‘Jacob’s Ladder’ is a weekly Sunday post; its blog
history is at dreliatjacobsladder.blogpost.com
This is a Fellowship of the Spirit. It is not a church
construct; it involves neither mission, fund raising, nor religious participation.
God desires our participation in all of life, and not via the existential false
‘gospel’ of corporate and culture formatted selection. Jacob’s Ladder pursues
Christian growth as human growth. It works to complete social holiness and move
into personal holiness. As God wills community for all of us, Jacob’s Ladder will
keep on growing!
Sunday Mar 22nd 2026
What is prayer?
Dearly beloved,
As we get ready for Palm Sunday,
it is time to tie up the existing strands about prayer. A good teacher I once knew
said ‘Before you blame anyone or anything for what is happening to you, blame
yourself first’. He was talking about
our being responsible for where we are, and why we are where we are. And he
said, beyond that, prayer kicks in. At its simplest, talking to God. The
presuppositions pertain, shall we say. But the bottom line is the relationship
that exists. Talking to someone you don’t know never quite works, does it, even
though you might claim to know them? On the other hand, if you have worked at
this through the choices you have made, and conscience has always been your
guide, God is already there! Do not be concerned if you do not have much to do
with the so called ‘means of grace’ Because grace is everywhere and for
everyone, for such is the Lord Almighty.
1.The biblical aspect
Is very clear; in the Old
Testament it is best seen in the 23rd Psalm, though there are many
events and aspects in the Bible that inspire, motivate, and can be used well as
models of what prayer might be like. The insight of the Holy Spirit will lead
you. The story of the little boy who prayed hard over his exams but didn’t
study because he somehow thought that faith would get him through (he failed!)
has always stayed with me from my young church days! Poor boy got the wrong
idea from something that was not said right or interpreted correctly! Hard
lesson. Or the young pastor who prayed for a sick elderly man to get better - the
man died soon after and the trainee pastor was really upset. His supervisor
said to him, ‘Why? Your prayer was answered, wasn’t it?’
The 23rd Psalm is there
in all its depth and intimacy, for all of us. It’s a ‘hold my hand and I’ll
take you there’ piece. In song, think ‘Somewhere’ from ‘West Side Story’!
Positive human ambition and aspiration is never left alone. Or ‘You’ll Never
Walk Alone’ and which movie did that come from?
Or Mario Lanza’s ‘I’ll Walk With God’. Powerful, stirring, emotional. Human
nature at its strongest? Nope. There’s more.
Remember the line from the Psalm that says He makes me walk
down safe paths, which means that even when I choose wrongly, He will say to
me, self-correct. And if I am listening, I will. The problem often is that when we choose
wrongly we know it and have decided that we will go ahead anyhow. Just as David
did with Bathsheba. That was his undoing. Not the desire, but the casting away
of his relationship with the Almighty! Be careful what you choose. Sometimes,
however, what appears to be wrong might actually be the right thing! Only time
will tell in such a case. This is where your relationship with the Lord kicks
in. You must be prepared to serve the time needed and go forward, trusting in
the Lord. As I have done. I am no hero, I did not look for anything
challenging! It has not been easy; often, not fun at all. Comes with a price
tag. The end result, when I look at our boys, is very clear. And I am more than
satisfied. A thing I found then – is that the sheep of the Lord may walk very
differently from sheep as we know them because these sheep know The Shepherd’s voice
and heed his leading. This is why when there is a question about how we should
pray Jesus says ‘pray thus…’ Ask the Holy
Spirit, He will tell you no different. Seems a simple prayer, but it is enough,
for the Lord knows all of our needs before we open our mouths! It’s the parent
thing. Just as we know and are aware of our children’s concerns. The Lord our God has a tender heart for all of
His children, loves us incredibly, and grieves in his spiritual heart for and
with us. Hence it says, precious to the Lord is the death of one of His own. So,
we have these 2 very clear examples, Psalm 23 and the Lord’s Prayer. The
characteristics to be followed are clear.
2. The traditional aspect
Brings us to the dual possibilities
of corporate church life. The first is that it is a comfort for many to have a
‘spiritual guide’. A trustworthy caring pastor
– dependable, and with compassion and insight. Unlike the priest who when he
was asked for help, threw a penny on the ground to a poor lady in distress. It
was never forgotten. And that’s a true paddy story. Know the difference between
those who visit and those who are too busy.
The 2nd is that
community , when we get it right, is a true source of comfort because it takes
away loneliness and gives fellowship, identity, cohesiveness and more. Problem
often is that as these aspects build, they often take on a cavalier and
self-righteous perspective!
Jesus asks us to remember that we are called to be a branch
to his vine, not a branch to a branch and so forth. Meaning? We must learn how
to hold community in balance so that it does well for all and keep steering it
incrementally as we go forward. There are no quick fixes to human nature. Growth
is always required to reach maturity. Greed and malice are still prominent
traits of human behavior.
The traditional answer to personal need has always been
‘Have faith. People are still chewing on that one, and many fall into
charismatic emotionalism. It feels good, but it does not last. Easy to say ‘according
to thy will, O Lord.’ We’ll leave it in your hands. Or, let go and let God. God
actually says something very different. No. It’s in your hands. But I will be
with you. Why do we entreat our parents in our younger days? A matter of power.
As adults we simply do as we wish to, provided we are able to. No need to ask. But
with God that dynamic does not change. We are always children. You talk the
talk, you walk the walk, and God is always on your side. God loves us all and is
on everybody’s side. But those who are not on God’s side, get left alone. To do
as they or their master doth please.
3. The psychological aspect
has a lot to do with ‘faith; and
‘belief’ as notions of affirmation, comfort and identity building - this is who I am and what I do to be who I am.
If it works for you, go for it. For some of us, this remains static, and for
others it keeps on growing. It depends. The results will tell you.
A great many have found this difficult, even from a
community perspective, because of the contradictions that they see and hear and
the lack of an actual difference in real time. Although there has been an
identity claim, (a lot of talk!) it
never quite gets acted out into fulfillment. Not cool.
No doubt prayer is marvelous motivation in hope. But it is
getting beyond that - to the happening of a thing - that
Jesus calls us to. Hence his ‘stay close’; be a branch; without me you cannot
do anything…’ If we feel ‘my prayer life is good’, wonderful for you. Just look
at what it accomplishes in this life. That’s what it comes down to. If not, there’s
stuff to fix and we know where to start.
4. The relational aspect
It is never enough to say ‘I’ll
pray for you’ unless you are truly in a relationship of strength with the Lord.
Otherwise, it just sounds nice. If you are in right relationship, it will take
the effort of caring love out of you. At minimum, the energy of true concern,
wishing, hoping, caring for their wellbeing. Hence you pray for those in need
according to their need even before or without being asked. Praying for someone
is far more than wishful thinking or sharing good thoughts with ‘words of
comfort.’ It involves an energy of action and starts with human will. This is
why Jesus said there are no limits! Just have to know what applies when. How to
make a thing happen is what it all comes down to. And it is not as simple as
singing ‘Trust and obey’. Or a matter of faith and belief. So easily said. Doesn’t
mean what it once represented and even then it may not have been all that
correct! Hence Jim Wallis’ False White Gospel’s comments about Christian
(mostly American) history. A very easy hop, step and jump, from Trust and Obey into
‘God wills it!’ Try saying that in Latin to get the feel of it. Deus Vult! Let’s
go kill some ….and a Movie example? Try The Kingdom of God. Yup. Wipe the ‘wicked’
off the face of the earth. Jacob and Esau, still at it.
Jesus said ‘I call you brothers.’ It all comes down to the
characteristics we are to follow. Create your own checklist and grow
accordingly. It is doable, and your prayer life will be stronger. And what does
that mean? Sharper insight, less reliance on emotionalism, an inner peace of
the spirit. Of course, there are still those who love to talk about the 2nd
coming and Revelation as though they understand it, and some of them would like
to make lemmings out of us, no doubt.
Lastly, the one that often comes to mind – is healing
possible? Yes, it always is. But it is never arbitrary, and almost always
allows for cause and effect, both ways, as cause and as cure. And God doesn’t
give out private favors. Everything in the Old Testament and the Gospels is
always tied to the wellbeing of the community (food for the poor and needy) and
the witness of the Kingdom amongst us. Demonstrated. Never private. And the
prayers of the truly humble and righteous? That one is always hard to tell, only
because in a right relationship with God who knows what can happen? Fathers
listen to sons and daughters, if they are in right relationship with them. Sometimes
even if they are not! If you are working within the will of God and there is
work to be done (and there always is!) God will sustain you, no matter what.
It’s the difference between saying ‘It depends on God’s will
‘and being an ongoing part of that will! And it’s not that difficult. It’s the simple
caring life, is all. Almost always, a matter of choice! No need to look for
someone to heal yourself. Or to help someone else! Make it happen between God and you. As Jesus
says, it is doable. Just may not be doable until you are ready to do so. It’s
why from the early days of Israel there is supposed to be no illness, provided
everyone stays within the Covenant Relationship that God offers. As versus a 3R
system of rules, regulations, rituals. Israel chose not to follow God. Despite
all it may claim, it has not changed its mind on this. It’s leaders follow the
nations of the world, from the days of Solomon until now! This was the Lord’s
warning to Samuel.
Relationship = togetherness. You listen, you learn, you
grow. It just makes a very different persona out of you. Lent calls us to the
experience of such a difference. Go discover for yourself. Get one step closer
into the Kingdom! Every blessing in Jesus, G.
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