Pray In Freedom And With Joy

Dear Tim, 

As I told you last week, there are a few words of encouragement I want to pass on to you as a young pastor. This week I want to say something about prayer and as I do, it seems to me that I could go on for days. This is such a huge topic. 

At the outset I do not want you to  be burdened by guilt for your failures in this regard. I would have to join you there, because quite often during my ministry I failed to pray when I should have. Yet we who follow Jesus do so with joy and freedom and not from fear and guilt. Aware of our failings we return to the bottomless well of love and forgiveness in Christ. I keep going back to what the Apostle taught the Colossians. After reminding them that Christ cancelled the record of debts we owe to God he wrote, 

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. - Col 2:16-17 ESV

In our risen Lord, present in His Word and in the Sacraments we have peace and forgiveness at all times. Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of how or when to pray either. The Law does indeed pass judgment upon us in this regard. Our failure to worship and pray is lifted up in the Commandment to remember the Sabbath (Exod. 20:8). Behind the Sabbath laws are all sorts of other laws about when and how to worship and pray to God (Exod. 16:23-27; 31:13-14; Lev. 19:3, 23:3; etc.). These commands rightly judge the old man within us, the old man who wants to get involved in everything but prayer, praise and thanksgiving.

The Jews developed the custom of prayer three times a day. That custom was based upon the three temple services at first light, afternoon and nightfall. In the Psalms, for instance, we read of David observing those three hours.

Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice. - Psa 55:17 ESV

The same was true for pious people like Daniel, even though exiled to Babylon. He got down on his knees three times a day and faced toward Jerusalem to pray and gave thanks before God (Dan. 6:10). The early Jewish Christians also observed these hours of prayer. So we hear of Peter and John going to the temple at noon, the hour of prayer (Acts 3:1). Peter's decision to take the Gospel to the Gentiles arose from his vision while praying at that same hour of the day (Acts 10:9-49).

You and I can learn from these and many other examples, as did the early church. Personally, I was never very good at using one of the many prayer books that are available for pastors with prayers and readings. There are many. You may have your own preference. And yet I've always believed in the importance of prayer. Many have written about prayers in the Bible in great detail. I only encourage you to make prayer a vital part of your ministry. In the next part of this letter I'll have more to say about what to pray for. For today let me share a favorite old prayer, Saint Patrick's Breastplate Prayer

Prayer Upon Arising.  Psalm 5 may added.

I bind unto myself today

The strong Name of the Trinity,

By invocation of the same,

The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever.

By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;

His baptism in the Jordan river;

His death on Cross for my salvation;

His bursting from the spicèd tomb;

His riding up the heavenly way;

His coming at the day of doom;*

I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power

Of the great love of the cherubim;

The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,

The service of the seraphim,

Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,

The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,

All good deeds done unto the Lord,

And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today

The virtues of the starlit heaven,

The glorious sun's life-giving ray,

The whiteness of the moon at even,

The flashing of the lightning free,

The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,

The stable earth, the deep salt sea,

Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today

The power of God to hold and lead,

His eye to watch, His might to stay,

His ear to hearken to my need.

The wisdom of my God to teach,

His hand to guide, His shield to ward,

The word of God to give me speech,

His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,

The vice that gives temptation force,

The natural lusts that war within,

The hostile men that mar my course;

Or few or many, far or nigh,

In every place and in all hours,

Against their fierce hostility,

I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,

Against false words of heresy,

Against the knowledge that defiles,

Against the heart's idolatry,

Against the wizard's evil craft,

Against the death wound and the burning,

The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,

Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me.

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,

The strong Name of the Trinity;

By invocation of the same.

The Three in One, and One in Three,

Of Whom all nature hath creation,

Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:

Praise to the Lord of my salvation,

Salvation is of Christ the Lord.