Livin on a Prayer

One of my favorite styles of music is hair band music, such as Guns N Roses to Bon Jovi, or even Scorpion. I am amazed that these bands have stood the test of time (or at least my time) and that parents and their adult children can still go to these concerts and sing along at the top of their lungs. One of the more popular hair songs out there is Livin on a Prayer by Bon Jovi. The crux of the song is a guy and his girlfriend are working two jobs, barely making ends meet and that they are actually living on prayer. As I heard this song again it hit me, this is a song of desperation and the people in the song have no where else to turn. 

The first prayer I see in Scripture is a prayer of  desperation. We are at the end of our rope with either a particular situation, or life in general, and we cry out to God. The Psalm is filled with desperation prayer. Whether it is King David or any of the other authors, they are pleading out to God in times of need. Whether it is for protection, or to kill an enemy, these are true prayers of desperation. Psalm 55 is a good example of this. How often in our own desperation, do we beg, plead, or even bargain with God to hear our pleas. My only problem with the desperation prayer is that we turn to God when we that is our only option left. If God is our last option, is He really the Lord of our life and do we really trust Him as much as we say we do. Turning to God should be our first and only option and not our last, because when He is our last, things are messy and there is more damage done than needed.

Another form of prayer is a lamenting prayer. I affectionately call this prayer the screw you God, you don’t know what you are doing or what is going on prayer. Essentially we are telling God He is number one and we are dropping the mic and walking away. The prophets of the Old Testament are filled with this style of prayers. The last several chapters of the book of Job deals with Job lamenting to God and God responding back to Job. There is even a whole book of lamenting and its called Lamentations. The prophet Jeremiah is lamenting to God about the nation of Israel’s disobedience, and the destruction that the city of Jerusalem is in. Here is the thing about lamenting prayers and lamenting in general, whether to God, or other people, we may feel better for a moment, but after our outburst, will the same frustrations return and does the situation change. True lamenting is taking a look at the situation and finding ways where we can either change it, or that we can change ourselves to make the situation better. This is hard work, but it is the only way things will get done. As the prophet Jeremiah writes, Great is Gods faithfulness and His mercies are new every morning. Anything else is that we are whining and playing the victim card.

A third form prayer is one of remembrance. This can also be called a prayer of thanksgiving. This is usually done a lot around Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is where we remember God’s faithfulness to us and how He has provided for His people. A prayer of remembrance is more than just remembering the good things, but also the struggles and the growth that has taken place in our lives. This prayer calls us to look back at what God has done, giving thanks and living life differently because of what God has done for us. Remembering the good things that God has done for us and not living differently causes us to miss out on other great gifts and it often leads us stunted spiritually, and emotionally. It is like that one person you meet up with at your 20^th high school reunion and they still haven’t left high school.

The fourth form of prayer is one of forgiveness. This is when we realize our own humanity and sin in our life and we go to God to seek His grace. This prayer is more than saying "My Bad" God or any other half hearted apology. A true prayer of repentance is one that aims to not only restore ones relationship with God and others, but to make sure that it does not happen again. As David writes in Psalm 51, Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit with in me. This form of prayer is seeking Gods forgiveness and power so that He can change our character. If our character doesn’t change, we will keep ending up in the same situations.

The fifth and final prayer we will mention today is the payer of healing. Even though all the prayers can and should be done as an individual and as a group, this prayer leans heavily on the group of believers. The book of James urges anyone who is sick to come to the church to be anointed with oil and prayed for by the church. This is a realization that God is the ultimate healer and the church is coming together in agreement on this. It is asking God to do what only He can do in the only way He can do it whether it is through divine intervention or through the medical community.

Now there are other forms of prayer and there are all ways to communicate with God and to have a relationship with Him. To paraphrase a C.S. Lewis puts it, "Prayer is not so we can change the mind of God, but so we can be changed by God."  Maybe we shouldn't be a people who are livin on a prayer but livin on many prayers