Can We Start Praying Again?

Last updated on: September 19, 2017 at 10:34 am by Guest Contributor

Can We Start Praying Again? 2017-09-19T10:34:15-05:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

by Derrick Holmes

This first appeared at Are You Up Yet?

Growing up in the Bronx, New York, I was raised for the majority of my formative years by my grandparents. My grandfather (Lord, bless his soul) was a very stern and serious man. Both intelligent and compassionate, much of what I have learned about what it means to be a man, I take from him. But, despite this model of merit that I had the privilege of being parented by, it was not the patriarch of our family that left the most lasting impact on me. Instead, it was actually the matriarch of our family, my grandmother, that was responsible for the resounding lessons of life that presently resonate in me. Reserved, classy, & always collected. Baker of the best Sweet Potato Pie this side of the Jordan. Die hard Knicks fan. Never the one to mince words but always used them properly because she knew how powerful they were. Genuine enough to keep it real about where someone was in their life (and what she thought about it) but kind enough to love them anyhow, my grandmother was (and still is today) an amazing woman.

But, with all of the amazing attributes and wonderful ways that were deployed by her daily, the most memorable and magnificent memory I have of my grandmother is of how much she prayed. She would pray prayers of protection over her family, prayers of patience for herself, prayers of guidance when difficult decisions needed to be made, even prayers of worship to God. And when she prayed….God answered. This woman by virtue of her discipline and devotion gave me an impactful illustration of what it meant to connect with God (and to access the power of God) through prayer

Without falling into the trap of deifying my grandmother, I’d like to offer that the world could be better following her example. With all of our intellectual acumen and profound perspective, it seems that we, as Christians, have gotten disturbingly distant from the discipline, the devotion, and, I would contend, the dynamism that comes with connecting to our God in prayer. While there is a healthy space for you and me to think through why we believe what we believe, I think that we so much time being intelligent about our God that we have forgotten what it means to be intimate with our God. Have we become so comfortable in our conversion through Jesus that we have lost the art of conversation with Christ?

With all that we, as children of God, are facing in the world, now is the time where we, as people of God, need to be communing and connecting with the Spirit of God. And my concern is that there are many among the body of believers have regressed in their relationship with God to the point where praying is no longer a priority in their walk with God. This not only results in malformed ministries and deformed disciples, but it also keeps us all from experiencing the peace, power, and placidity that can only come with conjoinment to the Divine through prayer.

What if the things we desired to see in the world, the changes we’d like to see, were not exclusively connected to relief efforts, political upheavals, and public demonstrations, but instead connected to Christians understanding that the healing of a land actually starts with God’s people praying (2 Chronicles 7:14). Make no mistake about it…do not be confused by charismatic characters or misled by the magic of a meaningful moment. Don’t get it tangled or twisted: The only reason why we are where we are today is because of the prayers of yesterday that were made to our God. And if we are ever going to make it where we are trying to go, it will be because there were those of us who were able to humble themselves enough to go to God in prayer.

I do believe in the activity of the Church universal to aid and address the ills of the day. I believe that we are all called to be the hands, arms & feet of God; called to touch, carry and go where He commands us to. I even place a very high value on redemptive, restorative value of the worship experience. But, can we, the people of the Way, ever get back to the point where prayer is a central part of our lives and our lustiness. I know there is much going on &, by my summation, things will get a lot worse before they get better. We are trying/have tried everything else. Have Christians become so consumed with agendas that we have cheapened God’s anointing? I know we have a lot going on…but, can we start praying again?

Derrick Holmes is an R3 Contributor

Donate to the Work of R3

Like the work, we do at Rhetoric Race and Religion? Please consider helping us continue to do this work. All donations are tax-deductible through Gifts of Life Ministries/G’Life Outreach, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, and our fiscal sponsor. Any donation helps. Just click here to support our work.

Previous Post

September 19, 2017

Black Feelings Matter: Being White in the BLM Movement

Next Post

September 21, 2017 How Can We Still Condone the Death Penalty?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Amy Steele Andre E. Johnson Book Reviews/Series Brian Foulks Call for Chapters Carol Howard Merritt Classes Conferences Contributors Crystal St.Marie Lewis Daniel White Hodge Earle Fisher Eulogy Fredrick Robinson Guest Contributions Henry McNeal Turner Institutes Interviews Joseph Boston Katherine Whitfield Kimberly Peeler-Ringer Lectures/Roundtables Natalie Bullock Brown R3 Book Series R3 Contributor Rashad Grove Readers Reflections Symposiums Teaching Traci Ellis Travis Harris Uncategorized Video

Select a Month June 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 October 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz