Prayer, from ACTS to Wow
Scriture: Psalm 65 & Luke 18:9–14
When you read the parable about the pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple, it might help to replace the terms “pharisee” and “tax collector.” For a number of unfortunate reasons that I won’t go into now, the term “pharisee” has negative connotations in some segments of our society; sadly, the Christian church is among them. But back when Jesus performed this parable, pharisees were respected members of Jewish society. They maintained high standards of worship, prayer, and living. (Snodgrass, 467) Pharisees like the one in this story even went beyond what the law required in their fasting and financial gifts. They were the kind of folks you’d want to be around, and I suspect their moms were proud.
To find a modern analog to help interpret this parable, I checked a survey from Maru Public Opinion about most respected professions; based on what I learned, you should think of the pharisee as being a firefighter or a nurse or farmer for purposes of interpretation.
On the other hand, our modern tax collectors receive more respect than those in the time of Jesus. Back then, tax collectors were traitors who worked for the occupying Roman government. They added profits for themselves to their collections, and are thus comparable to the folks you’ll find at the other end of the Maru Public Opinion Poll, those being used automobile salesmen and politicians. And that comparison is even more fitting in Pennsylvania, where our state legislature refuses to pass a gift ban, choosing instead to continue collecting bribes. (You have to feel bad for their moms, who probably lie and say their kids sell used cars.)
So if Jesus was performing this parable today, he might choose a firefighter as the self-righteous pray-er who brags about his achievements while pointing out the shortcomings of his neighbor. Meanwhile, the bribe-collecting politician pours his heart out with genuine humility and remorse . . . and ultimately proves to serve as a positive example to the parable’s audience. As he so often did, Jesus defied convention and expectations by reversing the roles his subjects would typically play. Biblical scholar Alan Culpepper sums up the parable this way, saying that “people who exalt themselves over others and boast of their virtue before God will discover that they have cut themselves off from both, and persons who are aware of their need for grace and forgiveness will not be able to despise other people.” (Culpepper, 287)
Approaching prayer with humility and authenticity are good guidelines, and you’ll find plenty of other writings about prayer in the Bible. In fact, if you look at the beginning of today’s chapter you’ll see that persistence is also commendable. But they’re not the only characteristics of prayer mentioned positively in scripture, and I hesitate to provide a formula for how to pray.
I say this as someone whose prayer life has evolved over the years, and whom at times allowed a formula to drive my prayers rather than being open to the experience. For a long time, I used the ACTS format to outline my prayers. If you’re not familiar with it, you begin with Adoration, move to Confession, offer Thanksgiving, and then delve into Supplication (which is when you ask for stuff). I reached a point where I exerted so much effort in my head trying to remember everything I thought I should pray for that my heart became a spectator. And you might say my ears did as well; I spent so much time talking that I forgot to listen for what the Spirit might be saying in return.
At this point in my prayer life, I typically do a lot more listening. I’m not saying that’s the right approach for everyone; I’m making up for decades of too much list recitation. And the adoration, the confession, the thanksgiving, and the supplication still happen. The difference is that when they do, it’s because I’m moved to pray for those things. I don’t think of the ACTS shorthand as much as I used to, though. I’ve come to favor the simplicity of Anne Lamott’s three essential prayers: Help, Thanks, and Wow. I suspect when you sum up what you want to say with one of those words, God knows what you mean.
Those are my experiences, though, and your mileage may vary. There is no single right way to pray, and while I look to scripture passages like today’s to provide guidance, no single formula emerges. Even if you look only at the collection of prayers known as the Psalms you’ll find a wildly diverse collection of what prayers can look like. Prayer is a spiritual practice, and I emphasize the word “practice.” If you’re like me, you’ll find yourself sometimes spacing out during prayer. You’ll find yourself getting angry at a sister or brother, perhaps even wishing ill of them (especially if you pray when you drive). You’ll find yourself being too hard on yourself or, if you’re like the pharisee in today’s scripture, being too hard on someone else.
I don’t want to be rigid in defining what prayer should look like, but I do want you to know that there are no human gatekeepers to prayer. Prayer is about communion with God, so invest in whatever form of dialogue proves most effective for you.
Today’s psalm is a particular form of prayer, one that was probably written to recognize the harvest. Thus it’s fitting that we observe it today, though harvest is a very different experience for us now than it was when this psalm was written. For us, the season means Halloween is approaching and pumpkin spice ads are ubiquitous. For those in agrarian cultures, it meant food was plentiful ahead of the less-fruitful seasons that approached. The seasons carried more weight then; you couldn’t have your produce of choice shipped in from overseas year-round. Thus the enthusiasm of the writer is understandable.
This psalm is also an act of defiance. The descendants of Abraham who recited these psalms were part of a small nation surrounded by larger and more powerful forces. Many of them would have credited the Canaanite fertility god Baal with responsibility for a successful harvest. (McCann, 483) So when the psalmist points to Elohim (a Hebrew name for God) as the sole shaper of the mountains, the tamer of the seas, and the source of their sustenance, it was an assertion that stood against a more common culture.
The people recognized God’s role in shaping creation to make their lives possible. They collectively had a relationship with Elohim, and aspired to abide by their covenants regardless of what their neighbors thought. Like the indigenous people who once occupied many of the spaces we now inhabit, they recognized that “we live . . . in partnership with heaven and earth and all creation.” (McCann, 482)
It’s easy to forget about our partnerships and covenants when we exist in a culture seemingly designed to shield us from the natural world and its cycles. Not only that, perhaps more than any other culture in the world, ours strives to focus our gaze inward. Community is sacrificed on the altar of individualism. The greater good is sacrificed on the altar of personal freedom. Politicians ask, “Are you better off than you were four years ago” rather than “Is your neighbor better off than she was four years ago.”
It’s no wonder, then, that our connection to one another and to the rest of creation has been harmed. When my focus is on comfort and convenience for myself, and on obtaining the means to help ensure I can attain those comforts and conveniences, I am left with little time and energy for practices that are truly life-giving. Like prayer. Silence. Genuine fellowship. Authentic worship. Humble communion with the natural world. That is where one gains the energy and inspiration to then engage in the greater pursuits, like ensuring that freedom and safety are in place for the marginalized and essential comforts are available to the least of these.
I hope that Intertwined provides for you a space to gain energy and inspiration while continuing the work of Jesus in the world. Our tag line — faith • community • ecology — is intentional, and developed after a long period of discernment. If that resonates with you, then please join us as we faith together, gathering for prayer, reflection, and consideration of the divine. Be a part of our community through fellowship, communion, discussion, and service. And dream with us as we keep an eye on our place in the world, collectively and individually, knowing that, ultimately, we are all intertwined.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Works Referenced
Brawley, Robert L. “Luke,” in Fortress Commentary on the Bible: The New Testament, ed. Gale A. Yee, Hugh R. Page, Jr., Matthew J. M. Coomber. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014. Kindle edition.
Culpepper, R. Alan. “Luke,” in New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume VIII. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015.
Maru Public Opinion. “America’s Most Respected Occupations 2021.” Accessed October 21, 2022. https://www.marugroup.net/public-opinion-polls/us/americas-most-respected-occupations-2021
McCann, J. Clinton, Jr. “The Book of Psalms,” in New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume III. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015.
Snodgrass, Klyne R. Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008.
