Opinion

Keeping in regular contact with God 

Ian Boughton wonders whether his frequent short prayers might be overloading God’s switchboard!

The very first day my little son attended Boys’ Brigade at a Methodist church, he came home carrying a small cardboard cut-out in the shape of a hand… it unfolded to form two joined praying hands, and inside was written simply: ‘pray for others’.   My son is now thirty-four, and I have never forgotten that.
 
At a house group in that same church, the minister remarked to us, I confess thought a touch too smugly, that every time he heard an ambulance or fire engine on call, he sent up a prayer asking for support.  That comment had an effect on the house group – several of us from the group still do that every time we hear the wail of a siren.   I think it’s just as well I’m now in Norfolk and not in London, or it would be ceaseless prayer.
 
Ceaseless?   Is that a good thing or a bad thing?  Ah, here is the dilemma.
 
Dear old Paul, in one of his Letters, said ‘pray constantly’.  This was to the Thessalonians, whoever on earth they may have been (although I am greatly interested in day-to-day worship, I am not a Bible student, though I accept that people may regard this as too casual an attitude.)
 
Anyway, I reckon that ‘constantly’ must mean every day, and more than that, during the day according to the situation.  But what is the right kind of everyday prayer situation? 
 
We have to pray for obvious situations – Ukraine, Gaza, flood and earthquake areas and others which appear to be becoming continuous disasters.   But I sometimes feel my one-off appeals for everyday situations might be getting too much…  on the morning dog-walk, my heart leaps to see a happy young family off to school, and up goes a quick wish that they have a happy family life; there’s an old person with their pet, and so it’s a quiet wish for them to have a safe and happy time together.  Every time the dog-walk takes us past the community fridge and foodbank in my local church, it’s a quick word to ask that their work goes well.   Before starting out in the car, it’s a quick request for a safe journey; arriving back, it’s thanks.
 
I’m not a particularly devout guy, I’m really not. I prefer casual prayer to liturgy, just as I prefer modern praise music in everyday language to ancient hymns - I respect the traditions, but much of it is just not me.
 
What worries me is that my everyday chatty communication on so many subjects is all getting a bit much.  I often have an irresistible vision of the celestial switchboard, and an authoritative voice saying: ‘Gabriel, is that him from Norfolk again? Put him on hold for a bit…’
 
My dilemma has been neatly expressed, far better than I could have done myself, by a writer who remarked: “surely God is annoyed and rolling His eyes at all this by now?
 
“Unless, of course, He’s not…”
 
And it is those last five words that give us casual prayer-people renewed hope… blessed assurance, if you like. 
 
Stand by up there, here’s another one coming…
 
Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash

Ian Boughton is a musician and author and retired journalist who lives in Dilham in Norfolk. 

The views carried here are those of the author, not of Network Norfolk, and are intended to stimulate constructive and good-natured debate between website users. 

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