by The Rev. Susan W. N. Ruach, Ed.D.
In 1995 I was attending the Clergywomen’s Consultation in Atlanta. My mother had died two months before and my dad was in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s. There was a prayer time, in which individuals came to microphones to offer their prayer requests. As I listened praying for each one, I began to notice that often the person would make a specific request followed by a more general one such as “I pray for your healing of Candice who has just be diagnosed with breast cancer and for all who are struggling with cancer.” or “Lord, be with Jackie and Phil who are having marital trouble and for all who are having problems in their marriage.” My prayer then was for my father and for all who were caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. Each person was sharing her concern and generalizing it to others in the same situation. Their difficult times became the occasion to pray for others as well. It is one way to pray when a difficult time comes.
No one escapes difficult times. When the difficult time comes to Christians, we are inclined to pray. And as the pastor, when we pray with persons during their difficult times, our prayers not only connect to God, but also our prayers in such situations help teach, frame situations and give perspective to the hearts and minds of the people involved.
And what about the collective difficult times—war, weather emergencies, violence in the streets? How do we pray most faithfully in difficult times?
In this issue of Leading from the Center Neil Christie, Assistant General Secretary at the General Board of Church and Society explores praying faithfully in the midst of difficult times. My favorite sentence is “I also know that my own behavior gradually begins to resemble what I pray about and that my language makes a difference.” I will sit with that statement for a long time. There are also wonderful questions for us to ponder in this article.
In addition, Tony Peterson reviews Prayers for Hope and Prayers for Courage. Tony is a New Solutions Project Manager at the General Board of Discipleship.
In all times but especially in difficult times, may God teach us how to pray.
Susan W. N. Ruach is the Director of Conference Spiritual Leadership Development for the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN.
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