Even though the Heidelberg Catechism calls prayer "the most important part" of our thankfulness, it has been pointed out that prayer is a much-neglected chapter among Reformed people. This is sadly true especially of the twentieth century in which we live.

During the time of the Reformation, the theme of pray­er was much discussed and elaborately treated in various theological or dogmatical works. Towards the turn of this century, however, most of the attention was devoted to the Law and very little space was reserved for prayer. The emphasis in the Reformed life had come to lie more on doing than on praying. ¹ Reflection and meditation have apparently made way for action.

It is necessary to engage in Christian social and political action. But it is imperative that this action is carried by the power of prayer. Therefore it is good, in this first editorial of the year 1987, to spend some lines on the importance and the function of prayer in our lives.

Restoration of Communication⤒🔗

We have come to accept the fact that good communication is basic to human survival. Since the Second World War most of our science, technology, and philosophy is directed to a bettering of our inter-human communication. What is feared most in our age, perhaps, is the possible breakdown of communication between the superpowers and the subsequent outbreak of a global conflict. At all costs, we say, communication must be restored and maintained!

Even more important, then, is our communication with God. For prayer is, simply, communication with the heaven­ly Father. Prayer does not require a difficult definition; it is a matter of speaking, communicating with the Lord. To communicate with the heavenly Father is the most impor­tant daily activity of a Christian.

We must remember that at one time man had broken communication with God. By the fall into sin, we had become totally estranged from the Lord. There was an unbridgeable gap between heaven and earth! This communication has now been restored by our Lord Jesus Christ. In His Name we may again communicate freely with the Father in heaven.

This new reality is not only a grand privilege, but it is also a great obligation. Where the communication with God has been restored in Christ, we must from our side daily maintain it in true faith. This is a foremost and basic issue in our lives.

From Inner Chamber to Outer Space←⤒🔗

The emphasis in Reformed life has come to lie indeed on doing, on action. We love to speak, and correctly so, of "the cultural mandate." Dr. Abraham Kuyper taught us that every area and inch of life belongs to Christ and must be claimed by us for Him! Dr. Klaas Schilder urged us to get out of the bomb shelter, put on our uniforms, and go out to battle! So we have emphasized Christian action in every field of life: educational, social, cultural, and politi­cal. Reformed people have set up one organization after the other for all kinds of important causes. We have become a highly organized people with many associations, statutes, and by-laws.

All this forms an integral part of our "gratitude." We are called to work to the glory of our God in all areas of life. So there is no reason to start knocking the existence and work of so many Reformed organizations.

But we must remember that the "most important part" of our thankfulness does not lie in the many outward activi­ties, but in that one inward activity. Before we plunge into outer space to fulfill our cultural mandate, we are to retreat into the inner chamber to pray. It is not work and (then) pray, but ora et labora, pray and work! This is the principle order in the life of thankfulness in which we have been placed by our Lord Jesus Christ.

There was a time when personal piety was stressed so much that the cultural mandate was forgotten. The big thing was to get into a monastery. Christians prayed and meditated all day long, without much concrete action. Today it seems to be the opposite: the life of prayer again needs to be em­phasized and rediscovered in many homes.

Promise of Hearing←⤒🔗

Many people are skeptical of the power of prayer. Does it make any difference, they ask, to pray? Has God not determined what shall happen, despite our prayers? Can it really be said of God that He responds to our prayers?

God does not need our prayers to carry out His sovereign will. Still He wants our prayers and has commanded us to call upon Him according to His Word! And He has added to the commandment to pray the promise of hearing, "When he calls to Me, I will answer Him; I will be with him in trouble, I will rescue him and honor him..." (Psalm 91:15).

Therefore our prayer is not a shot in the dark but an act of faith of which we know the outcome. The Lord desires our prayers so that in answering them He may carry out His sovereign will. As John wrote, "And this is the confidence which we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He will hear us" (1 John 5:14). It is this promise of hearing, contained in the Scriptures, which gives sense to prayer.

Recently I read, "Prayer is important, not because it changes the will or purpose of God, but because it is the means which God Himself has established for carrying out His work in this world. There is no necessity from God's side for prayer; He could have chosen to carry out His pur­pose in another way. But it has pleased Him to deal with us as the Hearer of prayer."²

Ora et Labora←⤒🔗

As we enter a new year to do all the work required of us in that year, we will continue in prayer. Much of our work will not have great impact on the world at large or even on our immediate surroundings. Sometimes we may even question whether our work has any significance. But if our work is done prayerfully, we may be assured that the Lord in responding allows us to work with Him for the com­ing of His kingdom.

Only if we pray, can we persevere. In our lives it is never a matter of God failing to give; it is always a matter of His children failing to ask. For God gives beyond our wildest dreams. "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not also give us all things with Him?" (Romans 8:32).