All of this interrelation is still on the mid-range—the space of people and cars and trees. If we look at a smaller scale, our intestines are a “biome” of bacteria vital to our health; our bodies incorporate a multitude of microbes that are not incidental passengers, but necessary for our functioning. On a larger scale, our bodies are made of stardust, much of which has origins in galaxies beyond the Milky Way.23 Socially, culturally, spiritually, and physically, we are intertwined with the sun and the soil and sustained by the web of creation.
Thurman notes that when someone who prays brings themselves into intentional relationship with God, they will naturally pray for their loved ones. If we allow ourselves to see how interconnected we are, this takes an even stronger tone. I cannot bring myself into intentional relationship with God without bringing the people I love. I cannot pray for myself without praying for my neighbor, because my neighbor’s well-being is intimately tied to my own. Omitting to pray about things that influence the community—including politics—would be refusing to bring my whole self to God. It would refuse to hope for God’s grace to touch our life together.
Quite concretely, the shared public prayers served several functions. First, they helped form us in hope. Prayer, as a means of formation, instills habits of mind and emotion. The discipline of lifting up a person or group working for the common good broke the temptation to constant fear and anger. It was a daily dose of admiration, honor, celebration, and envisioning a better reality for all of us. Second, it offered perspective. It was easy to believe, in the early days after the 2016 election, that those of us who care for justice and compassion are few and far between. When people said “amen” to the prayers I posted, they let me know they were out there, and they saw other responses, and it encouraged us all. Likewise, acknowledging the people who were resisting helped place the outrageous events of the day in relation to ongoing work for justice that people have been engaged in for decades. It highlighted the geographical breadth and historical depth of justice struggles. Third, it created a space of (virtual) intimacy in which we could speak of things that are often not brought up in casual conversation. Because we prayed together, we were already conversing about big and personal issues, admitting needs and joys and worries. Fourth, praying together created a web of people, from various backgrounds and geographical locations, asking God to help us move the world a bit closer to the creativity, love, justice, and compassion that is, I believe, what God intends. I do not know what piece of advanced technology might be required to pick up on the “good vibes, juju, and mojo” that we sent out to the universe. But just because we can’t measure it does not mean it doesn’t matter.
There are many stories of hope in these prayers, of small victories, disasters averted, and struggles that continue. For example, on February 24, 2017, this online community of prayer implored God to bless Marty Baron, editor of The Washington Post, “with whatever he needs to support and empower investigative journalism.” On April 16, 2018, the staff of The Washington Post received the Pulitzer Prize for investigative journalism for its “revelations about U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore” and they “shared the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.”24 Did a quick prayer on Facebook make the difference? Did our communal discipline of hope for the common good tip the scales? Probably not. But they shaped me, they formed a community, and they invited all that is good in the universe to help us in our present struggles.
1. McCord Adams, “Prayer as the ‘Lifeline of Theology,’” 272.
2. McCord Adams, “Prayer as the ‘Lifeline of Theology,’” 273.
3. McCord Adams, “Prayer as the ‘Lifeline of Theology,’” 273–74.
4. Heschel, “Their Feet Were Praying.”
5. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding, 2.
6. McCord Adams, “Prayer as the “Lifeline of Theology,” 271.
7. Rahner, Foundations of Christian Faith, 46–51.
8. For thoughtful reflection on religious community through electronic networks, see Thompson, The Virtual Body of Christ.
9. Saliers, Soul in Paraphrase, 9, 27–28, 77.
10. Gratitude has become a topic of much research. Morin, “Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude.”
11. Saliers, Soul in Paraphrase, 11.
12. See Harak, Virtuous Passions and Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination.
13. McCord Adams, “Prayer as the ‘Lifeline of Theology,’” 279.
14. Thurman, Disciplines of the Spirit, 101.
15. Thurman, Disciplines of the Spirit, 101.
16. Calvin, Institutes, II. 852.
17. Hallesby, Prayer, 14.
18. Hallesby, Prayer, 22.
19. McCord Adams, “Prayer as the ‘Lifeline for Theology,’” 274–75.
20. McCord Adams, “Prayer as the ‘Lifeline for Theology,’” 278.
21. Andrade and Rahakrishnan, “Prayer and healing,” 247–53.
22. Doubleff, “Fetal cells may protect mom from disease.”
23. Sample, “We are all made of stars.”
24. Washington Post Staff, “Washington Post’s 2018 Pulitzer Prizes.”
Prayers
January 24, 2017
Every day I will pray for those who resist. Today, I pray blessing and protection for the badass people at the Badlands.25
January 25, 2017
I pray this evening for water protectors
