I recently got this letter from Wycliffe (a non-profit that sends missionaries world-wide to cultures that don’t yet have the Bible translated into their languages for the purpose of translation and teaching), and I thought I’d share. It has a neat perspective on prayer.
Wycliffe missionaries Terrill and Amber Schrock work with the Ik people of Northeastern Uganda. As Amber serves physical needs through nursing, Terrill has been evaluating the language in order to start a translation project one day. In a recent blog post, he shared insights learned from the Ik language and culture.
The Ik word for ‘pray’ is wáán, but it is also the word for ‘beg’. And interestingly enough, the word for ‘visitor’ is wáánam, which means ‘begging person.’ These definitions reveal an important aspect of the Ik culture – when an Ik person visits a friend, he is going there to beg. In fact, begging is a normal part of the Ik’s life. Any time Terrill and Amber are getting ready to go on a trip to another town, lists of requests like this one start pouring in.
Please sir, remember for me the following:
– shoes
– jacket (rainproof)
– watch
– box
– trousers
– pens
– money, for the children
Thank you sir for your assistance.
Most of these lists come from people that don’t actually have a relationship with Terrill and Amber, so it’s easy for them to feel as if those writing the notes have no real interest in their lives. As Terrill thought about these notes from the Ik, he started to realize that we are perhaps not so different:
“The other day I was in the spare bedroom praying my list of requests to God – a nice list, covering most areas of my life, certainly all the points of anxiety. Then it hit me: Does God want my list, or my relationship?
A few Ik come by just to greet us or spend a bit of time with us. Another precious few will occasionally confide in us about their problems without asking for anything more than a listening ear. I love that.
I decided that I would try something: Instead of reading off my list of requests to God, I would just talk to God about my issues without an expectation of how I think He should respond. I would make it more about our relationship than my list – because if our personhood is like God’s personhood, then maybe God prefers our confidence and time to our lists, letters, and enumerations.”