A couple weeks ago I complained that there’s never an urgent need in churches to pray. In that post, I spoke about my history of attending “prayer” meetings that seemed like anything but prayer meetings. Too often they were mini-services or “theatrical productions”.

Well Sunday our Pastor announced a interdenominational “Friedensgebet” (Prayer for peace) for Ukraine here in Koblenz. It was being held at the Herz-Jesu-Kirche in the center of the city, not far from our place. Given the desperate situation in Ukraine, we jumped on the opportunity to attend.

I didn’t really think about it. It just seemed like the right thing to do. Aside from that, I wanted to pray for Ukraine! And just like Charlie Brown, I went to kick that football foolishly thinking this time Lucy wouldn’t pull it away at the last second with me ending up flat on my back looking like a fool. And just like it always ends, Lucy pulled the football!

Another “Prayer Meeting” that was Really Just a Church Service

I wasn’t upset. Maybe I’ve just given up. We all know the drill: 10 minutes of introductory “talk”, 30 minutes of praise and worship, 15 minute “golden nugget” sermonette, a few more minutes of singing, a few more brief words from key organizing pastors, 15 minutes of formal prayer led by each of seven organizing pastors – each giving about a 2 minute prayer, a few more minutes of singing, a couple final words of encouragement and Scripture verses from the organizers, a closing song and dismissal.

In roughly 90 minutes, we had about 15 minutes of prayer by the organizing pastors. That was it. Apart from singing, we who attended were passive observers, listeners, non-participants. It seemed like a production – more for the organizing Pastors than those of us in attendance.

Is This Really our Idea of Prayer?

It begs the question. Do we really believe this is prayer? Do we really believe this is God’s idea of prayer? I’m not sure what everyone else thought, but I just decided to do what I came to do, pray! So while everyone was singing, I was praying. I hope I wasn’t somehow disrespectful but I kept thinking what will it take to bring us to prayer? What will bring urgency for prayer rather than desire for performance? Prayer shouldn’t be a performing art.

I just don’t remember any of these preliminaries before Jesus prayed, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”. I don’t remember any of these preliminaries before any of Jesus’ prayers. Somehow we all know this, but we can’t break the cycle. And what a cycle it is. Like the lump of leaven hidden in the dough, it eventually leavens the whole loaf – and boy is this loaf leavened!

But I think it’s inevitably what happens when Pastors organize prayer meetings. Their specialty is church services so we should expect that everything eventually starts looking like a church service. If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail.

Prayer Interrupted

One song arrested my prayers. It was that old classic “It is well with my soul”. It was a song my first wife insisted be sung at her funeral. Hearing it, I realized it was the first time I’d heard it since her funeral in 2013. Hard to believe such a classic has fallen on hard times.

It was also the first time I’d heard it sung in German. During the singing of the refrain I was protesting in prayer, saying “it’s not well with my soul!” Should I be okay with what’s transpiring in Ukraine? Thousands of innocent Ukrainians being senselessly murdered, 2.5 million or more refugees fleeing death and destruction, all so Putin can try to rewrite history to make himself a hero while conducting vernichtungskrieg – total annihilation of the Ukrainian population as he did in Syria?

What will it take so that we’re not okay with this? What will it take to move us to tears? Does nothing outrage us before God? Is there never a time we press God to avenge the blood of the innocent (Revelation 6:10)?

Are We Doing This for Ourselves or Ukraine?

A couple verses struck me as I prayed. The first was 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways , then will I hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land”.

It’s a classic verse most Christians know, part of Solomon’s dedication of the temple. The part that struck me was “if my people”. Not “if the leaders of my people” or “if the leaders call together my people” but “if my people . . . will . . . pray”. This prayer meeting, like so many others, again left me with a hollow feeling when it was over. Where were the prayers of God’s people?

It also left me even more cynical concerning our leadership. What was their point in calling this inter-denominational prayer meeting? It seemed to me that the leaders all got what they wanted – a church service, a chance to publicly pray before each other, and perhaps applaud what they had done together. After all, Ukraine had brought together many denominational leaders, and that’s something that doesn’t happen often!

But it was like their prayers. Was the purpose for us, or for the Ukrainians? It brought another verse to mind, : “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full” (Matthew 6:5).