Here we are cruising through Mark chapter 9, headed back down the mountain...(did you catch how Messiah Jesus---recently "glorified" in the trans-figura experience---now comes down to engage humanity in its 'mess' in Mark 9:14-15?) Incarnation indeed...and then we happen upon verse 29. Wow. Jesus says: "These kind (the demonic kind he just dealt with)...can only come out by prayer. Some of the earliest manuscripts have it as..."these kind can only come out through prayer and fasting." That phrase is interesting to me because...thak about it...a prayer can happen in a instance, but...'fasting'...well, that can't be manufactured or microwaved instantly. Fasting speaks of a process bound in time and duration. Now, I'm not suggesting that those manuscripts have it right, but they do raise an interesting question. Which is...when Jesus frees the little boy from the demons...WHERE is "the prayer"? In fact, notice when Jesus does nearly any or all of his miracles...Where is the prayer?
Doesn't Jesus put a priority on prayer? He told the disciples in this passage that "by (through) prayer" was the ONLY way these forces of the Evil One could be dealt with effectively.
So..again...I ask: Where is the prayer? Where is the powerful, perfectly-worded, put-the-demons-on-the-run prayer?
Is Mark forgetting about the dynamic, hands-raised-toward-Heaven, thunder and lightening producing "super prayer" pronounced over the boy that sent the demons scurrying away?
Why don't the Gospel writers record those important words?
Wouldn't it be oh-so-helpful to have "that prayer" to recite when we need it most? Sort of like a theological light saber we could swing about in the midst of our spiritual warfare?
Well...I'm thinking that Mark and the other Gospel writers don't record the "magic" prayer that Jesus used in miraculous moments like the one in Mark 9:14-30...because there WASN'T one!
In his classic book, "The Divine Conspiracy" author, Dallas Willard, makes the statement:
"It is not enough to ask in a moment of need or temptation: 'What would Jesus do?' We must first consider the kind of life
that Jesus lived."
His point is...we cannot consistently DO what Jesus DID unless we live the (hidden) life that Jesus LIVED.
So...what if...THE PRAYER that Jesus is referring to has already happened...long before this encounter. More to the point, what if THAT prayer is the type of prayer that has already BEEN HAPPENING between Jesus and the Father for quite some time? Consider Mark 1:35 for instance. What if...the kind of prayer that "works" best with demons is the Mark 1:35 kind?
What if prayer is less about the emergency/magic bullet kind we frequently suppose it is, and more about this incredible dialogue (talking AND listening) we are having day by day with our Heavenly Father? What if Jesus easily casts out some demons which the disciples find impossible to handle---precisely because Jesus understands what it means to be alone with the Father and live "a life filled with prayer"? Hmm. I wonder.
I wonder if that is why the disciples soon come to Jesus and say: "Lord, teach us to pray." What if what they are really asking is: "Lord, would you teach us to pray LIKE YOU PRAY...(because your kind of prayer seems like what prayer is supposed to be like)?"
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus invites to put on his "yoke". He descibes it as "light and easy" and as "perfectly fitting".
What has your experience with prayer been like?
Does the passage in Matthew seem likely? Possible? Why?
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3 comments:
Sometimes our prayerful thoughts speak volumes, especially when we only have an instant. It all comes back to our day to day relationship with God. I've always felt closest to God when alone walking, speaking aloud at times, as well as silently. There are a lot of people who can speak a beautiful prayer, but our earnest words and thoughts are what's valued. Maybe the prayer is best left unspoken (if His was spoken aloud). Repetition can sometimes dull the need to think and feel.
It does say it is His yoke, but maybe the easy is for us now that we have His help to carry our burdens. Can't wait to hear your thoughts.
I don't worry about using the "right" words when I pray. In fact, much of my prayer time can be very quiet. I have drawn a lot of strength from Romans 8:26, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." I also spend a lot of quiet time listening. I don't hear anything, but my heart does. It has received comfort, correction, direction. I get frustrated when I try to pray and end up repeating words or phrases. So I tend to journal my prayers. This makes my thoughts more fluid and I can go back and see what I've prayed about (which gives me a chance to give thanks for answered prayers that may have otherwise gone unnoticed).
And yes, Jesus' yoke is much lighter than the one I try to carry around more often than I should. It should be so easy to drop it at His feet and take up His, as He suggests. Who wouldn't want a lighter load? But I see those burdens as MINE. It's like I'm bound to them at points. The funny thing is, I am continually reminded of burdens that I'm still carrying that I could drop at any time, if I'd only let go. He WANTS me to let them go. I've let go of a few of them. Some are a lot harder to loosen the grip on though.
You almost made a point about what I was thinking during the message today which kept ringing through my head.....
I'll bet that there was more prayer throughout the Scioto River Valley on Thursday between 7:45 - 8:15 p.m. than there had been in a long time. I know that my prayer was one of many. I felt a bit guilty as I prayed for the safety of my family during the threat of bad weather. I had not prayed that like that in a long time. I did pray to give thanks after the passing of the storm, but I am guilty. My prayer was one of need.
We pray as a family every day. It is at dinner time and it is very routine. My children pray at night, but once again it is routine. Trying to learn how to pray after years of being in a routine is very hard. I'll bet that most Christians only pray before eating and before going to sleep. Why? Because it is what we have been taught.
I hope to learn to pray without a routine. Without a need. Pray before I need help.
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