“People are impelled to pray, we must do so. Prayer is an action as well as a supplication to the Lord that he will put us in that posture which is pleasing to him.”
This small snippet of Karl Barth on what it means to pray has been on my mind quite recently. I always try to avoid in my preaching human agency or action, so as not to make it seem like human action is more important than the actions that God has taken in the world. Indeed, it is good for us to be animated toward fervent love for one another, even our enemies. Yet, it is God’s love that first made all that possible. Probably the reason why this quote sticks out to me so much is because it is one of the few times I can think of Barth talking about human action in a more positive light. Human action, for all the good it can do, often leads to bad consequences. I can’t think about all the times I think that I am doing something good, and it turned out to be one of the more selfish actions that I have taken in my life.
Prayer itself is an action that opens us up to transformation, and an openness to disruption in our lives and how we see the world. It asks us to look around us and notice through all available senses to where the needs of our communities and beyond lay. To pray is to take action. However, prayer is more than a practice in itself. It must animate us to move toward these needs and act towards these needs so as to make heaven and earth move closer together. As we move into this Lenten season, I am reminded about the prayer that our Lord teaches us where he states, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Earth and heaven are to mirror each other as places where the reign of God comes freely, moving through us all so as to create a just and great society on this earth. It starts with individuals and communities willing to move together into finding those moments where the needs of our communities and beyond lay most manifest. So, as you continue on in this Lenten season, remember to pray, keeping all senses open to the possibility of the kingdoms inbreaking into you, your community, and every place beyond.
God Bless!
Pastor Evan Meester, March 2026
