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Receiving

God

into

Our

Lives

5748

(1987)

One of the mysteries of our high-tech times replete with undreamed of achievements in space exploration, medical research and communication speed is that contrary to the beliefs of many, religion has neither declined not disappeared. True, scientific miracle has lessened men’s dependence on the incredible. But religion, Twentieth Century religion, has continued to move men and women of many faiths to create spiritual miracles that have changed the course of history and enlisted thousands and millions in what seemed at first only impossible dreams. Mother Theresa, Dorothy Day, Ayatollah Khoumeni, Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu, Abraham Heshel, Eli Wiesel, Anatoly Sharansky and many others are heroes who have mobilized so many of us and so many more to believe, and do.

Though we know most about their heroes struggles and achievements, it behooves us to look more deeply at what might not sell newspapers, but might far better explain how they are able to labor long and greatly succeed at such amazing tasks.

How is it that these people are able to persevere in life’s most onerous and dangerous endeavors?

How is it that they can prevail, in the face of entrenched power and overwhelming odds?

Today I propose that instead of simply enumerating and cheering such heroic achievements we look at the sources of their power. For we are looking at religious people. They each have one thing in common and we too share that commonality prayer. Here we are gathered in worship. Yet many who gather, in these days wonder, what they gain from prayer. Is there more to worship than merely beautiful words and lovely music? Of course. And when we face towering human figures who transform nations and galvanize multitude, it becomes clear that we too might greatly profit if we would tap the amazing spiritual powers which they have driven are available to all of God’s children.

So let us look to them and ask them to teach us to pray. Let us put aside all the arguments against prayer and our doubts about its effectiveness. And let us ask these great worshippers to show is the effective way to pray.

Firstly great worshippers would say: Pray receptively. Yet receptivity is a technique foreign to many of us. Most of modern life requires that we be aggressive. We must do something to the world that takes energy and effort if we are to be productive and successful.

The failure of much of prayer, lies in the fact that when we pass from our workaday world with the pressures upon us to be aggressive and demanding—to what we call prayer we do no change our technique. Despite the belief that we are praying, we are still secular. We’re still trying to gain out goal and work our will. That’s because for many, prayers is simply another way of getting what we want.

But our prayers on these days say:

"Help me do they will with a perfect heart."

We are called upon to be receptive -- to be appreciative of what God wants of us and not only of what we ask of him. The very essence of these Holy Days is to receive into our hearts God’s high and noble ideals, and to do them with a perfect heart.

These days and therefore Judaism calls upon us to receive the yoke of Heaven: To banish evil and overcome violence -- to free the captive, lift up the fallen and to heal the sick.

The psalmist said: "I will listen to what the Lord God, will speak will speak."

Over and over again that’s what we see in great lives. God asks:

"Who shall I send, and who shall go for us?" Who will help Soviet Jews and South African Blacks? Who will rescue Falashas and plead for the victims of terror and hat? The call goes out. True prayer is to hear-receptively and to respond, faithfully. That’s what makes for great living.

Secondly, let us pray, affirmatively. Unfortunately, most prayer, is mainly begging. Most prayer conceives of God as some universal welfare worker dealing favors and rewards to those who live improvised and impotent lives.

Often in our desire and need to overcome some problem, habit of richness, our fervent petitions for God’s help makes the problem loom larger and our own powers seem less capable. Often in the way we turn to God, we diminish ourselves. We become abject supplicants. But begging, begets discouragement. It brings us, to the threshold of failure. "They encompass me about. Mine enemies buss like bees, ready to swarm at me. My pain is great. I stand in a slippery place." We too, are confronted and fearful. But the greatness of the Psalms is that in every Psalm there is an affirmative transformation.

The Lord is my Shepard I shall not want. He guideth me. He restoreth my Soul. Even in the Valley of Death, I shall fear no evil. Under life’s constant beating -- Thy Rod and Staff comfort me. My cup runneth over.

That is affirmative prayer. In sickness, healing thoughts; in fear, sustain faith; in discouragement a focus on inexhaustible resources. In such prayer we see beyond our troubled foreground to the great hopes aglow in life’s soaring background. In such prayer we do not beg, but prepare to receive because of our fellowship with a loving God. That is affirmative prayer.

Finally, let us pray undiscouraged. If we examine our prayers, we shall see that most of our private prayer us sealed to the short term. We ask for immediate fulfillment. Most of us believe in a "get rich quick" kind of prayer. But that is not great praying. It certainly in neither in keeping with the tone nor the message of our prayers on these Holy Days. Great praying, if you examine the very prayer book in your hand, is bound to the long-term enterprise of Judaism.

And it shall come to pass in the end of days. Such prayer moves spirits, from one generation to the next. It is not a substitute for action. Great prayer is a call to action.

On these awesome days, we pray for strength to renew Israel’s covenant with God we fill our prayers with witness of out own ethical and humanitarian actions. We are proving that we are undiscouraged in our roles as co-worker with God in the perfection of this world. In spite of disappointment and defeat we pray.

"Grant honor O Lord to your people; hope to those who seek you and continue courage to those who trust in you." We who gather here proclaim that we are still committed to turning swords into plowshares. We shall continue to work for control of nuclear weaponry and the promulgation of democracy in Central America.

We gather undiscouraged in prayer today, because we freely choose to respond to Judaism’s command that our lives devoted to the future hope of mankind. We shall remain undismayed by the Waldheims of the World and the Irangates in Washington.

The Lord of Hosts is exalted by the struggle for Justice
And the Holy God is sanctified through our righteous efforts.

Prayer in this light is not only for us, our children and families. Prayer here is not solely for our own peace of mind and private welfare. We are speaking of great prayer -- Columbus saying "Sail on." We are speaking of two hundred years of patriots’ dream. Ninety Years of Zionist Vision.

This summer in Atlanta I stood at the tomb of America’s Black Saint. "I have a dream!" he repeated -- and millions of descendants of slaves and sons of Israel marched and sand to fulfill his prayer. You don’t know Martin Luther kind by his Tomb, but by his prayer. From his prayer was born renewed strength, unflinching vision, that turned the accepted behavior of centuries into new patterns of human dignity. That’s great prayer Undiscouraged prayer.

Thus, if someone says such deep interior attitudes which you describe as prayer is certainly different from merely intoning prayers. Of course, prayer is great living. Prayer is the triumph of humanity exalted; and prophetic promise maintained and advanced. Prayer is our bond with centuries of seers -- the righteous, who have dreamed and kept faith with noble dream. We’re not tired. We’re not dropping out. Sustain us.

Do not let such prayer remain asleep or unrecognized in our lives. Lift it up. Make it radiant and powerful! For our life is too big to be understood merely by trappings -- only through our prayer must we be known.

"Help us o God to bind all the children of men into one holy bond of brotherhood, then the reign of evil shall vanish like smoke and Thy Sovereignty alone endure."

Amen.