Lessons from Exile: Prayers

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Promote the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because your future depends on its welfare.

Hello my friends!

I feel like the pandemic season has shifted most folks I know in to one of two extremes with their prayer lives. Some folks, suddenly infused with a surplus of free time and sense of urgency for the world have seen an incredible increase in their prayer lives. Others have been so overwhelmed with the events of our world that the thought of setting aside time to pray feels like a luxury we don’t have time for.

Or perhaps you are like the exiles in Babylon, where the methods of your prayers are disrupted by the pandemic. There was no more temple for these exiles, there were no more rituals, they were not allowed to worship in the open in their exile. The support structures that they had created to aid them in their prayer lives were completely taken away. And yet, God insists that this act of prayer, once again toward the city that had exiled them and could rationally be called their enemy, is essential.

Jesus offered a similar thought generations later after the exile:
“When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so that people will see them. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you.

Admittedly, our secret places may be all we have right now. My prayer spot of late has been the cold, wildly colored home office in my basement, rather than the comfort of my office or the beauty of our sanctuary. Believe me, I would rather be in one of those prayer places, with the people I have come to love praying with and for. But God seems to indicate to us that we are tasked with making prayer work, even in the midst of exile.

So what is the next most faithful step for you as regards prayer in this season? A few thoughts:

  1. What are some of your favorite aspects of praying together as a church family? Maybe it’s the light coming in the sanctuary, or the joys and concerns at the Bridge, or a walk along the labyrinth. Jot a few ideas down, and see if there’s any way to replicate those prayer practices at home.

  2. Speaking of writing, have you tried writing out your prayers to God in this season? Sometimes changing the “how” of our prayers can open us up to radical new opportunities. Spend some time this week writing in a prayer journal.

  3. If you are having a tough time sorting out what to pray for, check out this app from the Presbyterian Church. The app helps you to lift up a variety of joys and concerns both in the morning and evening, along with other prayers and scripture readings to help you through your day.

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