Too much prayer?

[Barbara Moulton]

Thanks Gary for giving us the link for the Brian Jones' blog on too much Bible Study.

I've been reading some of his other blogs and this one really jumped out at me.

http://www.brianjones.com/2008/07/we-pray-too-much-not-too-little.html

[Jeremy D. Scott]

Thanks Gary for giving us the link for the Brian Jones' blog on too much Bible Study.

I've been reading some of his other blogs and this one really jumped out at me.

http://www.brianjones.com/2008/07/we-pray-too-much-not-too-little.html

Pastor says, "We read the Bible too much."
Pastor also says, "We pray too much."

Pastor's church grows rapidly.

Conclusions...?

[Jon Twitchell]

Is the pastor saying, "we read our Bible too much and we pray too much"?

Or is he saying, "We spend so much time reading our Bible and praying that we don't minister to the people around us"?

I think that (perhaps) he's using provocative language to challenge us to get out of pews and small groups to engage our world.

[Jeremy D. Scott]

Is the pastor saying, "we read our Bible too much and we pray to much"?

Or is he saying, "We spend so much time reading our Bible and praying that we don't minister to the people around us"?

I think that (perhaps) he's using provocative language to challenge us to get out of pews and small groups to engage our world.

I agree, Jon.

But I'm not a big fan of it.

Perhaps it's because these are two areas in which I am challenging my community to be more active:
- corporate scripture study
- personal prayer

Then again, my local community has from the start been extremely active in local compassionate ministries for almost three decades now.

Perhaps it's perspective.

[Randy McRoberts]

Praying too much is a message that would be helpful to some people I know.

Just last Sunday evening (yes, evening) I heard a sermon that could be summarized by this statement:

The reason we don't have victory in our lives is because we don't pray often enough, we don't pray long enough, and we don't pray hard enough.

I find that worse than wrong. I find it hurtful to people of faith who have problems in their lives. And we all have problems in our lives.

It isn't about how well we pray. It isn't even about the amount of faith with which we pray, as though faith can be measured by size. It is about to whom we pray.

Prayer doesn't change things. God does.

[Barbara Moulton]

Praying too much is a message that would be helpful to some people I know.

Just last Sunday evening (yes, evening) I heard a sermon that could be summarized by this statement:

The reason we don't have victory in our lives is because we don't pray often enough, we don't pray long enough, and we don't pray hard enough.

I find that worse than wrong. I find it hurtful to people of faith who have problems in their lives. And we all have problems in our lives.

It isn't about how well we pray. It isn't even about the amount of faith with which we pray, as though faith can be measured by size. It is about to whom we pray.

Prayer doesn't change things. God does.


Thanks Randy. I have similiar thoughts. Based on what people here allude to in their posts, I would conclude that I spend lless time in personal, dedicated prayer than almost every other NazNetter.

Yet in many ways I am living with greater peace and victory now, than I did when I was younger, when I was far more focused on getting in my "prayer time" each day.

I am blessed in that much of my life is spent in sacred pursuits. My family, my ministry in the church and in the hospital are all opportunities to surrender everything I do and say as a sacrifice to God. And in all that, God leads ...into deep times of prayer when I need them and in short prayers of surrender.

I still have my set times of prayer, but I would never tell anyone that the answer to what ails them is to simply pray more. Prayer doesn't change things, so much as prayer is the way I open myself up to God changing me.

More than "more prayer"...more than "more Bible reading"....more than more of any of the good things we do in our Christian journey....we need moment by moment surrender to the will of God.

[Jeremy D. Scott]

It isn't about how well we pray. It isn't even about the amount of faith with which we pray, as though faith can be measured by size. It is about to whom we pray.

What I've been trying to learn and teach is less of the "pray to" and more of "hearing from". I'd be very happy with the statement, "We need to petition less and listen more [in prayer]."

I like Yancey's description of prayer as taking intentional time to "open a window to the divine."

This is the prayer I'm seeking and the prayer in which I'm challenging our community...to eliminate the noises of life to listen intentionally for the voice of God, the Word of God. Many call it meditation. That's okay. But I call it prayer.

Second, I've learned a lot about how prayer is about being aware, bringing awareness to the concerns of God and the concerns of the people we love. It's a lot easier to ask someone, "How are you doing?" and mean it when I've spent a few minutes in prayer listening to God about someone.

If I believe that the voice of God is not limited to scripture, then I need to be intentional about listening to the voice of God outside of scripture.

[Susan Unger]

What I've been trying to learn and teach is less of the "pray to" and more of "hearing from". I'd be very happy with the statement, "We need to petition less and listen more [in prayer]."

I like Yancey's description of prayer as taking intentional time to "open a window to the divine."

This is the prayer I'm seeking and the prayer in which I'm challenging our community...to eliminate the noises of life to listen intentionally for the voice of God, the Word of God. Many call it meditation. That's okay. But I call it prayer.

Second, I've learned a lot about how prayer is about being aware, bringing awareness to the concerns of God and the concerns of the people we love. It's a lot easier to ask someone, "How are you doing?" and mean it when I've spent a few minutes in prayer listening to God about someone.

If I believe that the voice of God is not limited to scripture, then I need to be intentional about listening to the voice of God outside of scripture.

I clicked on the thanks button but then decided to add some comments. When I tell people how much I pray, they condemn themselves for not praying. But then I find out that they have a picture of me on my knees at the bedside for X amount of time with some halo on my head with the title St Susan emblazoned on that halo and understand why they are confused. I tell them that my praying involves NO knees but rather is similiar to what you describe, or just chats with God all day long. Then the light dawns on them and they realize that they too are doing lots of prayer.

[Billy Cox]

Prayer doesn't change things. God does.

This one has a bit more of a blade on it:

Prayer that doesn't change us is no better than pagan babbling.

[Charles W Christian]

Also, I see that prayer is too often seen as a means to "get" something or to attain something (church growth, material goods, health, etc., etc.). It is almost as if we say at times: OK, go through the motions of stopping your busy lives and give God a few minutes so God can justify blessing you in some way.

This is NOT the model I see in Jesus and in the Bible. Nor is it the model for any healthy relationship, for that matter.

I think prayer is about saying, "God, I am so glad to get some time alone with You," or "God, we are so glad to stop and just celebrate the fact that you're actually here!", etc.

You see my point, probably. Prayer is about relationship, just like all healthy communication is both a reflection of and a builder of relationship.

I want folks around me to know that God is worth knowing, and to then get to know this God worth knowing!

Thanks,
Charles