Pragmatism and Prayer

It has been said that pragmatism is the true American religion. We test things to see if they work. If it works then it must be true and right. The problem is that we lack perspective. We judge what works by what we see in the world around us. We take the short view, the human view. As a result we misjudge both God and Man. We have decided that we are the scientists and that we will experiment with the world and prove or disprove truth using our minds. We live as if we are the final judges. We have decided that we can get all the information we need from the world around us, from the tangible and corporeal. We can judge the goodness, even the truth value, of something based on our observations. We have decided that if it works, or more precisely, if it works for me then it must be true.

We confidently assert that certain things are true or false, even though we are too small, our perspectives too limited, and our lives too short to gather the data that we would need to prove our grandiose assertions. There are many problems with this perspective; a key one is that we know that this world is not all that there is. There is another world, another level of existence that does not submit itself to our scientific and pragmatic pursuits. If we looked only at this world, we reach faulty conclusions. The bookstores of the world are full of books promoting “what works” in the areas of business, religion, sex, health, nutrition, and virtually any other aspect of our lives. We have reduced life to a series of “how to” books, lectures, and seminars. We have focused on methodologies for “success” in all aspects of our lives, but these systems and techniques are based on limited data and faulty presuppositions.

The fact is that in this world the evil will sprout up like grass and the wicked will flourish. (Ps. 92) The wicked and arrogant are prosperous and their lives are good; in fact, they are so luxurious and easy as to provoke envy from worshipers of God. (Ps. 73) If you take a look at those who rise to the top in most professions, it is not because of their godly character and adherence to biblical principles. It is because they have discovered how to work the systems of this world. They have learned the techniques which allow them to manipulate people and to take what they want regardless of the consequences to others or to their own souls. This would be cause for great despair if this world was all there is, but there will be a reckoning. There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death. (Pr. 14 & 16) What will count in the end is not technique, but relationship. The foundation of the created order is not a system of natural laws, but the Creator God who will not allow Himself to be reduced to a formula that can be scientifically tested. The laws that govern the universe are descriptive, not prescriptive; they are descriptions of the way that He normally works, not “laws” that exist over or apart from Him.

I wonder if the prayerlessness of the Western Church can not, at least in part, be traced back to the pragmatic application of Enlightenment ideals. What started out as a pursuit of God and a quest to understand how He created the universe has been hijacked by those who believe that Truth is knowable apart from God. Scripture tells us that “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor. 2:14) Our wisdom and our thinking has become futile. (Rom 1: 8, Ps. 94, 1 Cor. 3:20) We were made for God, but that relationship and understanding can only be laid hold of when the Spirit is given. It’s not a result of methods or works, but a free gift of God. Life is about doxology not methodology, it’s about relationship with, worship of, and obedience to Christ not adherence to a system or applying the right techniques to get what we want. We simply cannot control to whom God gives His spirit. We cannot make Him do anything, even by using prayer.

We cannot pray because it works. It does work, but not always in the way that we expect. I often hear that there is power in prayer. That is not actually correct. Prayer is not merely a tool to be used, but a conversation to be had. God answers prayer, plain and simple; but He is not a tame God who can be domesticated and manipulated. Teachings on prayer that promises to produce a quick return on your investment or certain results with a money back guarantee have reduced God to a vending machine. These ideas and practices have more in common with paganism and animistic magic than they do with the God of Scripture. God will not be mocked or used for our own selfish ends. (Jam. 4:3) Prayer is first and foremost a humble response to the Sovereign and Almighty God to whom all power and glory belong and who is worthy of honor and praise and worship forever and ever. I pray because there is only one God and I am not Him.