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One of the things I\u2019ve noticed that people tend to struggle with once they Deconstruct their Christian faith is that it gets a lot harder to make sense of prayer as they once knew it.<\/p>\n
Some of those I\u2019ve spoken to wrestle with the whole concept of praying to God because, to them, it just feels like begging God to notice the injustice in our world, or to care, or to just be merciful or good. All of these things are what they already believe God to be like, anyway. So, why do feel the need to ask God to be what God already is?<\/p>\n
Others wrestle with the idea that we need a certain magic number of others to pray along with us about whatever we\u2019re asking God to do. As if God is going to ignore us until we get at least 250, or 500, or 5,000 people to also beg and ask and plead for God to act. This just seems really inconsistent with our view that God is always willing to do good, regardless of how many \u2013 or how few \u2013 stop and ask.<\/p>\n
Still others are uncomfortable with the notion that God arbitrarily works miracles for some of us while ignoring others. This random act of kindness version of God also seems more than a little inconsistent, if we\u2019re honest.<\/p>\n
So, what are we to do when it comes to this question of prayer? Is there any point to prayer? If so, what is it? Have we been thinking about prayer wrong this whole time?<\/p>\n
Well, based on a recent conversation I had with some of the beautiful people in our Square 1 community on this topic, here\u2019s what we determined.<\/p>\n
Kinds of prayer that don\u2019t \u201cwork\u201d for most of us:<\/p>\n
*Begging prayers<\/strong> \u2013 Prayers that plead with God to care as if God doesn\u2019t already care. Sounds like: \u201cGod heal my friend, please rescue my friends who are in trouble,\u2026\u201d, etc.<\/em><\/p>\n *Prayers that substitute for action<\/strong> \u2013 This is when we fire up a prayer asking God to do acts of kindness to others so we don\u2019t have to stop and do anything compassionate ourselves. Sounds like: \u201cGod bless that beggar on the corner as I drive on by\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n *Wish list prayers<\/strong> \u2013 When we just pray for God to give us things we want. Sounds like: \u201cGod give me a new job, a new car, a new blessing\u2026\u201d<\/em>, etc.<\/p>\n *Identity-swap prayers<\/strong> \u2013 This is when our prayers assume that God only cares about the things that we also care about. Sounds like: \u201cGod please let my favorite team with the championship\u2026\u201d<\/em>, etc.<\/p>\n So, what are the kinds of prayer that do \u201cwork\u201d for us? This is what we came up with:<\/p>\n *Alignment prayers<\/strong> \u2013 This is when we sit in silence and \u201cknow\u201d God\u2019s presence; becoming in tune with the Divine to see what God is already doing in the world around us, and within our own life. Sounds like: \u201c\u2026..\u201d [silence]<\/em><\/p>\n *Letting go<\/strong> \u2013 When our prayers revolve around surrendering our need to control, or coerce, or manipulate God, or reality, or anyone else. Sounds like: \u201cYes, God\u2026\u201d or \u201cYour will be done.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n *Gratitude<\/strong> \u2013 When we simply stop and thank God for every simple blessing, small miracle and beautiful sunrise\/sunset we experience each and every day. Sounds like: \u201cThank you God for\u2026\u201d [fill in the blank]<\/em><\/p>\n *Empathy<\/strong> \u2013 This is when we enter into the suffering and sorrow of another person simply because we realize that God\u2019s heart also breaks for those who suffer and weep. Sounds like: [insert sounds of weeping here]<\/em><\/p>\n *Transformation<\/strong> \u2013 When our inner tuning fork resonates with the heart of God and we simply rest in the process of being transformed \u2013 slowly but surely \u2013 into the image of Christ. This could involve an agreement with the need for us to ask forgiveness, or to receive mercy, or to show mercy to others or extend forgiveness to those who have harmed us. Sounds like: [groanings that words cannot express]<\/em><\/p>\n One person in our conversation suggested that the only reason he still prays is \u201c\u2026because I love my Abba and I know my Abba loves me, and loves to hear my voice and to spend time with me and sit with me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n So, as you navigate your Deconstruction journey and move on into Reconstructing your faith, I encourage you to reexamine prayer, too.<\/p>\n You might just find yourself experiencing an even greater sense of God\u2019s presence in the process.<\/p>\n For those who would like to join our private Square 1 community and online course, our next session begins August 9, 2021. You can register today for a whopping 75% off the regular cost [and break payments into 3 monthly installments if you like] at this link HERE><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n **<\/p>\n Keith Giles<\/strong>\u00a0and his wife, Wendy, work with\u00a0Peace Catalyst International<\/a>\u00a0to help build relationships between Christians and Muslims in El Paso, TX.\u00a0 Keith was formerly a licensed and ordained minister who walked away from organized church over a decade ago to start a home fellowship that gave away 100% of the offering to the poor in the community. Today he is the author of the best-selling \u201cJesus Un\u201d series of books, including\u00a0\u201cJesus Unforsaken: Substituting Divine Wrath With Unrelenting Love\u201d<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>which is available now on Amazon.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the things I\u2019ve noticed that people tend to struggle with once they Deconstruct their Christian faith is that it gets a lot harder to make sense of prayer as they once knew it. Some of those I\u2019ve spoken to wrestle with the whole concept of praying to God because, to them, it just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3089,"featured_media":6815,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[408,411],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deconstruction","category-reconstruction"],"yoast_head":"\n