Just like a prayer

 

According to a survey a couple of years ago, roughly half of the UK regularly prays. Indeed, 51% of people surveyed on behalf of agency Tearfund said that they pray. It’s less than the USA who found that 84% of their adults prayed in the last week, but nevertheless it’s a bigger number than I would have thought.  And what’s fascinating is that even among those who say that they are not religious, 20% of them still pray, either for their family or in a crisis, or even to give thanks.

I wonder if you are praying person? If so, I guess the question is who do you pray to? Maybe you are from a religious background, so you pray to Allah, or Jesus or God. Maybe you are not sure.

But doesn’t the fact that we are hard wired to pray tell us something?

I had a neighbour when I lived overseas called Manuel. He didn’t seem a particularly religious sort of guy. He would get drunk and phone me up and say rude things in the middle of the night, and then apologise the next day! I didn’t hold it against him, he was otherwise a nice guy, and bought cuddly toys for our twins when were born. But once I asked him if he believed in God. He said, “sure, after all, you have to have someone that you can thank!”

That was a fascinating insight to me. Religious and non-religious people are hard wired to pray.

The Bible says that “God has set eternity in the human heart”.

Christians believe that we are made in the image of God, and so it’s a natural thing to want to call out to God in prayer, knowing that we are limited and can’t sort everything out ourselves.

It’s a wonderful thing that when you become a Christian, you have God as your heavenly Father, and you can talk to him about anything and everything that is on your mind.

As a church we believe that prayer makes a difference, which is why we are having a prayer meeting for Ukraine this evening at 7.30 on Zoom and at St Mary’s Parish Hall near the bus station. You would be welcome to join us if you like.

So try it sometime, and remember who you are talking to, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you for listening, and have a great day.

 
Followed by “Just Like a prayer” by Madonna.

Charlie Newcombe 13/4/22