwu.com/blog sidfaiwu

    If you don’t mind, here’s a question from an interloper who feels no spiritual needs. This is for Scott and the other commenters: What is the purpose of prayer? Is it for yourself or is it meant to change the world?
    From my time as a Christian, I remember believing it was for both. If that’s the case, what is the primary target of prayer: change oneself or change one’s world?

  • Scott

    Interloper!! BURN HIM!!! *ahem* *snerk* Sorry slow day.
    I would say that the purpose of prayer is neither to change you or change the world. I would say that the purpose of prayer is to communicate. That communication is powerful in the sense that the person with whom you are communicating is powerful.

  • http://pinakidion.org pinakidion

    Prayer, in my understanding, is for two things: communication with God, as Scott has said, and becoming attuned to God.
    Regardless of God’s omnipotence, the act of sharing is important. In many ways, it is like my son sharing to me about his day. I generally know what he’s going to say and know what he has done because those are finite elements. He is going to do one of five things that he can actually communicate. Still, I choose to listen in order to communicate love and concern for him from me.
    Attuning has more to do with praying for something or someone rather than sharing. In that case, it is important to me to do something a bit more subjective. I try to remove self and learn the perspective of God. It’s not so concrete and is open to charges of “what if you attune to something that is clearly not godly”. As such, I don’t think I can explain it very well.

  • http://sidfaiwu.com/blog sidfaiwu

    Thanks for the answers. Is communication the right word? It’s not like God actually speaks/thinks back. If the point were communication, would it not be more effective to communicate with a person who can communicate back?

    However, you did mention that the ‘power’ of the communicatee is an important factor. Why?

    The other answer, “attuning to God” seems like it is a specific version of “prayer is for one’s self”. At least, attuning to God sounds like self-improvement to me.

    I can understand the concern about attuning to something ungodly. After all, Christians believe in being with supernatural powers who not only excel at deception, but also have an interest in turning them away from God.

  • Scott

    God does communicate back after a fashion.
    And the power of God to act on our prayers is important. If God couldn’t do anything about what we pray, then that makes certain types of prayer meaningless.
    I let Bear answer the attuning question if he wants.

  • http://sidfaiwu.com/blog sidfaiwu

    “God does communicate back after a fashion.”
    What fashion is that? Is the feedback more important than the, um, feedforward? As an omniscient being doesn’t God already know what you want to communicate?
    “the power of God to act on our prayers is important. If God couldn’t do anything about what we pray, then that makes certain types of prayer meaningless.”
    Then the point of the prayer isn’t just communication but specific effects? That’s what I thought. That sort of begs the original question then. What are you hoping to be effected most? Yourself? Others? God’s will?!?
    I apologize for the Socratic method, but I’m really curious. I thought I understood prayer when I was a Christian, but now realize that I never thought about it thoroughly. I find it likely that you guys have and I’d like to know what you’ve discovered. Let me know if the questions get annoying.

  • http://pinakidion.org pinakidion

    Hey Sid, not annoying at all.
    I thought a lot about it because frankly, it can be a little frustrating at times.
    Thinking about the voice of God reminds me of Samuel. Samuel as a child heard this voice. When God called him, he thought his parents were calling him, so he went into their room and said “I’m here, what do you want?”
    Sometimes, I think of it as a whisper, similar to the way He spoke to Elijah.
    Both seem to tell me that hearing God requires quiet, possibly solitude, and focus.
    Another principle to God speaking is that He will confirm what he says. The OT gave instructions for testing the words of someone that claimed to be a prophet. Other places, it speaks of confirming with witnesses. This concept even carries over to the NT where a speaker in tongues was required to have a separate person translate, otherwise, the tongue-speaker was demonstrated to be a fraud.
    Does he speak? Yes, sort of. Until confirmation comes, I test it. Sometimes confirmation doesn’t come in another person, but in the Bible, itself.
    Wouldn’t it be easier if he spoke directly like talking to another person? Absolutely, yes.
    Attuning on the other hand is trying to ‘get in synch’ with God. I use a systematic process, but it can be summarized as an attempt to remove self and to listen. For example, step one is to incline my heart toward God (instead of to other things around me), step two is to be focused in heart and mind to God (instead of distracted by other things), etc. etc. etc.

  • Kansas Bob

    Praying with others is so Unamerican.. prayer is all about me and my closet.. all about my personal relationship with God!!
    Just being sarcastic.. I loved what you wrote Scott.. especially about praying with others.
    Blessings, Bob

  • http://Liz Liz

    I love the provacative questions from “the interloper”. I do think prayer is communication to God, and that a result of prayer is that God answers back – oftentimes not immediately as would be “easier” with another person.
    Part of the reason I pray is to instigate change in myself and thus in the world. I’m learning more and more that changing myself is the way I change the world. And I pray so that I am directed toward becoming better – more in tune – with the kingdom of God.
    I’m a Christian, and I’m not sure I believe in beings with supernatural powers who excel at deception. (see Sid’s post on May 22nd) I do believe evil exists.
    I’m speaking tonight on Spiritual Hydration, please pray for me as I prepare the talk that God supernaturally speaks through me to someone who needs to hear.

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