Prayer as a Means of Avoiding Cultural Captivity
Prayer is defined as converse with God, an intercourse of the soul with God through direct address, which can be oral or mental, occasional or constant [1]. It is an expression of reverence, love, gratitude, penitence, hope, submission, and desire for divine favor and blessings for oneself and others [8]. This spiritual discipline is presented in scripture and theological traditions as a vital means for believers to navigate and resist the pressures of the surrounding culture.
One primary way prayer helps avoid cultural captivity is by fostering a direct relationship with God, which reorients a believer's perspective away from worldly values. Jesus himself prayed that his followers would not be taken out of the world, but rather kept from the "Evil One" [2]. This suggests a divine intention for believers to remain distinct while living within society. The apostle Peter similarly urges believers to live as "foreigners and exiles," abstaining from "desires of the flesh, which war against your soul" [3]. Prayer, in this context, becomes a means of seeking divine strength to resist these internal and external pressures.
Calvin emphasizes that prayer involves laying aside "carnal thoughts and cares" to achieve a "direct and pure contemplation of God," thereby raising the mind above itself [6]. This elevation of thought helps believers to discern and reject cultural norms that conflict with divine principles. Charles Hodge notes that even Jesus, with his "spotless soul," frequently retired for prayer, sometimes spending entire nights in converse with God, setting an example for his followers to neglect no "important means of grace" [7]. This practice of regular, fervent prayer helps to cultivate a spiritual resilience against the pervasive influences of culture.
Prayer also serves as a means of seeking divine guidance and protection from temptation. Jesus instructed his disciples to "Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" [4]. This highlights prayer's role in strengthening the will against the inherent weaknesses of human nature, which can be exploited by cultural pressures. Calvin further explains that believers have no inherent strength to contend with the devil and must ask God for deliverance from evil, acknowledging their dependence on divine power [11].
Furthermore, prayer can be a means of seeking God's intervention in specific circumstances, including deliverance from captivity or affliction. The prophet Jeremiah instructed the exiles in Babylon to "Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Yahweh for it; for in its peace you shall have peace" [5]. This demonstrates that prayer is not merely for personal spiritual growth but also for engaging with and influencing the broader societal context, even when in a state of cultural subjugation. John Gill, commenting on 1 Kings 8:49, notes that the Israelites prayed for deliverance out of captivity and for God to "maintain their cause" [10]. Matthew Henry also observes that the people of God in captivity were encouraged to inquire of God concerning the "issue of their troubles" and were assured they would not wait in vain [13].
The efficacy of prayer is rooted in faith and confidence in God. Calvin states that the only prayer acceptable to God "springs... from this presumption of faith, and is founded on the full assurance of hope" [9]. This confidence distinguishes believers from unbelievers and is essential for prayer to be effective. Aquinas, from a Catholic scholastic perspective, notes that prayer is meritorious because it proceeds from charity and has efficacy in both meriting and impetrating [12]. This means prayer is not only a virtuous act but also a means through which believers can obtain grace and divine assistance, which are crucial for resisting cultural assimilation.
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Prayer — Is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching the Lord" (Ex. 32:11); "pouring out the soul before the Lord" (1 Sam. 1:15); "praying and crying to heaven" (2 Chr. 32:20); "seeking unto God and making supplication" (Job 8:5); "drawing near to God" (Ps. 73:28); "bowing the knees" (Eph. 3:14). Prayer presupposes a belief in the personality of God, his ability and willingness to hold inter”
- John “John 17:15 (BBE) — My prayer is not that you will take them out of the world, but that you will keep them from the Evil One.”
- I Peter “I Peter 2:11 (BSB) — Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul.”
- Mark “Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” -- Mark 14:38”
- Jeremiah “Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Yahweh for it; for in its peace you shall have peace. -- Jeremiah 29:7”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: framed as becomes those who are entering into converse with God. This we shall accomplish in regard to the mind, if, laying aside carnal thoughts and cares which might interfere with the direct and pure contemplation of God, it not only be wholly intent on prayer, but also, as far as possible, be borne and raised above itself. I do not here insist on a mind so disengaged as to feel none of the gnawings of anxiety; on the contrary, it is by much anxiety that the fervor of prayer is inflamed. Thus we see that the holy servants of God”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 73: vi. 6 .) The Bible presents to us the example of the people of God, and of our blessed Lord himself, as a rule of conduct on this subject. We read that Christ often retired for the purpose of prayer, and not unfrequently spent whole nights in that exercise. If the spotless soul of Jesus needed these seasons of converse with God, none of his followers should venture to neglect this important means of grace. Let each day, at least, begin and end with God. Social prayer includes family prayer, and prayer in the assemblies of the people for s”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 73: § 20. Prayer. Prayer is the converse of the soul with God. Therein we manifest or express to Him our reverence, and love for his divine perfection, our gratitude for all his mercies, our penitence for our sins, our hope in his forgiving love, our submission to his authority, our confidence in his care, our desires for his favour, and for the providential and spiritual blessings needed for ourselves and others. As religion, in the subjective sense of the word, is the state of mind induced by the due apprehension of the character of God and”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: what we ask, a confidence which the Lord commands, and all the saints teach by their example, we must therefore hold fast with both hands, if we would pray to any advantage. The only prayer acceptable to God is that which springs (if I may so express it) from this presumption of faith, and is founded on the full assurance of hope. He might have been contented to use the simple name of faith, but he adds not only confidence, but liberty or boldness, that by this mark he might distinguish us from unbelievers, who indeed like us pray ”
- 1 Kings (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Kings 8:49: Then hear thou their prayers, and their supplication, in heaven thy dwellingplace,.... For their deliverance out of captivity: and maintain their cause; plead it, and do them justice, avenge their injuries, and deliver them. Then hear thou their prayers, and their supplication, in heaven thy dwellingplace,.... For their deliverance out of captivity: and maintain their cause; plead it, and do them justice, avenge their injuries, and deliver them. 1 Kings 8:50 kg1 8:50 kg1 8:50 kg1 8:50And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgression”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: power of the devil; in other words, be delivered from evil. Here it is carefully to be observed, that we have no strength to contend with such a combatant as the devil, or to 2197 sustain the violence of his assault. Were it otherwise, it would be mockery of God to ask of him what we already possess in ourselves. Assuredly those who in self-confidence prepare for such a fight, do not understand how bold and well-equipped the enemy is with whom they have to do. Now we ask to be delivered from his power, as from the mouth of some fur”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of Prayer, Art. 15: Article: Whether prayer is meritorious? I answer that, As stated above (Article [13]) prayer, besides causing spiritual consolation at the time of praying, has a twofold efficacy in respect of a future effect, namely, efficacy in meriting and efficacy in impetrating. Now prayer, like any other virtuous act, is efficacious in meriting, because it proceeds from charity as its root, the proper object of which is the eternal good that we merit to enjoy. Yet prayer proceeds from charity through the med”
- Isaiah (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Isaiah 45:11: The people of God in captivity, who reconciled themselves to the will of God in their affliction and were content to wait his time for their deliverance, are here assured that they should not wait in vain. I. They are invited to enquire concerning the issue of their troubles, Isa 45:11. The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, though he does not allow them to strive with him, yet encourages them, 1. To consult his word: "Ask of me things to come; have recourse to the prophets and their prophecies, and see what they say concerning these things. Ask the watchmen, Wha”