October 2008 - Vol. 30 Issue No. 10

THE REVEREND STEVE OSMAN WRITES

Dear Friends Do you pray? All the statistics tell us that prayer remains a regular practice for the vast majority of the population. Even grown men admit to praying – they just don’t let their mates know!

I guess for most people, prayer is kept for emergencies, like going to the doctor. And, for most people it is more of a one way street – a list of requests made without any expectation of a reply. In fact, if you heard God answer, you’d be convinced there was something wrong with you – who else hears voices in their heads?!

The fact that most people pray in one way or another, at some time or another, proves that spirituality is not dead in our country. There remains some sense of A.N. Other being around, though few would dare to define who or what she/he/it is like.

For the Christian, prayer is as natural as breathing. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it – Christian faith is not about religion, it’s about relationship. A Christian is someone who knows God because they have entered into a relationship with the living Christ, through the Holy Spirit. I’m sorry if that sounds technical, because it isn’t. It’s simply about having your best friend/partner/spouse/parent all rolled into one, there with you all the time, utterly dependable, utterly faithful. Seen in this way, prayer is simply a conversation with your amazing friend. It means talking with God, not just talking to God.

One of the weaknesses in the Church of England is that prayer is usually set down in written prayers. The result is that many church members have forgotten how to talk with God in the way they do with their best friend. There are a number of small groups meeting around the villages where it is possible to relearn and practise this wonderful art of conversation.

Just the other day I drove past one of the better church noticeboards in Daybrook. It said “Why pray, when you can worry?” Prayer is one of the best gifts God has given us, to actually converse with the Creator of the universe. My only question for you is this – do you know who you’re talking to?

Steve Osman