Pastori Nina
RUKOUS – TYHJÄN HOKEMISTA?
Tänään, toukokuun 2 päivä, on kansallinen rukouspäivä. Mietin taas kerran rukouksen
merkitystä itselleni.
Lapsuudenkotini ei ollut erityisen uskonnollinen. Äiti kuitenkin opetti iltarukouksen, jota
muistan iltaisin hokeneeni ollessani vaihto-oppilaana 17-vuotiaana Yhdysvalloissa
vuoden ajan. Se toi minulle kaiken uuden ja erilaisen keskellä turvallisuuden tunnetta,
että ei ole yksin sekä tuttuutta.
Jeesus sanoo Matteuksen evankeliumissa (Matt 6:7) että “Rukoillessanne älkää hokeko
tyhjää niin kuin pakanat, jotka kuvittelevat tulevansa kuulluiksi, kun vaan latelevat
sanoja.”
Onko lapsena opittu iltarukous tyhjän hokemista? En tiedä. Kuitenkin, jos se tuo
turvallisuuden tunnetta, tunnetta että ei ole yksin, ehkä se ei olekaan tyhjän hokemista.
RUKOUS – SUORITTAMISTA?
Pari vuosikymmentä sitten liityin oman seurakuntani rukouspiiriin. Kokoonnuimme
piiriläisen kotona kerran viikossa. Istuimme ringissä ja rukolimme järjestyksessä, jokainen
vuorollaan. Jännitin oman vuoroni tuloa paljon. Niin paljon, etten juurikaan keskittynyt
itse rukoukseen. Kuuntelin toisten hienosti asettamia sanoja.
‘Osaanko sanoa jotain merkityksellistä? Mitä jos en saa sanaa suustani?’ Oman vuoron
jälkeen tunsin vielä jonkinlaista jälkijännitystä.
Erilaiset lähteet antavat ohjeita siitä, miten pitäisi rukoilla. Pää painuksissa, pää
kohotettuna ylös, kädet ristissä, kämmenet auki ja kohollaan, istuen, polvillaan ja niin
edelleen, ääneen, hiljaisesti.
Lisäksi meille opetetaan, erilaisia rukouslajeja – kiitosrukous, ylistysrukous, pyyntörukous, rukous jonkun puolesta ja niin edelleen.
On erilaisia rukousoppaita, joiden mukaan Jumala vastaa rukouksiin, kun rukoilee tietyllä tavalla. Ohjeiden keskellä voi tulla mieleen että onko rukous suoritus, joka voidaan arvostella? Pastori Nina
PRAYER – CHANTING EMPTY WORDS?
Today, May 2, is the National Day of Prayer. Once again, I think about the meaning of
prayer for myself.
My childhood home was not particularly religious. However, my mother taught me the
evening prayer that I remember saying in the evenings when I was an exchange student
for a year in the United States at the age of 17. In the midst of everything new and
different it brought me of a sense of security and familiarity and a sense that you are not
alone.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:7, "When you pray, do not utter empty words like the Gentiles,
who think they will be heard when they utter words."
Is evening prayer learned as a child an empty chant? I don't know. However, if it brings a
sense of security, a feeling of not being alone, maybe it's not just uttering empty words.
PRAYER – PERFORMING?
A couple of decades ago, I joined my congregation's prayer circle. We met at a prayer
circle member's home once a week. We sat in a circle and prayed in order, each in turn. I
was very nervous about my turn coming. So much so that I hardly focused on the prayer
itself. I listened to the words of others so well said.
'Can I say something meaningful? What if I can't get a word out of my mouth?' After my
turn, I still felt some tension afterwords.
Various sources give instructions on how to pray. Head bowed, head raised, fingers
crossed, palms open and raised, sitting, kneeling, and so on, loudly, quietly.
In addition, we are taught different types of prayer – thanksgiving prayer, praise prayer,
pleading prayer, prayer for someone, and so on.
There are various prayer guides that say God answers prayers when you pray in a certain
way.
In the midst of the instructions, it may come to mind: is prayer an accomplishment that
can be evaluated?
PRAYER – IS ANYBODY LISTENING? DOES GOD LISTEN?
When my child was born 44 years ago, he had to undergo light therapy due to jaundice.
The doctor said that if his bilirubin levels do not improve in the next measurement, he
will be sent to Helsinki for a blood transfusion. I panicked. I prayed that the values
would fall.
There was a feeling that when you talk to God about it, you are not alone with it.
Bilirubin levels had decreased in the next measurement so that he was removed from
light therapy.
Did prayer help with this? I don't know. In any case, it helped me.
Then, when this child of mine was diagnosed with brain cancer, it felt like I was in
constant prayer. I asked friends and strangers to pray. I prayed on his deathbed. Again, I
had the feeling that when you talk and shout to God about it, you are not alone with it.
After the child's death, prayer ceased and ended. There was nothing more to say.
Long-term stress experienced, various great shocks, losses, and crises can cause the
person who praid before to stop praying. There is neither strength nor desire.
PRAYER – BREATHING?
It is said that prayer is breathing. That is a comforting thought for me. God himself
breathes in us. He created us, breathed the spirit into us, and breathes in us. Our
breathing alone is prayer. He is not somewhere far away and only reachable through
prayer properly formulated and performed, but he is present in us through his Spirit.
God knows how I'm doing, what scares me, what makes me angry, why I'm
disappointed.
No need to worry if prayer does not feel like something you want to do. After all, God is
involved in everything. Pastor Nina
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