Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.    Ephesians 6: 17-18 (NIV)

Why bother asking God for anything in prayer? Yes, we're told in the Bible (see, for instance, Luke 18) to engage in petitionary prayer (where we ask God for something for ourselves) and intercessionary prayer (where we ask God for something for someone else). If God is all good and all knowing, however, then what is the point of either kind of prayer? For after all, if God already knows what's good for us and will do it, aren't petitionary and intercessionary prayer pointless?

Trying to answer these questions takes us deep into questions about the divine nature. If God is immutable (i.e., unchanging in any respect including will, emotions, and thoughts) and impassible (i.e., unaffected by creatures), then the point of either kind of prayer cannot be to change God, but rather to change ourselves by putting us in accordance with God's will. Jesus exemplified this perfectly in the Garden of Gethsemane when he knelt down and prayed: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42) If, by contrast, God is not immutable and not impassible, then prayer can have the additional point of prompting God's response.

However we come down on these questions, I think we can at least agree on this: that praying to God for ourselves and for others provides us with a powerful reminder that, at the deepest level, we need God. One of the gravest spiritual dangers we humans face is the temptation to think that we have what it takes to handle our own problems, that we're self-sufficient, that we don't need God. This is especially true when things are going well for us materially and otherwise. So as Paul enjoins us, let's take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And let's pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Dear God,
You know us better than we know ourselves. Teach us to pray so that your knowledge of us deepens our knowledge of you. Amen.

Contributed by Pierre
Sunday November 25, 2007
Liturgical Year C Week 52