Teaching Students a Theology of Prayer
I’ve noticed a surge lately in pop Christian songs centered on prayer. One that seems to be particularly popular right now is a song performed by Katy Nichole entitled, “In Jesus Name (God of Possible).” The opening lyrics reveal the intention of the artist for the prayer the song offers for the listener:
I speak the name of Jesus over you
In your hurting, in your sorrow
I will ask my God to move
I speak the name ‘cause it’s all I can do
In desperation, I’ll seek Heaven
And pray this for you
The prayer, then, is repeated throughout as the chorus, and includes these lyrics:
I pray for your healing, that circumstances would change
I pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus’ name
I pray that a breakthrough would happen today
I pray miracles over your life in Jesus’ name
In Jesus’ name
The artist may be well-intentioned, but the song’s lyrics fail to present a biblically complete model for prayer. As aesthetically and emotionally beautiful the song is, it proclaims a prayer that seems largely influenced by prosperity theology, treasures the wrong things, focuses the heart of the hearer on insufficient sources of hope and rest, and presents a skewed view of God.
As is sadly the case with a good amount of Christian music these days, student ministry leaders must exercise discernment when it comes to the ways prominent songs shape the theology of young people. Here are some important theological elements of prayer that I hope will re-train students to understand the biblical purpose and function of prayer.
Prayer Recognizes the Essence of True Treasure
In order to approach prayer in a theologically accurate way, we must first lead students to understand the essence of true treasure, or true blessing. We do not pray in Jesus’ name as a means to certain ends (i.e. healing, changed circumstances, the absence of fear, breakthroughs, and miracles). The essence of blessing is found in a treasure that we already have in Christ. The essence of blessing is the presence of God. He is the treasure, not what he does for us.
The way we pray can expose the greatest desire of our hearts. God intends to re-aim those affections and desires back onto the only thing that can truly satisfy and provide true comfort and contentment - himself.
Prayer is About Communion
Prayer brings us into communion with God, allowing us to grow in knowing him through abiding relationship. What an incredible gift prayer is for those who are in Christ! The moment Jesus pronounced his work as “finished” and breathed his final breath on the cross, Scripture reveals that the veil in the temple was torn in two (Mark 15:38). From that moment on, every person redeemed in Christ has experienced a new reality concerning God’s presence which the author of Hebrews describes it this way:
“since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22).
We must teach students that God has not given us the gift of prayer just so that he may hear and fulfill our requests, although he welcomes us to bring them to him. I often urge students to view prayer as more about pursuit than petition. I want their greatest desire in prayer to be to enjoy his presence and grow in relationship with him. And with that mindset I can remind them that God always answers our prayers by giving us what we truly need most in every circumstance: himself! Are the students you lead growing in this awareness of God’s presence as they grow in the area of prayer?
Prayer is About Alignment
One of the most significant outcomes of prayer should be an alignment that takes place in our lives. Even as we express our petitions, our ultimate desire should be for God to align our minds and hearts with his will. This is where I fear we often stop short in a detrimental way when we pray. We all suffer from severely limited perspectives, and we continue to battle the very real effects of the flesh on what we desire. It is entirely possible for us to ask God for good things but fail to realize that those good things are ultimately out of rhythm with God’s will. This isn’t a message only for our students, but for youth workers also – especially as we model prayer for them.
Our greatest need is for the Spirit to do a work in us to align us with God’s good and perfect plan. This is one beautiful outcome of true, fervent prayer over time. We not only persevere in offering the same petitions to God over that time, but we also may discover how those petitions change to align with God’s will as he shapes our hearts to reflect his. In order to pray more in line with the New Testament, we guide students to be more focused on an alignment in the midst of struggle that yields spiritual maturity and increased dependence on God rather than on a deliverance out of struggle that yields only physical and temporary forms of comfort and prosperity. This only happens as leaders intentionally seek to captivate the hearts of students with the supreme treasure of knowing God and experiencing his presence in every circumstance. A good question to help students align their prayers is this, “What do you anticipate and expect from God when you come to him in prayer?” Are they anticipating an outcome, or are they anticipating the presence of God?
Prayer is Rooted in Gospel Promises
Our prayers should accurately reflect the gospel promises and realities revealed in Scripture for every believer that God has promised. Leaders carefully guard the hearts of their students by helping them understand what those promises and realities actually are – and what they’re not. He never promises healing, changed circumstances, breakthroughs, or miraculous acts of deliverance in this life to his children. If students place their hope in outcomes that are not promised in Scripture, it will inevitably produce a false view of God, or even cause them to ultimately turn their backs on what they perceive to be a God who fails to be faithful. We cannot expect God to keep promises he never made.
A biblical understanding of prayer begins with, expresses, and finds fulfillment in right theology. God is indeed the God of possible. But the greatest seemingly-impossible work he does is in transferring rebellious sinners from the domain of darkness to the Kingdom of his beloved Son and transforming them into the image of Christ. Sure, God may demonstrate his power in miraculous acts of deliverance from temporary circumstances, but that is not promised to the believer. The greatest demonstration of his power, though, is his slow work of sanctification through the Spirit to deliver us from this body of death (Romans 7:24-25a). And we are promised that he is working in every situation to that end (Romans 8:28-29).
Poor theology can lead us to pray away the very situations, circumstances, and contexts that God is using to complete that work. It can actually take our eyes off of his presence in the midst of hardship, and thus hinder us from experiencing true peace, contentment, and/or joy that the pseudo-treasures of shallow prayers can never produce in an enduring way. Brothers and sisters, we must be intentional to help our students attain a biblical and theologically robust understanding of prayer so that they may come to genuinely know and supremely treasure God through right communion with him.
Four Practical Suggestions
Model prayer. Don’t just view prayer as a transition in your time with students. Prayer should be a primary element in our corporate worship and youth group gatherings. Make it a goal for your students to both hear and participate in biblically robust prayer as you gather together each week.
Make applications pertaining to prayer throughout your teaching. Help students understand how Scripture shapes the way we related to God through prayer. Make sure to highlight the actual gospel promises that shape their hope if they are in Christ, and the realities that they may rest in as a result of that standing.
Discuss songs like “In Jesus’ Name (God of the Possible).” It can be helpful to evaluate popular Christian songs with students. We don’t want to become critical cynics who are so theologically precise there’s no room for creative expression, but it’s good to help students list to music with discernment – even worship music.
Schedule prayer retreats. Offer students the opportunity to spend extended, meaningful time in prayer. Put together a prayer guide that helps them develop good habits, and offers guidance on understanding the essence of this avenue of communion with God.