Hocus Pocus, or Abracadabra, or some other nonsense are common references to “magic words”. It seems that in my history with my Master I have some of my own. They usually cap off my prayers with, “…in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.” It may not be obvious, but two sets were just used.
The first set of Christian “magic words” is the more obvious, “…in Jesus’ name I pray” phrase. I picked this up from vocal prayers I heard in church growing up. But I can’t really blame my upbringing, because when I did learn that they were not “magic words” I still continued to throw them into my prayers, so I am without excuse. I picked up a habit, which I still practice, now for more co-dependent reasons.
The second, less obvious set is, “amen”, which is the vocal punctuation in church for ending prayers. At least it is now, which is sad. Again, this is more habit, and a co-dependent one as well. If I don’t end with that, other believers get upset with me that I didn’t “signal” them I was done praying.
What I have arrived at in my current walk with my Master are three very effective ways to irritate other believers with whom I may pray audibly. First, I can begin by praying to the Holy Spirit. I have no idea why that irritates people but it does. No one has given me an adequate explanation either, they’re just uncomfortable with it. The second is to skip the whole, “…in Jesus’ name I pray,” phrase, which is forgivable, except when coupled with the third irritant, skipping, “amen” at the end.
With these three irritants present in the same prayer, I can test the spiritual waters in a Bible study, church group, or even a single believer. But that would mean their presence (or absence) were just a ridiculous as their inclusion in a prayer. Prayer is not a tool used to test spiritual waters, like some sort of litmus paper or dipstick. Instead, it is personal communication with the Creator of the Universe. Any other use is profane.
So that brings me to Chambers’ point about what is prayer supposed to be. Returning to John 16, this time verses 26 and 27, he points to the phrases Jesus uses to lead into the prayer of Chapter 17, where He prays that we may be one with the Father as He is. The point Chambers makes is that, when we are one with the Father, we will pray with the “nature” of Jesus, thus praying in His name without saying those words. I suppose that is one way to look at it. And I don’t want to say he’s wrong, because I don’t really know if he is or not. He’s probably right, especially considering the context with John 17. I just want to put a simpler frame on it.
I believe that praying in the name of Jesus resonated with the disciples with whom Jesus spoke. I believe that the term had meaning in their day we miss in ours, because we have lost the whole “monarchy” or “imperial” governmental structures in our day. In their day, to speak in someone’s name meant to speak with the authority and the words given by another, more powerful, person. So, when a soldier spoke in the name of his commander, he spoke with authority above his rank. But he also spoke what he was told to say by his commander.
I believe this is the meaning the disciples understood, although they may not have had a clear understanding of how it applied to them asking of the Father. I can assure you that they did not consider the phrase to be “magic words” ensuring they got whatever they wanted. Their understanding would also have included the clearly understood punishment if the soldier spoke something other than what his commander commanded. The disciples would have been left with the conundrum of asking only after Jesus had revealed what He wanted them to ask for. It’s as if the process was reversed; instead of them asking through Jesus to the Father, Jesus asks through them to the Father…sort of.
What this means for me is that prayer, whether personal or public, needs to be communication with the Master of the Universe, not a show, or a rote connection of phrases. I know that my Master wants things for me. Those are the things for which I ask the Father, knowing I have whatever it is, because I ask for what the Son wants already. It sounds redundant, and it is. But it involves me intimately in the process of my sanctification (making me set apart for service to my King).
So, today, this day of public worship, I will speak to my Father in Heaven, asking only for what my Master wants for me; nothing more. I will do so with the phrase, “…in Jesus’ name I pray” being true without being said. I will do so with the declared, “amen” missing on my lips, but present in my heart. I may even speak to the Spirit of the Living God as well, since He lives within me, interprets for me, and moves me into prayer in the first place. If that bothers you…
No comments:
Post a Comment