The Prayers of St. Paul – Part 2

Christmas Eve.

In my last post I noted that St. Augustine called the problem of our sin “Incurvatus in se,” which basically translates as curved in on ourselves. We live for ourselves, our lives are curved inward as opposed to the life God intended for us, which is life lived with an outward focus.

I thought about that today as I was reflecting on our Christmas Eve Candle Light Service. Our Choir Anthem is “Do You Hear What I Hear?” The truth is 99% of the people in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago did not notice anything unusual. Foreigners noticed the Star in the sky, but the people of God, for whom the Star was a sign of the coming of their Messiah, did not notice. Some of the shepherds out in the fields noticed and went into town to see what was happening. Others didn’t notice anything. People from outside of Bethlehem noticed and came to town. Those in Bethlehem apparently didn’t notice anything unusual. They were too preoccupied with self to notice and offer assistance.

In this series we are looking at the prayers of St. Paul to guide us into a better understanding of our own prayer life. Do our prayers curve in to ourselves, or out to others.

The second of Paul’s prayer we’ll look at is in 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4 (NLT)

^“3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. ⁴ He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”

Are we looking to God as our comfort? When we received His comfort, are we seeking out others with whom we can share God’s comfort? This thought reminds me of a line in a benediction I like to use at weddings. As I pray a blessing over the newlyweds I say, “Bear witness to the love of God in this world so that those to whom God is a stranger will find in you generous friends.”

Live outwardly.

Selah,

Alex

The Prayers of St. Paul - Part One

The Prayers of St. Paul

For several months I have been thinking about prayer. I believe that prayer is the most misunderstood aspect of the Christian life.

On the one hand it is the one thing that Christians talk about the most. Christians are either asking for prayer or are promising to pray for others. Yet, if we are honest, I believe we have to admit that we see little evidence of answered prayers in the life of the church. Why?

I suspect the answer may be found in James 4:3 “And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” (NLT)

James’ point is what St. Augustine called “Incurvatus in se,” which basically translates as curved in on ourselves. Augustine was trying to explain exactly what produces sin. He came up with incurvatus in se as a way of saying that we are essentially ego centric or self-centered. We live for ourselves, our lives are curved inward as opposed to the life God intended for us, which is life lived with an outward focus.

So, using Paul as an example, let’s look at his prayers and compare them to our own. Let’s see if Paul’s prayers are curving in or out. Then begin to listen to your own prayers, and to the prayer requests you receive. Are those requests curving in or out?

The first of Paul’s prayer we’ll look at is in Romans 15: 5-6, 13 (NLT)

“May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Selah,

Alex