06.14.07
Evil Prayers
by Bobby Valentine
The band of Jewish believers to whom the Lord’s brother, James, wrote was congregation in turmoil. Reading through the letter reveals a collective life in serious jeopardy. Some disciples were having trouble with loving speech patterns. Others embraced a theology that left their lives devoid of merciful actions toward others. And it appears that a few had problems with submitting to God himself.
But perhaps one of the more disturbing aspects of James’ epistle is learning about these followers evil prayers! Sounds like an oxymoron but that is what we read of. In James 4.1-6 we learn that some of the members of this congregation had a problem with envy. Envy always produces conflict. James says that “fights and quarrels†(4.1) are rooted in evil “desires†(or “cravings†NRSV). Notice that James even mentions killing (v.2). I don’t know if James is using hyperbole but he knows that the logic of competition moves in the direction of elimination. Surely, this is a sorry state of affairs for a congregation of the Prince of Peace.
These believers’ envy even drives their prayers! They pray but they pray perversion. Luke Johnson writes in his Anchor Bible Commentary, “James now turns to the ultimate perversion of envy: it is possible to turn to God in prayer, yet do so wickedly … Their prayer itself is evil in the way that the tongue is characterized as a ‘world of wickedness.’â€
These disciples had thought of God as some kind of vending machine for their self-gratification. Prayer is kingdom driven and seeks God’s wisdom (1.5). In the wisdom of God we ask for holy gifts. Gifts that help produce love and shalom in our families, harmony in our congregations, and service toward the poor.
What about me? or you? Do we offer up “evil†prayers? James calls us to take a look at what is flowing from our tongue, not just to each other but to our Father in heaven. What drives the prayers we pray—envy or love? Kingdom prayer is driven by sacrificial love for our brothers and sisters. So lets covenant to pray righteous prayers.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Bob Bliss said,
June 15, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Bobby, I would imagine that many of us reading your post and reflecting on the community to whom James wrote might have a tendency to say what rotten scoundrels they were. I was reading Ezra 9:5-15 the other day and was amazed at how Ezra identified so completely with the people of Israel as he prayed to God. It wasn’t “I’m sorry for how bad THEY are” but rather “I’m sorry for how bad WE are.” I hope that I never stand apart from my brethren and think that I am above them. May we all (including me) be driven by purer motives in our prayer life.Bobby Valentine said,
June 15, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Bob that is a good point. You will also find some amazing “identification” with the people in Nehemiah 1. Here Nehemiah says things like “I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you.” (1.6). Ministers are from and among the people … perhaps this is also why the priest had to be “from” the people. How can we come to God if we do not really identify with, even the sins, of “our” people? Shalom, Bobby ValentineBob Bliss said,
June 16, 2007 at 5:08 am
Daniel also identified with the sins of Israel in Daniel 9. Perhaps those pesky “ritualists and legalists” of the Old Testament have more than a thing or two to teach we New Testament “gracists.” I wonder as well about the application of Matthew 23:29-33. The Pharisees and Scribes held themselves above their fathers who killed the prophets, “If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.” When we claim to be better than others we make it an us vs. them and we became arrogant and blind to the reality of sin in us. This is an occupational hazard for we preachers. I know I have to guard against feeling superior to some, even when their sin is so obvious.Gallagher said,
June 20, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Bobby, As I am reading through the Bible this year, I am seeing the Psalms in a dfferent light than ever before. I see David calling for God’s vengence on a group of people, usually his enemies. At first I found this disturbing that a “man of God” would call for teh vengence of God on a group of people instead of praying for their welfare as troubled humans, but it got me thinking in our prayers. You (and Bob) make some good points we need to digest in our communication with God. Great food for thought!