Over the last several months, we have been publishing in Sightings some sections from Glad Hearts: the Joys of Believing and Challenges of Belonging (Covenant Publications, 2003), an anthology of Voices from the Literature of the Covenant Church with over 700 readings from the mid-19th century to the present.
We are doing so for the sake of increasing numbers among us who are largely unaware of their inheritance as Covenanters in both life and thought.The complete Glad Hearts volume is available for purchase under the Resources Link on the Home Page of the rootedwings.com website. Comments or questions regarding any of the readings here are always welcome.
A Sacred Calling
It is an unalterable law in God's plan that he desires disciples and followers to pray. He asks his children to pray to him, and he promises to answer, giving something that is exceedingly good. Thus the presence, love, and power of God become known in actual experience.
Let us neither suppose that prayers have intrinsic value in themselves, nor that they deserve something from God, nor that they may persuade him as though he were unwilling to do all good for us without our prayers. There is a priority that exists here: It is the will of God. His will is the background. Yet we do not receive without praying what we receive by praying. At the same time it would be wrong to place trust in our prayers, instead of God's grace and the merit of Christ. It would also be wrong to refrain from praying simply because God is gracious and merciful. Our hearts are so distorted by the Fall into sin that we are inclined to go the wrong way, veering off either to the right or the left.
If Paul related how he was in need of hel that comes through intercession, who among us should not expect the same and be in need of the same. Note how the apostle admonishes "that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior" (1 Timothy 2:1-3).
This ought to be a reminder to us that we make special intercession for pastors, teachers,
and leaders. They have trials, temptations, and attacks from spiritual enemies. They, too, are weak as humans are, having their "treasure in earthen vessels" (2 Corinthians 4:7).
C. O. Rosenius (1816-1868), Romans: A Devotional Commentary, J. Elmer Dahlgren and Royal F. Peterson, translators (1978), p. 214.
The norm of prayer is the norm of faith or believing (lex orandi, lex credendi). This ancient formula teaches that that which the Church eventually came to call its faith arose in its life of prayer and worship. The God of whom we speak is first of all the God to whom we speak and the God with whom we think his thoughts after him. In prayer we learn a way of perceiving and thinking about life in God's world. The norm of prayer is the norm of faith. Tertullian referred to the Lord's Prayer as a compendium of the Gospel. David Willis of Princeton contends that the "Lord's Prayer is faith in the mother tongue," and further, that we "know by the company that keeps us" (Daring Prayer, John Knox, 1977, pp. 48, 36). This company gives us its way of talking to, with, and about God in his world. When one prays the Lord's Prayer one is confessing a theology and committing oneself to the implications of the prayer. Let it then be true: to pray is to confess, to confess is to pray; to pray and confess is to commit one's life to the vocation of being a "little Christ." To pray Jesus' prayer commits one to him and to his faith.
C. John Weborg (1937- ), Alive in Christ, Alert to Life (1985), p. 63.
When possible, [Pioneer] Missionary Matson went to bed fairly early, but regardless of that his day usually began with the dawn. He dressed carefully and shaved every morning. This done he went into his sanctuary to meditate alone with God. On his desk he spread the Word in Greek, Swedish, English, and Chinese; if reading the Old Testament he would add the Hebrew. He rarely marked a passage because he wanted it left open for a fresh meaning and inspiration each time it was read. His trysting place with God was at his old swivel chair; here he knelt to praise and to pray. One glance in the glass in the upper part of his door reminded an early caller to wait. Unless business was urgent callers waited at the front gate-house until after family prayers.
Edla C. Matson (1883-1993), Peter Matson, Covenant Pathfinder in China (1951), pp.221,222.
[Prayer] is a test of our sincerity as members of the Church of Christ. "The end of all things," St. Peter wrote to fellow Christians, "is at hand; be ye therefore sober, and calm, so that you can pray." Not controlled by the passions of the day, but in self-control and equinimity we turn to a Power greater than atomic arsenals. We pray, as Jesus himself prayed in a supreme crisis, not for our wills but that God's will might be done and in prayer we may discern the difference. God is not a power to be summoned to consecrate our ambitions. His altar is the throne from which we see his way for our life. In the fellowshi of the Prince of Peace we can go forth to our participation in the affairs of society, hoping to witness to him even where his will is not done.
Conrad Bergendoff (1895-1997), "Peace and the Christian Citizen,"
from Amicus Dei: Essays on Faith and Friendship, Phili J. Anderson, ed.. (1988), p. 198.
Let us neither suppose that prayers have intrinsic value in themselves, nor that they deserve something from God, nor that they may persuade him as though he were unwilling to do all good for us without our prayers. There is a priority that exists here: It is the will of God. His will is the background. Yet we do not receive without praying what we receive by praying. At the same time it would be wrong to place trust in our prayers, instead of God's grace and the merit of Christ. It would also be wrong to refrain from praying simply because God is gracious and merciful. Our hearts are so distorted by the Fall into sin that we are inclined to go the wrong way, veering off either to the right or the left.
If Paul related how he was in need of hel that comes through intercession, who among us should not expect the same and be in need of the same. Note how the apostle admonishes "that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior" (1 Timothy 2:1-3).
This ought to be a reminder to us that we make special intercession for pastors, teachers,
and leaders. They have trials, temptations, and attacks from spiritual enemies. They, too, are weak as humans are, having their "treasure in earthen vessels" (2 Corinthians 4:7).
C. O. Rosenius (1816-1868), Romans: A Devotional Commentary, J. Elmer Dahlgren and Royal F. Peterson, translators (1978), p. 214.
The norm of prayer is the norm of faith or believing (lex orandi, lex credendi). This ancient formula teaches that that which the Church eventually came to call its faith arose in its life of prayer and worship. The God of whom we speak is first of all the God to whom we speak and the God with whom we think his thoughts after him. In prayer we learn a way of perceiving and thinking about life in God's world. The norm of prayer is the norm of faith. Tertullian referred to the Lord's Prayer as a compendium of the Gospel. David Willis of Princeton contends that the "Lord's Prayer is faith in the mother tongue," and further, that we "know by the company that keeps us" (Daring Prayer, John Knox, 1977, pp. 48, 36). This company gives us its way of talking to, with, and about God in his world. When one prays the Lord's Prayer one is confessing a theology and committing oneself to the implications of the prayer. Let it then be true: to pray is to confess, to confess is to pray; to pray and confess is to commit one's life to the vocation of being a "little Christ." To pray Jesus' prayer commits one to him and to his faith.
C. John Weborg (1937- ), Alive in Christ, Alert to Life (1985), p. 63.
When possible, [Pioneer] Missionary Matson went to bed fairly early, but regardless of that his day usually began with the dawn. He dressed carefully and shaved every morning. This done he went into his sanctuary to meditate alone with God. On his desk he spread the Word in Greek, Swedish, English, and Chinese; if reading the Old Testament he would add the Hebrew. He rarely marked a passage because he wanted it left open for a fresh meaning and inspiration each time it was read. His trysting place with God was at his old swivel chair; here he knelt to praise and to pray. One glance in the glass in the upper part of his door reminded an early caller to wait. Unless business was urgent callers waited at the front gate-house until after family prayers.
Edla C. Matson (1883-1993), Peter Matson, Covenant Pathfinder in China (1951), pp.221,222.
[Prayer] is a test of our sincerity as members of the Church of Christ. "The end of all things," St. Peter wrote to fellow Christians, "is at hand; be ye therefore sober, and calm, so that you can pray." Not controlled by the passions of the day, but in self-control and equinimity we turn to a Power greater than atomic arsenals. We pray, as Jesus himself prayed in a supreme crisis, not for our wills but that God's will might be done and in prayer we may discern the difference. God is not a power to be summoned to consecrate our ambitions. His altar is the throne from which we see his way for our life. In the fellowshi of the Prince of Peace we can go forth to our participation in the affairs of society, hoping to witness to him even where his will is not done.
Conrad Bergendoff (1895-1997), "Peace and the Christian Citizen,"
from Amicus Dei: Essays on Faith and Friendship, Phili J. Anderson, ed.. (1988), p. 198.
Submitting to God's Will
Often we think of prayer as a means of getting God to do our bidding, instead of a way to let us do his. Prayer is the surrender through which an avenue of new energy strengthens the disciple for obedient service. Christians come to believe that prayer not only releases spiritual influences in the lives of others but also has profound effects on their own lives.
When a sailor throws out the line to dock his boat, he doesn't pull the shore to him; he pulls his boat to the shore. Prayer brings us to the heart of God. Here we want to conform to his purposes. We do not suggest that God conform to ours. Here, close to God, we learn of his priorities and pray that they may become our own.
Randolph J. Klassen (1933- ), Jesus' Word, Jesus' Way (Herald Press, All Rights Reserved, 1992), p. 121.
Within the worshi service as well as on special days of prayer and other occasions, congregational leadership must help the people of God to learn to pray about social matters. Our prayers of confession and intercession, as well as our prayers of praise and thanksgiving, can and should include social dimensions. Pray for those in authority and for those in need. Confess our social sins and failings. Praise God for signs of his grace and goodness in the world. Apart from its importance to the God who hears and to those for whom we pray, prayer for our neighbors and our enemies begins to transform us as we pray.
David W. Gill (1946- ), "The Unique Role of the Church in a Troubled Society," from Servant Leadership, Volume Two: Contemporary Models and the Emerging Challenge, James R. Hawkinson & Robert K. Johnston, editors (1993), p.73.
Let us pray that the agenda of the second century of Covenant life will be dedicated to that process of death and resurrection whereby, because of the dying of the Lord Jesus within us and among us, the life of Jesus will be made manifest and rendered active in our mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 4:10,11).
Karl A. Olsson (1913-1996), Into One Body...by the Cross, Volume One (1985), p. 272.
When a sailor throws out the line to dock his boat, he doesn't pull the shore to him; he pulls his boat to the shore. Prayer brings us to the heart of God. Here we want to conform to his purposes. We do not suggest that God conform to ours. Here, close to God, we learn of his priorities and pray that they may become our own.
Randolph J. Klassen (1933- ), Jesus' Word, Jesus' Way (Herald Press, All Rights Reserved, 1992), p. 121.
Within the worshi service as well as on special days of prayer and other occasions, congregational leadership must help the people of God to learn to pray about social matters. Our prayers of confession and intercession, as well as our prayers of praise and thanksgiving, can and should include social dimensions. Pray for those in authority and for those in need. Confess our social sins and failings. Praise God for signs of his grace and goodness in the world. Apart from its importance to the God who hears and to those for whom we pray, prayer for our neighbors and our enemies begins to transform us as we pray.
David W. Gill (1946- ), "The Unique Role of the Church in a Troubled Society," from Servant Leadership, Volume Two: Contemporary Models and the Emerging Challenge, James R. Hawkinson & Robert K. Johnston, editors (1993), p.73.
Let us pray that the agenda of the second century of Covenant life will be dedicated to that process of death and resurrection whereby, because of the dying of the Lord Jesus within us and among us, the life of Jesus will be made manifest and rendered active in our mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 4:10,11).
Karl A. Olsson (1913-1996), Into One Body...by the Cross, Volume One (1985), p. 272.
Boldness and Humility
...Base your prayer upon the precious assurance which has come about through Jesus Christ, and do it in deep humility before the face of the great and living God according to your own concerns, with complete surrender to the will of your dear heavenly Father, in ardent love and true uprightness toward God and your neighbor, toward friend and foe, without doubt and in faith, in the fellowshi of the Spirit with all believers, not only outwardly and with words and at this and that time, but rather without tiring in constant hope of the coming salvation, and always give thanks, praise, honor, and glory to him whose is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, through Jesus Christ our Savior, Amen.
August Hermann Francke (1663-1727)
Quoted in Gary R. Sattler, God's Glory, Neighbor's Good (1982), p. 221.
And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:27).
Children of God often feel that their prayers are feeble and poor, and that because they cannot formulate word-expressions for their longings God will not notice or heed them. But here is reassurance, stating that our God knows the most secret longing. It is God who "searches the hearts;" he knows specifically what our deepest desires are. He perceives our profound yearning, our hidden anxieties, our every want. It is his promise.
This is a blessed comfort when we sense our great weakness, unable to pray as we would like to pray, or as we ought, though the heart be filled with anguish and longing for the Lord. While he searches our hearts, seeing all our sinful thoughts--lust, coldness, and the like--let us remember that he sees as fully the restlessness that is ours, our self-accusations, and our sighing with prayers for forgiveness and help. Certainly he would rather look upon what proceeds from his Spirit than what emanates from our own flesh. This is what the apostle is saying as he states that God "knows with us the mind of Spirit."
As his Spirit prays for us our Lord God takes account of the burden that is carried in his intercession. God knows much better than we do the innermost needs of our hearts, even when we are unable to pray.
C. O. Rosenius (1816-1868), Romans: A Devotional Commentary, J. Elmer Dahlgren and Royal F. Peterson, translators (1978), p. 95.
Prayer books of pious and gifted teachers can give instruction in prayer, but do not make use of these books alone. Rather be diligent to pour out your heart before the Lord like Hannah (Samuel 1:15). A small child can ask his own father for a piece of bread in his own words. Why should you, with the full use of your mind, not be able to ask your heavenly Father for a gift without borrowed words, if you otherwise know him as your Father and have his Spirit dwelling in you? Therefore do not say, "I am too simple." For great cleverness does not belong to prayer, nor great eloquence. Otherwise the worldly hearted who do not know God would often be the best men of prayer, but they are surely quite unfit for it, and the Savior testifies to such in a clear example, that he composed the dear "Our Father" so short and plain. You are not so simple in carnal things; perhaps you have not yet sought it with such heartfelt prayer.
August Hermann Francke (1663-1727)
Quoted in Gary R. Sattler, God's Glory, Neighbor's Good (1982), p. 218.
Before I could open the class in prayer, a student said, AI have something to say to you.@ All the other heads were already bowed, ready for prayer. They looked up. I smiled graciously and nodded. "Go ahead."
"You say a lot of useless things that are not at all helpful."
As a professor, by definition, I cannot say useless things, can I? I winced, apologized, and commanded myself sternly henceforth to utter only well-reasoned profundities. I have a compulsion to spin a snappy comment off to a situation, to crinkle sorrow's face with a smile, to fill voids with verbs and conversational gambits, and so to miss the sounds of silence.
But in Zaire both a person in pain and his or her friends must show empathy by somber demeanor. A woman in sorrow cannot laugh, and neither should her company. Togetherness is often enough; let the splashes of rain or the hum of insects fill in the silence. Death demands one's presence. People will come, gather, and sit for hours--even days or weeks--with the bereaved. Words are welcomed, but it is the presence that counts.
Paul to the Thessalonians wrote, "Our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power.... We were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives" (1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2:8, NKJV). Words force the issue, shout it, maybe trivialize it. By words we may put ourselves in the saddle and pull the bit harshly to the right or to the left, leaving sensitive areas raw.
How often do I choose jabbering and not compassion and so turn presence into privation? A single demonstration of the Spirit's power accomplishes more than many fine words.
Brad Hill (1950- ), Slivers from the Cross: A Missionary Odyssey (1990), p. 16.
Give, O Lord, unto thy servant rest and quiet peace in thee,
for the world's wild, rushing current has no resting place for me.
I am longing, I am longing safe within thy courts to be!
May thy tender Spirit guide me and direct my ev'ry deed,
walk in love and grace beside me, in thy pastures let me feed.
Come, O Savior! Come, O Savior, give the strength I daily need!
May not sin nor worldly pleasure lure me from the path astray;
hel me only thee to treasure and thy presence seek each day.
Lead me, Savior! Lead me, Savior, on the righteous road, I pray!
Make me calm and still before thee, hide me in thy shelter mild;
there no evil can come o'er me, there I'm safe from tempests wild.
In that shelter, in that shelter, is the refuge for thy child!
Lina Sandell (1832-1923), "Give, O Lord, unto Thy Servant," tr. E. Gustav Johnson (1893-1974), from The Covenant Hymnal: a Worshipbook (1996), No. 415.
Divine Answers
Even in those times when it is not the Father's will for prayer to heal, it can bring dee results to the spirit. One man is embittered by cancer; another gains insight. One man resents the encroachment of old age, while his neighbor greets it as a bright destiny. The pain of arthritis makes one a chronic grouch, and another a source of radiance. One cannot accept death; another meets it as God's eternal plan for the life everlasting.
William B. Ward (1912-1996), The Diving Physician: Morning and Evening Devotions for the Sick, Morning 2 (Covenant Press, eighth printing, 1970, 8 John Knox Press, 1953).
At one point in my life there was a situation in which I was feeling a tremendous sense of
frustration. It seemed that no matter what I did, it was the wrong thing to do. Things were going from bad to worse. I was in perpetual agony and it was taking its toll on my stamina. I realized that if things continued as they were there would be some dire consequences. A day came when I was alone in the house for the day. I resolved that I would spend the day in prayer and fasting and wrestle with the Lord until deliverance would come. By mid afternoon I was exhausted. In a final act of submission, I fell to the floor and, face down, I wept and cried out to the Lord for strength. The almost audible response was, "Just give it to me." I did and peace came. Not all the answers, but peace.
Herbert S. Carlson (1929- ), Many Good Years...and a Few Bad Days (c.1992 by Herbert S. Carlson), pp. 112,113.
My daily prayer had been that the Lord should reveal his will, as my sincere desire was to do his will, no matter where it might lead me. Never shall I forget the hour when the decisive ste was taken. It was at haying time in the summer. The day's work was done and I was all alone in the meadow. I went behind a haystack to have a season of prayer. There the Lord spoke to me and led me into a covenant with himself. There and then I promised that I would willingly go to whatever field he might indicate, or else, if for any reason he would have me stay at home, I would give half of my income to foreign missions. That hour behind the haystack I look upon as one of the momentous experiences of my life.
Peter Matson (1868-1943), 1888
From Edla C. Matson, Peter Matson, Covenant Pathfinder in China (1951), pp. 27,28.
Encouraging Children to Pray
As we pray with the child, he/she will learn to pray. Begin with very simple prayers that deal with the immediate: food, a good rest, creation, a happy experience. Focus on thanks and praise. As the child matures, prayers of confession and forgiveness can also be included, but note that these should not be coerced. As you pray with the child and say that you are sorry for something you have done or forgotten, you are providing a good model for the child. Prayers of petition are confusing for the child of this age since they often become "wish lists." Children should be encouraged to wonder about God's creation and express praise and thanksgiving silently and audibly.
Children's Ministry Team, A Framework for Children's Ministry (Department of Christian Education and Discipleship, 1977), p. 52.
Children's Ministry Team, A Framework for Children's Ministry (Department of Christian Education and Discipleship, 1977), p. 52.
When It Seems Hard
Do you have difficult living spots? I do. Prayer... that's just one for me this week. I'm bored. I'm tired. My mind wanders and suddenly I am asleep. Lord, I am glad you stay awake to take care of things. But I'm sure you could use some more wakeful persons...me included. Never thought about that before. That's a matter for prayer.
Adaline Bjorkman (1916- ), While It Was Still Dark: One Person's Pilgrimage Through Grief (1978,1993), p. 114.
For me it helps to admit that prayer is a battle--instead of pretending otherwise. We can be so geared to making the "ought" the "is" that we do not realize what an onslaught we make on our own integrity. Of course I should like to pray whenever there is a time or call to prayer, but in fact do I? What happens is that in the name of peace we skirt around our irreligion, close our eyes to it, and assume with others of like mind that we cannot think of anything we would rather do. Our halo emits a ghostly gray aura. How much better to be honest with ourselves, and especially with God, that we come reluctantly to prayer!
Maybe it is because I am a minister and am expected to pray at every meeting or gathering, but there are times when I simply do not want to pray. My soul is like a desert. My tongue is dry. Too many times I have prayer just because I was asked to. Words came out choked on dust. Funny thing, when I admit to myself that I resent praying then, I am more inclined to pray. The reason is obvious. God looks on the heart. He wants honesty from us more than he wants a parade of piety. "When you pray," says Jesus, "do not be like the hypocrites."
...The point is that prayer is not supine acceptance of things as they are. Nor is it a magic carpet into ecstasy. (Sometimes yes, but always?) No, prayer is conflict. It is a contest for our own souls. It is a crusade on behalf of people in pain. Intercession is warfare. God isn't playing games. He is willing enough. He wants to do the best for us. But there is an earnestness required in the dialogue. Prayer is the way we get sensitively involved, becoming more and more aware of the underlying issues and points of pain.
...Humility is needed. If we act like we have gotten into the control room with our hands on the secret panel lever, we invite the demons. Come gently! Come reverently! Come, not too quick to talk!
Arthur W. Anderson (1920- ), Wild Beasts and Angels (1979), pp. 11,12,13.
DISTRACTION
I, so often, trying to pray
become distracted by the play
of the very senses I refuse
notice. It is thus I lose
one prayer for another one.
I cannot close my eyes. The sun
makes much of small things
and shadows of happenings
between it and me. An ant
caught in a small crack is want;
an action asking something of me,
something that must be answered. I
lay the universal by,
but am not lost in losing it,
knowing I have been using it
to magnify myself and flatter
my hobnobbing with mind, not matter,
Trying to pray, how strange to find
the things that matter do not mind.
To be distracted, in a way,
may teach a man to pray.
Fred Moeckel (1929-1966), Recording Angel (1969), p. 47.
The hiddenness, the silence of God is painful for Christians who have never lived through "the dark night of the soul," as St. John of the Cross calls the experience. The evangelical church has often treated it as a human perception problem. "We are avoiding God because God is angry with us." "God is always clearly knowable and it's our own fault if we can't figure him out!" But I raise a vulnerable thought--what about those who are "pure in heart," who seek God? It takes courageous Christians to tell their small home Bible study group of a prayer that day that hit the bedroom ceiling and bounced back on their shoulders. Or that they sobbed for God's concerned face in the midst of their suffering and saw nothing. Or that they reached for God with open arms and ears and heard silence. Feeling as if God should always place divine hands on each side of our cheeks, whisper endearments nose-to-nose with us as if to a child, we become panicky and desperate when we talk and hear no return.
"Silence is golden!" the Lettermen sing. Sometimes it is. But there are other times when silence is hollow. Or threatening. Or stony. Or rank and foul-smelling. It all depends on the source of that silence. Some would assume that silence is the same as absence. But alive silence is vibrant next to dead silence. God has said, "I am with you always"; as Frederick Buechner says, "since our journeys began and as they touch each horizon." Even when a horizon is full of suffocating chaos, God's presence is real, whether speechless or speech-filled. You choose how you deal with that silent but present God.
Mary C. Miller (1952- ), Devotions for Those Living with Loss (1991), pp. 34,35.
In Faith, Believing
[Paul Peter Waldenström, 1838-1917] spoke of God and to God with love and reverence and yet with a glad intimacy and delight as though God were an unusually good father who had recently returned home from America and had bottomless treasures of good things which he brought home to his children.
Fabian Månsson (1872-1938)
Quoted in Herbert E. Palmquist, The Wit and Wisdom of Our Fathers (1967), p. 25.
Fabian Månsson (1872-1938)
Quoted in Herbert E. Palmquist, The Wit and Wisdom of Our Fathers (1967), p. 25.
