Ian Ellis: Prayer is about opening heart and mind to God’s influence
A quite striking article by Dr Roger Bretherton on the subject of prayer appeared recently on the website Seen & Unseen.
Dr Bretherton, a clinical and coaching psychologist, is an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society and a senior fellow of the Higher Education Academy, as well as being a programme director at the Centre for Positive Health Sciences at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
He is clearly a busy, but also a perceptive, man. He also says he prays “a lot”.
Claiming that society has become myopic about prayer, he challenges the lack of insight that simply dismisses prayer as irrelevant in the modern, scientific age.
Referring to a recent international study of more than 200,000 respondents of different religions, published by the Open Science Framework, he expressed some surprise that 24 per cent of those in the UK said they prayed or meditated each day.
This was more than he had thought would be the case, commenting: “I find solace in knowing that every fourth person I pass in the street may have some inkling of what it means to connect with a deeper reality in prayer or contemplation.”
The UK came fifth from the last in a list of 22 countries. The top two for praying were Nigeria (92%) and Indonesia (84%).
Prayer is, of course, not a precise science.
The first question naturally is how to define it.
I suppose everyone has some idea of what prayer is, but it is useful to dig a little deeper.
What does AI say?
Well, my computer tells me: “Prayer is a form of communication with a higher power, often a deity, seeking guidance, gratitude, or help. It's a way to develop a personal relationship with the divine and can involve talking, listening, and being open to spiritual direction.”
That seems to me to be a pretty good stab at a definition, although I would personally use Christian terminology.
One of the issues Dr Bretherton discusses in his article is whether or not meditation can be classed as prayer.
Meditation does not necessarily involve belief in God, but it is fair to say that it is at least a prayer-like exercise.
It has some of the features of prayer, such as an intentional time of quietness.
I remember once in my parish ministry there was an attempt to have 24/7 prayer by parishioners over a set period, with everyone taking their part in a rota so that, at any given time throughout the week, day and – yes – night, at least one parishioner would be praying.
The exercise meant that people came to understand that prayer does not need to be stereotyped but can take different formats. Middle of the night prayer actually proved quite popular.
Then again, what does one say when praying?
It is true that some people are very fluent at extempore prayer, without notes. Others tend to prefer prayers from a prayer book.
Whatever suits one is probably best, but if people are totally stuck and aren't sure about what to say or do not take well to prayer books, there is always the Lord's Prayer.
Then again, prayer does not have to be a long, drawn-out affair. It can be very short or, for the more experienced at it, longer.
I have heard that some people have a short prayer they use while their computer is booting up. Why not?
From a Christian point of view, however, there are certain features of prayer that should not be lost, in particular the recognition of the fatherhood of God, as in the Lord's Prayer.
But for beginners, it is a case of doing one's best, for as long or as short a time as is desired, although it is helpful to set aside a suitable and convenient time in the day for prayer.
Another issue that Dr Bretherton has raised is about whether or not people should pray together or on their own.
He comments that, while praying together is good, it can lead to a settling “for the impression our prayers make on those around us, rather than surrendering to the impression God would make on us”.
The main thing is that prayer is not to be flaunted. To allow the encounter with God to affect us, there does need to be a real element of silence and reflection.
Then again, people often wonder what the point of prayer is if God does not appear to do as requested.
Yet, prayer is not about telling God what to do, but is about letting God tell us what to do.
Prayer is to shape the person praying and is not to be reduced to a shopping list of requirements.
It will calm the soul and is undoubtedly an exercise that has many benefits.
The writer, Danielle Bernock, has said that prayer changes our focus, from the immediate concerns of our lives to the infinitely greater life of God.
Of course, our immediate concerns can be expressed in prayer, but prayer is about so much more than the sum total of what's on our minds.
It is about opening one's heart and mind to the spiritual influence that comes “from above”.
l Canon Ian Ellis is a former editor of The Church of Ireland Gazette