Can I pray for you right now?

We do many things without thinking about them. I've learned a lot just by growing up in the Vineyard church. I've absorbed many of the Vineyard practices, but I've never really realized the theology behind them. Now that I'm a little bit older and cooler, I feel like I sort of understand some of the theological underpinnings in this question. That is, I love this practice, but I've never really understood the meaning behind it. One of my favorite sermon series that I've heard is one on the Lord's Prayer. This pastor went through line by line basically outlining the theology behind each section. So I will try my hand at getting the theology behind this little question that I grew up hearing in the Vineyard church.

These seven words have been instrumental for the way that I approach someone in prayer.

"Can I pray for you right now?"

They're not magical. They're not overly spiritual. They're not a secret code into figuring out Jesus. They're not a formula for supernatural encounters.

They're simple.

They're easy.

They're real.

But what does this question mean?

What are the presuppositions that I might have in asking this question?

First, I am asking if I can pray for you. This little modal verb is asking for permission from you. I don't know how many times I've heard some bad news from someone and then in my Christian response said, "Oh, I'll be praying for you" and eventually forget about that person's needs. But with this can is my immediate response to what's going on in your life, and then asking for permission to lift you up in prayer in that moment. It's a way in which I realize the gravity of the situation and then proceed into praying with you.

This is not to say that intercession on behalf of someone is not good, but intercession on behalf of someone should be a fallback if this question is responded to in the negative.

Also, there is a highly communal aspect at play here. When I ask someone if I can pray for them, I in turn am asking them if they would like me to join with them in fellowship with God and offer prayers of supplication, petition, intercession, etc. I am asking them if they would like my company in prayer. It is the koinonia. It is this one-ness. This shared experience. I am alongside you. Praying with you. Interceding with you. Joining with you in this struggle or burden. And we then, as we join together, are coming into the throne room of the Almighty God who hears our prayers. The Triune God who hears us crying out to him in prayer. In John 17, Jesus prays for all believers to be in him as he is in God. When we pray in Jesus' name, we are in turn joining in the work of Jesus. We aren't simply praying in a static word, but we are imitating the living, vivid Word of God. The infinite Yes to humanity. We are invited into what he already is doing. We get to partner with God.

So when I ask if I can pray for you, I am in a way thinking in the "two or more are gathered" mindset (Matthew 18:20). We are together with God.

And this prayer is an immediate response. The right now indicates my saying that what you're going through right now should be lifted up in prayer. It doesn't matter how big the situation is. Prayer should be the first response for times of trouble. I know that often prayer is the last thing on our minds when things are not going well, but in these situations, we turn to God first and always.

Which then brings me to my last presupposition when I ask if I can pray for you right now: God. This question reveals the belief that God is at work in this situation and that God moves to the sounds of our prayers. It shows the belief that God is going to act in this moment and that God is not far off from our pains. Many of the Psalms have this motif of "God, hear our prayer" because when we pray, we know that there is someone on the other line. It's not pure catharsis to pray or to make ourselves feel better. We pray because we know that God is quick to act. We pray because God knows the needs of his children.

So, can I pray for you right now?