Posts appear regularly on Usenet newsgroups, and on this website, inviting us to Pray for the World. They are obviously intended to provide 'prayer fuel' for (mostly) Christian intercessors, and information and 'conscientization' material for anyone, particularly concerning the plight of the millions of persecuted Christians around the world.

Most responses fall into the category of 'compassionate identification' with these suffering people - even by those not necessarily committed to Christian faith.

But occasionally there are negative responses. They seem to fall into two broad categories:

1. Didn't Jesus say he *wasn't* praying for the world, and isn't he a model for Christians in terms of our prayer?

2. How do we know such praying actually *achieves* anything?

The first question is asked generally by conservative Christians, the second mostly by atheists/agnostics.

The 'high priestly' prayer of Jesus in John 17 is addressed to 'the Father' and is concerned about his immediate (John 17:6-19) and future (John 17:20-21) disciples. Although still in 'the world' (John 17:13), Jesus anticipates leaving the world, and leaving his friends... Because they are committed to him, the Lord Christ, they are 'not of this world'. But Jesus prays that his disciples might experience joy in the midst of the world's hatred and opposition (17:13-14). So Jesus is in effect saying, 'I'm not praying *in this prayer* for the world, but for 'those you have given to me'.

In the 'Lord's Prayer' Jesus invites us to pray generally that God's 'reign' might come to the world, as it has 'in heaven', that God's will might be done here, as there. God's 'will' is that we love one another, including our enemies, and God's 'reign' implies that people will obey God, the King.

The first epistle to Timothy (2:1-4) more specifically urges that 'supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made *for everyone*, for rulers and all in high positions, so that we might live and quiet and peaceable life... This is right and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth...' And Hebrews (13:3) adds the dimension of compassionate-identification: 'Remember those in prison as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured'.

Regarding the second question it is understandable that those who are skeptical about 'faith in God' should ask for scientific verification that prayer works (particularly in the context of religious folks sometimes claiming extraordinary/ miraculous answers to their prayer).

Here's something with which all Christians agree:

1. God's ways are often beyond our understanding; God dwells in mystery. The analogy often used these days is of an ant trying to understand the Internet.

2. A Christian by definition is someone committed to faith in and obedience to the God Jesus talked about. And if Jesus' 'model prayer' includes petitions that God's will and reign might come on earth, that's how we pray. As the French philosopher-theologian Jacques Ellul says, 'The only essential reason to pray is that we are commanded to pray'.

And a final wise word from one of the greatest Christian saints, Teresa of Avila: 'Prayer is not for getting things, but for drawing closer to God and his will... Pray, even when you don't think it is effective...'

Rowland Croucher

November 16th, 2005

(I'm posting this message to about 20 newsgroups. Look up any responses in Google Groups).