Some people see
prayer as something done by people who
cannot cope with the pressures of modern life. They argue
that
as there is no God, those who pray are simply reassuring
themselves that there is meaning to the things that
happen to them.
Prayer helps to cushion them from the dreadful realities
of life.
Isn't it amazing the number of times we hear
non-believers to
say Our Prayers are with you, or the like! And yet of
course
we as Christians recognise that prayer is often not a
comforting
experience at all. For many Christians prayer is a
constant struggle;
it is not always pleasant, and makes demands on the one
who prays.
Christians believe that prayer is much deeper than
psychological manipulation. We believe in a God who often
upsets cherished plans through prayer.
Archbishop William Temple was once criticised by people
who said that answers to prayer were no more than
coincidence. He replied, `When I pray, coincidences
happen: when I don't they don't.' I would add that in
these
circumstances that for Christians who pray there are
no coincidences, there are Godincidences. We as
Christians
believe that prayer changes people and events, and
not only the one who prays. Prayer is therefore a key
element in the Christian faith.
Murray Lamont
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