Nature Abhors a Vacuum

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV

Teach us – Heschel provides an amazing collection of thoughts about prayer.  Here’s the one we will deal with today: “Prayer cannot live in a theological vacuum.  It comes out of insight.”[1]  When the disciple asked Yeshua to teach them how to pray, it wasn’t just about the intensity of kavvanah.  Behind every word in the model that Yeshua provided are deep theological insights.  Prayer doesn’t exist without them.  It’s not simply a matter of repeating the words, even if we repeat them with the full devotion of kavvanah.  We must also attempt to comprehend what we are saying, and I don’t mean understand the vocabulary.  I mean apprehend, appreciate, and acknowledge the theology in this model called “the Lord’s prayer.”  Mouthing the words without the insight is probably a chillul (an offense to God).

We’ve tiptoed into this realm with our brief look at “our Father” in previous investigations.  But that only cracks open the door.  There is so much more.  And if the disciple’s question is also our question, then we are obligated to look deeply before we can pray fervently.  Prayer is cognitively prepared emotional awareness.  It’s God’s gift of insight pressed through our expectation and acceptance.

“ . . . prayer has the power to generate insight;  . . Often where reflection fails, prayer succeeds.  What thinking is to philosophy, prayer is to religion.”[2]

The task ahead is suddenly enormous.  So much has been written about the model prayer.  One of the seminal studies was done by Ernst Lohmeyer (Amazon CLICK HERE) more than 60 years ago; a remarkable study (which we might look at some time, there are some other versions that are not so expensive).  Some technical updates are needed but the insightsare very valuable.  And this is only one of the important theological examinations.  Oh, if we only had eternity to investigate them all.  But since we don’t, we’ll have to do what we can—and remember:

“It is easier to study than to pray.  It is harder to become a God-fearing person than a scholar.  The evil spirit permits learning.”[3]

Topical Index: prayer, the Lord’s prayer, Heschel, insight, Luke 11:1

[1] Abraham Heschel, Between God and Man: An Interpretation of Judaism (Free Press Paperbacks, 1959), p. 211.

[2] Ibid..

[3] Abraham Heschel, A Passion for Truth, p. 56.