John Piper: Are You Praying Like a Non-Christian?
There are many self-identified Christians in the world who are praying as if they were non-Christians, says theologian John Piper, adding that when nonbelievers pray, something is missing.
On Monday, Piper posted a message on his website desiringGod titled, "Do You Pray like a Nonbeliever?" in which he notes, according to the 2010 book Operation World — a practical guide instructing believers how to pray for every nation in the world — in the eastern European nation of Latvia, most Christians are nominal. Even as a sizable 60 percent of the population "belong to a Christian confession," very few actively practice their faith.
Some people go to great lengths to pray but do not love God, Piper contends, and this is the case today just as it was in Jesus' time. Because everyone wants protection, provision, good health, peace, and justice, Christians and non-Christians alike pray to God for them.
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"Every religion prays for [these things], more or less. So do the non-religious, when things get scary enough," the theologian added.
But when true believers pray, their heart is that the "supremely treasured Christ be supremely magnified in answer to every prayer," he continued.
The Christian Post reported back in March that according to a Pew Research study, fewer Americans are praying. While some 55 percent continue to report that they pray at least once a day, adults who seldom or never pray has increased from 18 percent to 23 percent since 2007.
Such changes were tied to the growing share of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation. Religiously unaffiliated adults pray far less frequently compared with those who identify with a religion, and an increasing share of religious "nones" said they seldom or never pray, according to the study.
Neither Pharisees nor Gentiles are immune from the corruption of prayer, Piper added on Monday.
The Gospel recounts that the Pharisees made a public spectacle of their prayer lives by standing on street corners and synagogues speaking out lengthy prayers aimed at impressing other people.
Mark 12:40 reads that the religious leaders "devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers." And in the book of Matthew, Jesus warns: "Do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words," (Matthew 6:7).
The key distinction that sets the Christian prayer life apart from nominal prayers is that the Holy Spirit is involved and because of that, Christian prayers extend beyond the physical into the realm of the spirit. In other words, Christians pray for more, not less.
When praying for physical needs like shelter, for example, Piper urges believers not just to ask God for a place to shield them from physical "heat and cold and rain," but also "from the greater heat of your wrath, and from the cold of hate, and from the flood of destruction that comes upon all unbelief."
"I am pleading for all Christians to pray like real Christians. I am pleading that you never give into the criticism that it is more loving to ask God to give people his gifts but not himself. I am pleading that all prayer be Christ-exalting, God-centered, sin-confessing, Spirit-dependent, promise-trusting, holiness-pursuing prayer. In other words, I am pleading that we really love people when we pray for them," Piper concluded.
