Theology Today - Vol 52, No. 2 - July 1995 - BOOK REVIEW - They Cried to the Lord: The Form and Theology of Biblical Prayer

276 - They Cried to the Lord: The Form and Theology of Biblical Prayer

They Cried to the Lord: The Form and Theology of Biblical Prayer
By Patrick D. Miller
Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 1994. 464 pp. $24.00.

The purpose of this book is to delineate "the structure and shape of biblical faith" by studying the form and content of biblical prayer. The focus is on the Old Testament, not only poetic prayers (for example, Psalms) but also the "narrative prayers" found in prose sections. There

278 - They Cried to the Lord: The Form and Theology of Biblical Prayer

are frequent references to the New Testament, and a final chapter is devoted to prayer in the New Testament, showing that the author views the Bible as a canonical whole, though each Testament makes its special witness.

In general, Miller follows the form-critical analysis of biblical psalms/ prayers into major types such as laments, thanksgivings, hymns, songs of trust, and blessings. He maintains, however, that these are not just discrete literary types but belong to a whole that displays the structure and movement of faith. Prayer begins with a human cry "out of the depths"; the dialogue continues with God's response in an "oracle of salvation" (the announcement that God has heard the prayer and promises to be present and to help) and finally ascends to praise of God expressed in songs of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving for divine deliverance expands into hymns that praise God for all God's mighty acts, including the works of providence and creation. Thus, praise begins in the cry of a single afflicted person and rises to doxology in which all peoples and the whole cosmos are invited to participate.

Miller traces affinities between biblical prayer and the prayers of Israel's neighbors in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and elsewhere, showing that the particularity of biblical prayer is rooted in the universality of human experience. In the Bible, however, prayer finds a distinctive expression, owing to confidence in the faithfulness of God as expressed in the confessional formula of Exodus 34:6-7, which is echoed again and again. Indeed, the "thread" of prayer that "runs through the whole of Scripture" provides "one of the clearest indicators of its unity as the revelation of God." The Christian Bible begins with "a victim's cry for help" (Abel's blood cries to God for justice) and ends with an oracle of assurance that God will,' overcome suffering and death and with a Hallelujah chorus that rings through the whole creation.

Whether the diversity of biblical prayers can be comprehended simply in this movement from a cry for help to thanksgiving and praise is questionable. Praise to God arises not only out of human need but out of human wonder at the majestic order of the creation and the place of the human creature within it. This wonder finds expression in creation psalms like Psalms 8 and 104, which echo the creation story. The Bible begins doxologically, at the level of praise to the Creator and moves from creation to new creation. It is not completely satisfactory to regard creation psalms as praise that expands outward from thanksgiving into a universal dimension. Nevertheless, Miller has shown effectively that Israel's worship, as expressed paradigmatically in the Exodus story, characteristically begins with a cry of afflication (Exod. 1-3) and moves to hymnic praise for deliverance (Ex. 15: the Song of Moses, Song of Miriam).

One of the great contributions of this work is that it demonstrates that the "oracle of salvation," delivered at the transition from lament to thanksgiving (for example, Ps. 22:21-22) belongs essentially to the logic of faith. God's answer to prayer-"Don't be afraid" for "I am with you" and "I will deliver you"-belongs to the dialogue between the believer and

280 - They Cried to the Lord: The Form and Theology of Biblical Prayer

God. Of course, those who have suffered deeply will not find full comfort in an answer that comes only as a word of assurance or of future promise. Faith insists that God's answer is really found in action, not just in word. This is the case in the psalms of thanksgiving, which look back not just to a report that changed one's attitude from fear to confidence, but to a real act of deliverance that lifted one out of a slough of despond, put one's feet on a rock, and inspired the singing of "a new song" (Ps. 40:1-3). In the situation of afflication, God's presence, even though assured in worship, is ambiguous or eclipsed; in retrospect, however, one may say with Jacob, "Surely the Lord is in this place-and I did not know it!"

Miller insists that biblical prayer makes a difference, not just in the pray-er's existential attitude but also in "the mind of God." Human beings are not caught in fatalistic necessity before a God who is apathetic or powerless. God's sovereign exercise of power is flexible and open toward the future. Therefore, prayer can actually "persuade" God or even "change God's mind." The paradox of divine sovereignty and human freedom is treated profoundly in the discussion of intercessory prayers, which, in the Old Testament, are usually devoted to averting the wrath of God and, hence, removing impending punishment for sin. At crucial junctures, when the future is not determined, God expects the representatives of the people to take part in the decision making, for there is "freedom and openness in God's purpose."

Questions inevitably arise about the language of petitionary prayer in the Bible. To be sure, God cannot be coerced with magical words; yet biblical prayer-as Miller repeatedly points out-endeavors to "awaken God," to "motivate God" by adducing arguments, even to "push God into action." Does this mean that God is really "quiescent" at times or too preoccupied with cosmic matters to pay attention to the cry of suffering persons? Or does this rhetoric of prayer reflect the limitations of human vision or the inability to know how to pray? We read that in the end-time God will not have to be appealed to and argued into action, for God will answer even before people call ( Isa. 65:24).

Miller stresses that there are continuities and discontinuities between the testaments in regard to prayer. In the New Testament the movement of prayer still begins with a sufferer's cry for help and moves to thanksgiving and hymnic praise, though Jesus Christ is "the oracle of salvation incarnate." Some discontinuities are highlighted, for example, prayers are no longer against enemies but for them; indeed, Christian prayer is shaped by "a theology of the Cross." One peculiar discontinuity warrants more attention, in my judgment. The lament, insofar as it is a complaint against God, no longer appears. We do not find in the New Testament, explicitly at least, the doubting questions or bold expostulations that characterize many of the prayers of the Old Testament. The lament of Psalm 22, with its question "My God, why.. . , " is expressed by Jesus in his passion, but only secondarily applies to the believer who somehow shares Christ's sufferings. I am not sure how to understand the different theological atmosphere, but surely it results in great part from the event

282 - They Cried to the Lord: The Form and Theology of Biblical Prayer

that marks the deepest discontinuity with the Old Testament: the resurrection. In the Christian community, believers do not just live by the assurance that God is with us or by the promise that God will help, but rather, "the oracle of salvation" is expressed in the good news that God has triumphed over all the powers of oppression, darkness, and death-an announcement that turns weeping into laughter, affliction into joy, defeat into victory. Consequently, the Christian community reads and prays the prayers of the Old Testament with a new discrimination-in the name of Jesus Christ.

This is an excellent work in biblical theology, one of the best that has appeared lately. Readers will not only find that biblical texts are illuminated by the author's careful scholarship and sensitive theological insight but will also discover that, as is said in the introduction, the book is "written from faith for faith."

Bernhard W. Anderson
Boston University School of Theology
Boston, MA