The "O" of Prayer
Jacob prays, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord said to me, 'Return to your country and to your family and I will deal well with you.'" [Genesis 32:9]
So frequently, our prayers are well mannered and carefully theological, but Jacob’s "O God" is a truly living theology. The "O" is a theology in itself. Just as Paul cried out, "O wretched man that I am!", Jacob cried out of passion and despair, out of existential knowledge of Who God was and who Jacob was before Him. When we talk to God, we often use many formulae and Christian slogans. But where is the "O" in our prayers?
Jacob prayed to the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, to the God Who has said certain things to him. When I was in prison, I would cry out, "O God of Jucika" [the speaker’s faithful wife] or "O God of Sándor" [a godly fellow prisoner]. Do others see anything in my life that would encourage them to pray to my God? To the God of my spouse? To the God of my best friend? Can we imagine anyone praying to the God of - insert the name of your church - ? Do our lives testify to a God worth praying to?
[FV, 1998]
So frequently, our prayers are well mannered and carefully theological, but Jacob’s "O God" is a truly living theology. The "O" is a theology in itself. Just as Paul cried out, "O wretched man that I am!", Jacob cried out of passion and despair, out of existential knowledge of Who God was and who Jacob was before Him. When we talk to God, we often use many formulae and Christian slogans. But where is the "O" in our prayers?
Jacob prayed to the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, to the God Who has said certain things to him. When I was in prison, I would cry out, "O God of Jucika" [the speaker’s faithful wife] or "O God of Sándor" [a godly fellow prisoner]. Do others see anything in my life that would encourage them to pray to my God? To the God of my spouse? To the God of my best friend? Can we imagine anyone praying to the God of - insert the name of your church - ? Do our lives testify to a God worth praying to?
[FV, 1998]
posted by CS at 12:31 PM
2 Comments:
I love the idea of praying to ¨the God of _______¨. Often people will begin thus: God of Love (or Grace, or Creator God, or Merciful God), depending on the prayer. But I love the idea or so personalizing the call to such a specific level.
This works well with the Lord´s Prayer; repeat the Our Father over and over, each time with a new sister or brother in mind.
"Do others see anything in my life that would encourage them to pray to my God?"- wow....that really made me think in new ways! The thought that people who are unbelievers think of Him as my God and not just God... therefore making my words and actions that much more important...it's a very humbling thought. thanks for this you guys!
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