Prayer : Conversing with God by Rosalind Rinker

I would like to highlight some points that I took away from reading Prayer : Conversing with God by Rosalind Rinker.

1. Rosalind Rinker commented on how she noticed people in a prayer meeting she attended prayed in a certain manner. People said their prayers in a certain fervent tone of voice, and used a certain language. She also noticed that when the pastor’s wife prayed, people said “Amen” and “Yes Lord.” When she said the right thing they seemed to be encouraged and agreed with her and said so. It bothered her for a while, but soon she found herself praying in the same manner and wanting to say things that would make people say “Amen” to her prayers too. She wondered if God wants us to talk to him in that unnatural tone of voice. She also wondered how can we be our real selves with Him if we pray like that?

I do know of Christians who have that fervent tone when they pray as well. I believe that they are being sincere in their prayers, but it strike me as unnatural too. It is not the same tone or language that they would use when talking with their friends around them. But I believe that they are being sincere when they pray, as much as I am when I pray to God in my rather ineloquent manner. But I would agree with Rosalind Rinker that it is an issue if presentation of prayer impedes being genuine in one’s prayers with God.

Regarding other people saying ‘Amen’ during prayers, I actually like people to say ‘Amen’ when I am praying as I feel that they are listening to what I am praying, and affirming the things that I am praying for. I don’t mind being affirmed during my prayers, or affirming others when they pray as well.

2. Rosalind Rinker writes about her ideas of how group prayers should be like. She calls it conversational prayer. Instead of just praying around in a circle, to remember consciously that the Lord Jesus is right there in the circle, and to speak directly to Him, simply, honestly, just as we talk to anyone in whom we have real confidence. Say ‘I’ when we mean I, and ‘we’ if we mean the whole group. Another thing is to pray by subjects. If someone starts to pray for Joe Blow, two or three of the reset of the members should feel perfectly free to pray for him, too. Then wait a moment before introducing a new name.

She was concerned about how the traditional format where each member say his or her complete prayer before moving on the next member may quench the spirit because members who may have a thing to add may forget about what they wanted to say when it is their turn to pray.

I think it is a prayer format that I can certainly give a try with my prayer groups. I do like the sense of informality in the prayer format, and the interaction amongst the members during the prayer. But I am curious about whether it would be disorganized when people interject the prayer before someone else have finished. Moreover, would quieter members find it difficult to say something especially when the more vocal ones interject in the prayer? Rosalind Rinker did address that concern when she say that the prayer group should not be large as members may become quiet as they feel that others will pray and they need not say anything.

3. Rosalind Rinker made a suggestion about how one should pray for things that commensurate with the person’s faith that God would grant him or her the request in the prayer, and how this is a gradual process of building up of faith. “Pray for only what you believe God can do, for a certain person in a definite situation during a given time period.”

One problems that I find regarding the notion that one must have faith in order for God to answer prayers is that it seems so artificial. Why can’t God grant me what I want without me having to develop an expectation that my prayers will be answered? And there are many times when I feel that I have faith but my prayers are not answered.

I am not sure about this prayer philosophy about praying only for what you believe God can grant. I would prefer to pray for anything I want to pray for without having to constrain myself to first having to believe whether God would answer my prayers.