Page 24 - Summer 2016 Contact issue 38
P. 24

What Kind of Offering?

     Micah 6

I often ponder in my times of prayer, whether                            Steve Stockman
personal or communal, whether there has been
a country in history where more prayers have been                 [taken from Day 14 of
prayed for peace. Having had the privilege, at times a           100 Days of Prayer for
frightening privilege, of being in close to our political
peace process, I often ponder whether there have been             100 Years of History]
many answers. The obvious questions then take over.
Is God not listening? Are we praying wrong?
What answers do we expect?

Micah gives us some clues to what we might have been
getting wrong. For many of us prayer has been our
religious ritual. Like burnt offering and sacrifices we have
believed that prayer will call down God’s favour. The
religious act though, isn’t what God requires. What God
requires, according to Micah, is for those who worship,
pray and sacrifice,

“To act justly and to love mercy and to walk
humbly with your God.”

Prayer transforms, yes. Prayer transforms nations, yes.
BUT prayer’s first transformation happens in the soul
of the one who prays. Think of the Lord’s Prayer. It is
prayer that refocuses our place in God’s Creation, under
God’s Lordship. It gives us perspective to ask for the
right things and makes us forgivers of others. It guides
us in where to go. When we say Amen we should be
transformed people - people equipped through prayer to
be kingdom bringers. When we act justly and love mercy
and walk humbly with our God, we will honour others,
heal our land and give a hopeful future for the world.

Prayer

Lord forgive me when I use prayer as a short cut
As an easy way out
May I never use prayer to throw the responsibility onto you
But always be available to respond to your omnipotent ability
in us
May the prayers I pray for change
Start by changing me
My humble attitude to others - that may I honour them
My love of mercy - that may I heal them
My actions for justice - that may I breathe hope into the world
And when I am finished my prayers
After I say, Amen
May I get up off my knees, changed
And ready to be the one you use to answer my prayers.
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