To the Future

We can consider whether or not we are accepting God's generous invitation to approach Him in prayer, realizing that we can experience His love and power operating through our lives. Jesus taught in John chapter 15 about abiding in Him; He says:
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

We can be convinced that Jesus wants us to come before Him, to commune with Him and to offer our requests to Him in prayer.  Through His death and resurrection, He has made us alive in Him and granted that access to us.  We can decide to make prayer a priority, and instead of relying on ourselves and human wisdom, we can gain a sense of the matchless wisdom of God.  We can approach Him with frequency and with fervency - quantity and quality - so that we can see Him move in our lives and the lives of those for whom we pray.

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We have the incredible privilege of coming before God in prayer. When we face situations in our lives or become aware of the needs of others, we can be confident in the Lord and come before His throne, rather than simply choose to go in a more human-centered direction. Hebrews 4 states:
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The common narrative that has been built is that spiritual devotion or religious practice declines with youth; in other words, the older generations today are more faithful than the younger ones.

But a new survey released by the Church of England tells a different story, and if the results are consistent with what God is doing in other parts of the world, including here in America, it could give us reason for hope in the future.

The survey was conducted online in early July, according to ChristianHeadlines.com, and here are some of the findings, according to the article: 

• 56 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds said they have ever prayed.
• 41 percent of adults over 55 said they have ever prayed,
• 25 percent said they had prayed in the last month.

The article also says, "The survey also found that 48 percent of adults overall had ever prayed, while 28 percent said they had prayed in the past month." 

But, here's the somewhat encouraging news about younger people: the survey summary says that 32% of them had prayed within the last month.  That's 4 percentage points more than the average for all adults and 7% higher than the over-55 group.

Christian Headlines goes on to state that Dr. Stephen Hance, described as "national lead for evangelism and witness at the Church of England," said this: “These findings really challenge the all-too-common assumption that young people are not interested in faith or spiritual things,” adding, “In fact, they show us that — more than simply being interested in spirituality — they are already exploring it in practice, to a greater extent than their elders.”

The Christian Headlines article refers to a Faithwire story, which notes:

Unfortunately, when it comes to daily prayer, the numbers drastically fall. Only 13% of the survey’s 2,073 respondents reported praying on a daily basis. Fourteen percent of 18- to 34-year-olds said the same.

The survey was not limited to Christianity, but among Christians: "the survey found 66% have ever prayed and 19% do so on a daily basis."  That article also says:

The top three subjects of individuals’ prayers overall were “for my family and friends” (69%), “for people I know who are sick” (54%), and “to give thanks” (51%).

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, is quoted in both articles; he said, “As Christians, prayer is the bedrock of our faith and deepens our relationship and understanding of God..."

I think one conclusion you can draw from this information, even though it comes from across the ocean, is: Don't give up on our younger generations.  Out of the midst of perceived cynicism, we can be hopeful that God is working, and we should be fervently praying for Him to work in their hearts and lives.

The survey does show a huge disconnect between the percentage of people who say they have prayed and those who pray daily.  Furthermore, out of adults who say they have prayed, just a little more than half even say they have prayed monthly.  So, you have to ask, I think: Why not pray every day?  Quantity is certainly important - since we have access to God's great power, why not come to Him?  We also can consider not only the frequency of our prayers (the quantity), but also the fervency (or, the quality).  He is inviting us to come to Him, He has brought us into a relationship with Jesus, we are saved - He wants us to abide in Him.