( 1 Tim 2,1-6a ) - [ Deutsch ]
Well, I speak from my own experience, as my parents and grandparents did with me and as I now do with my children. I pray with them, it is part of the evening routine: a joint devotion, a discussion about what the Bible verse means in our own lives, joys and worries and fears are discussed, and then we fold our hands and pray together.
Prayer is our connection to God.
Paul in 1 Timothy in chapter 2 says the following about prayer:
1First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, requests, and thanksgivings be offered to God for all people;
2 for kings and all others who are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceful life with all reverence toward God and with proper conduct.
3 This is good and it pleases God our Savior,
4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to know the truth.
5 For there is one God, and there is one who brings God and human beings together, the man Christ Jesus,
6 who gave himself to redeem the whole human race. That was the proof at the right time that God wants everyone to be saved,
Dear congregation,
I cannot imagine our church without prayer. Neither can Paul. Everyone is asked to pray in a friendly but firm way. I urge you, the text says. Prayer is important. And not only one should pray for all, but rather everybody should pray for everybody!
And praying may take on many different forms.
The apostle uses four terms here for praying. He exhorts to petition, prayer, intercession and thanksgiving.
In my mind I think about the people who are close to me, whom I know and who have certain worries and needs. But this is about something more than my own horizon and those who are close to me. It is about praying for all people.
That means, and this is always very challenging, to pray also for those I simply don't like; with those I am in conflict. Who have hurt me.
Putting aside my personal situation, praying for everyone means also praying for people who have made mistakes, who are responsible for the suffering of others. It requires the ability to look beyond my own sensitivities and needs when praying. I can ask God for that too.
And there's one group of people Paul mentions again in particular.
It shows that even for Christians at that time it was not a given to include these people in their prayers, since they had to suffer because of them again and again. One should pray for all and especially for the authorities, for those up there, for those in power, for those who are in charge. That is really asking too much, one or the other might have thought at that time. A limit has been reached, one or the other might say today. But it is important. They are human beings, beloved children of God. They have a specific responsibility, depending on their position.
They need to be prayed for, because they may have to make decisions that affect our lives. And we depend on these decisions as well. Whether we can live a free and self-determined life, or as it says in the language of the New Testament: a quiet and peaceful life, depends greatly on the authorities in our country. The instructions to pray are clearly formulated. But does it bring anything, praying?
Does it bring anything to pray for my parents not to separate? young people ask.
Is it worth praying for peace in the world when there are always new conflicts arising? young adults ask.
Is it worth praying that I won't lose my job? employees ask.
Is it worth praying that I will get well again? the sick ask. And I say: yes. Praying always brings me something. I come to rest, this moment belongs only to God and me and this community that gathers in prayer. Be it at the bedside of my children or here in the congregation. When I pray, I collect my thoughts and talk to God like a friend. I often have clarity after a prayer and I have the feeling that I can push forward, with renewed strength and a shift in direction sometimes. With a light on my path.
But the text is not about this question, that is so important to us, whether praying brings something. It simply says: "Prayer is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour.
Prayer is our way of relating to God, that is how the author of the text sees it. And it is important because it reminds us of something crucial: we owe our lives not to ourselves, but to God.
Praying, especially praying for others, for all others, prevents selfishness. To pray reminds us that I am not alone in this world. Other people also have problems and worries and needs.
This puts me in a larger context, sometimes I see my own problems and worries in a different light. Prayer connects me with other people and makes it clear to me that I should take responsibility for others as well.
For God wants all people to be helped and to come to the knowledge of the truth; and this by praying for each other.
The theologian Dorothee Sölle, whose death was commemorated about a fortnight ago on the 20th anniversary of her death, once put it this way: praying is rebellion. He who prays does not say: "So it is and amen!" He says, "This is how it is! And this is not how it should be!" And this and that should be changed! Prayer is an intensive preparation for life.
Preparing for life - that is my desire for my children. And that includes bringing God into their nursery. I wish you, dear baptismal family, that you will succeed in this.
Amen