Justin Appel

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today’s readings include Jonah’s prayer of supplication, which he offered from the belly of the sea creature that had swallowed him.

Significantly, Jonah’s prayer contains clear similarities of form and expression to the Psalms. A quick glance at the footnotes in my Bible point to a number of specific psalms that Jonah seems to echo is his own prayers. Certainly, the themes of self-reflective supplication and deliverance seem remarkably informed by a close and regular hearing of prayers by David, Asaph, Hannah, etc.

This similarity of language reminds me of some observations about prayer I've heard from time to time by monk. Gradually, I'm beginning to see the truth in these ideas.

Jonah's prayer suggests a valuable principle for us by virtue of what is evidently an ancient practice. Even as Jonah learned to pray by hearing the psalms, we too should learn to pray by saying the prayers of saints.

Maybe this idea sounds strange to us, especially if our tradition uses a prayer book; but the reality is that our traditional prayers, collects, and psalms were composed by individuals who can teach us how to pray ‘in this way’. Indeed, all of us understand this principle when we pray the Lord’s Prayer.

As we strive to walk the ‘narrow way’ and learn more about ourselves, the painful reality we discover is that we don’t know God very well at all. Rather, we become aware of an enormous, gaping chasm between ourselves and the God who is blinding, unbearable, uncreated Light. How should we manage to speak and express ourselves to the God who created the universe, everything ‘visible and invisible’?

Clearly, contemporaneous prayer is not the only or ideal model to learn how to pray, because I don’t know what to pray for, what language I should use, what posture I should assume (mentally or physically), and there’s always the danger my prayer will be to some being of my own invention, rather than real communication with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

So, prayers by particular saints — whether psalms or canticles, prayers from more ‘modern’ saints, or compiled prayer books — can shape us to the point where we, like the prophet Jonah, can offer a psalm-like prayer in our distress.

Yours in Christ,
Justin