Dear Church:

In her book, Pursuing God’s Will Together, Ruth Haley Barton suggests there are three forms of prayer we must begin to master to discern God’s will and be present on the journey together with Jesus.

The first prayer is the prayer of quiet trust (p.42). In this form of prayer, we acknowledge our utter dependence on an utterly faithful God, and we seek to utterly trust in that utterly faithful God. We suspend the wrestling match gripping our hearts and minds and let go of the complexities of our personal questions in simple, confident acceptance. This is different from ignoring our questions and confusions – it is about releasing the questions and confusions that are seeking to choke out our faith in a faithful God. Often, the prayer of quiet trust is discovered in silence and solitude.

The second prayer we must begin to learn to discern the will of God is the prayer for indifference (p.42). This prayer is a bit like the concept of compassionate candor. We hear about “candor,” and we think it is about telling someone off. Not so. Just like compassionate candor begins with caring deeply enough so that we can challenge directly, so the prayer for indifference is not a prayer of not caring. The prayer for indifference is the action of surrendering to the will of God. Jesus in the garden on the night he was betrayed prayed the prayer for indifference (…not my will, but yours be done). This effort to will only that which God wills takes prayer that gives to God all that we are and all that we have. The prayer for indifference is the difference between quitting and yielding.

The third prayer necessary for becoming a discerning people is the prayer for wisdom (p.43). Too often my prayers for “wisdom” are prayers offered in the hope to manipulate God into agreeing with me. Surely, God knows that I know best. Without quiet trust in the utterly faithful God and indifference to our will, there will not be any wisdom forthcoming in the journey.

Our Anabaptist forebearers used the German word, “Gelassenheit” to describe this process. The word can be translated several ways: “serenity” “yieldedness” “letting be” or “submission.” Gelassenheit speaks to a condition of the soul that trusts the faithful God; that is indifferent to my need to do things my way; and is quietly seeking serenity by letting God be God.

Our Church Together effort needs this discernment of trust, indifference, and wisdom. One way we will offer growth in discernment, is to pray together on Sunday mornings in ways that focus on trusting the faithful God, being indifferent to our assumptions about what ought to be done in favor for how God directs what ought to be done, and seeking wisdom more than resolution in our prayer. Unless we pray in new ways, we won’t likely see the renewal we are hoping for in these next two years.

Let’s go pray, church!

Pastor Jeff

jeff@bgmc.net

PS Breakfast on Mondays (7:30-8:45am) at the A&N Diner and Coffee on Fridays (3:30-4:45pm) at the Broad Street Grind are opportunities for conversation. Hope to see you at one (or both) of those venues…