What is the point of prayer?

My response to another question from the Coalface Network mailing list regarding the point of prayer and whether it is just a "cop out" allowing Christians to ask God to do something to change the world instead of getting out there and changing the world themselves...

The point of prayer is to "re-vision" the way we believe the world should be. It is a way of recognizing the problems with how things are and focusing on how things should be.

Of course how this "works" (i.e., actually leads to real change in the world) is largely a mystery. There is almost certainly an element of "prayer changing us", where the process of re-visioning instills hope and motivation for the community to actually physically work on the changes in the world. Our tradition and wisdom literature, however, suggests there is more to it than just this.

One thing I believe we know for sure is that it *doesn't* work through miraculous interference in the world by God at our request. I think the accusation of prayer being a "cop out" arises largely from a misunderstanding that God can and does perform miracles. Of course, for those who are looking at Christianity from an external view point, this misunderstanding is largely understandable as:

1) Many (most?) Christians, still hold a belief in a God who miraculously intervenes directly in the world. We urgently need a program of adult education within our churches to open people up to alternative ways of understanding God that don't require this belief.

2) The language and imagery we use in our liturgy, songs, prayers, and readings still talks about God in the way described above, even when people's beliefs have changed. While it is often suggested that the language is metaphorical and not meant to be taken literally, to the person looking in it is often not clear what is meant to be taken literally and what isn't. We desperately need new liturgy, songs, etc. that use imagery and language that capture alternative ways of
understanding God.

In talking to a person who is not part of the church, I think we need to be honest that we know a little about how it *doesn't* work and we have some ideas about how it *might* work. We *believe* it has immense value despite not understanding it completely. Then ask them to *experience* it as an adjunct (rather than an alternative) to getting out there and doing
something.