(This is the fifth and final post in my series comparing and contrasting 
Christian prayer with a magical worldview. If you missed the previous posts, you can find links to them all in here in part 4.)
I would summarize the differences between the magical and the New Testament views of prayer like this: Magic focuses on the manipulation of spiritual power in order to gain a measure of control over life’s circumstances.
One of the most notable features of ancient magical texts/prayers/spells/incantations is the frequency of words of command. I offer two short examples from the book Ancient Christian Magic:
First, a spell for healing –
Osphe, Osphe, Osphe, Yosphe, Yosphe, Yosphe,
Bibiou, Bibiou, Bibiou
Yasabaoth Adonai, the one who rules over the four corners of the world,
In whatever I want – I, [supply name], child of [ supply name], —
Now, now, at once, at once!
Second, an incantation for the power of blessing and cursing –
Yea, yea, for I admonish you by your manner of going in and your manner of going out and your manner of going up and your manner of coming down, that you shall listen to the words of my mouth and you shall act in accordance with the actions of my hands in every work of mine – every one, whether love or hate, whether favor or condemnation, whether binding or loosening, whether killing or vivifying, whether assembling or scattering, whether establishing or overthrowing…
Notice the various elements discussed in previous posts: the magician uses secret words, names and phrases, repetition, and words of command for the exact result desired. Notice, too, the language of “binding” and “loosing” for the power of blessing and cursing others; language that many Christians use today for their supposed “control” over demonic forces.
These traits all fit with my earlier description of magic as Utilitarian, focused on Immediacy achieved by mastering proper Technique.
In these different ways, the magician became a Master in control of his/her medium. Some people practice to become master musicians, others master woodcarvers, magicians became masters at imploring the spiritual powers to accomplish what they desired.
Petitionary prayer was a method of spiritual control.
I hope it is obvious that the magical goals of power and control are antithetical to Jesus’ own priorities in prayer.
Christian prayer is always directed by the understanding that our heavenly Father is in control, not us. Remember how Jesus taught the disciples to pray in (what we call) The Lord’s Prayer,
“Father in heaven, cause your kingdom to come, cause your will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
At his most desperate moment in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “Father, not my will, but your will be done.”
Whatever else may be involved, true Christian prayer begins by surrendering control to God.
We must stop trying to use prayer as a tool for getting what we want, when we want it, as we want it. Because, frankly, we are all too stupid, narrow-minded, selfish and short-sighted to have the foggiest notion of what’s best for us, or what God’s plan may be for us at any given moment.
Recall that even the apostle Paul admitted that his prayer life was entirely dependent on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit because he didn’t understand how he ought to pray or what he ought to request. Paul is wonderfully candid when he writes in Romans 8:26,
…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through groans that words cannot express.
We do not know what we ought to pray for.
This is not an excuse to stop praying. It an invitation to surrender our conspiracies at twisting prayer for pious manipulation. I will often stop in the middle of my prayers when I am feeling particularly lost or confused and simply ask the Lord to hear the Spirit’s prayers for me and do whatever the Holy Spirit is requesting — through His “groans that words cannot express” — on my behalf.
No, that’s not a cop-out. It is learning to pray like Paul. It is praying like Jesus.
It is not an excuse to stop bringing our requests before God’s throne. It is a reminder that our final request must always be a heartfelt “not my will, but your will be done.”
