Acts 16:16-34; Psalm 97; Revelation 22:12-24, 16-17, 20-21; John 17:20-26
The Rev. Candice B. Frazer
A People of the Prayer Book
As Episcopalians, we are a people of a prayer book. This doesn’t negate our grounded-ness in scripture—I mean, it’s amazing how often the Bible quotes the Book of Common Prayer! But in truth, the Prayer Book doesn’t replace scripture—it reveals the deep structure of our belief.
There’s an ancient Latin maxim: Lex orandi, lex credendi
“The law of prayer is the law of belief.”
Or, to say it more plainly: Praying shapes believing.
How we pray shapes what we believe.
Our worship—what we do, and how we do it—becomes the wellspring from which we draw our values, our ethics, and our actions. If prayer shapes belief, then our worldview, our thoughts, and even our character are being formed every time we worship. And that worship is deeply guided by the Book of Common Prayer.
These beliefs don’t just shape our attitudes and behavior—they either align us with or distance us from God’s destiny for our lives.
Jesus’ Prayer: Love as the Mark of Destiny
In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that love is the mark of unity—and it’s through love that the world recognizes who Jesus is.
In John 17, we hear him pray: “That the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
And then this powerful petition: “That the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
This is not just a prayer of affection, it is a prayer of connection between love and destiny. Jesus prays that his followers would be where he is, behold his glory, and live into that glory themselves. He’s not simply asking for protection or provision; he is praying for transformation. If we live from the knowledge that we are unconditionally loved by God, then our thoughts, words, and actions will be markedly different from the world’s.
Christ-centered thinking shapes Christ-like living—and leads to a Christ-filled destiny.
Acts 16: Worship in the Midst of Injustice
We see this embodied in Acts 16. Paul and Silas are wrongly accused, beaten, and imprisoned without a trial—stripped not only of freedom but of dignity. And yet, their mindset is neither bitter nor broken. Bleeding and fastened in stocks, they respond
Not with rage.
Not with despair.
Not even with protest.
They pray.
They sing hymns.
Even while bleeding. Even while chained.
They choose to live from the foundation of worship, not the reality of their suffering.
Their praise doesn’t just comfort them; it shakes the very foundations of the prison. An earthquake comes. But it doesn’t destroy the prison. It liberates. The prison remains intact, yet the doors swing open. Every chain falls off. Astonishingly, no one runs. Even with freedom at hand—no one escapes. This is not mere coincidence—it bears the fingerprints of destiny. Their belief-driven worship opens doors, both literal and spiritual.
The jailer—terrified and desperate—prepares to take his own life, but Paul intervenes.
“Do not harm yourself. We are all here.”
That act of compassion, of empathy, and mercy—born out of prayer and presence—opens the jailer’s heart. And what follows is stunning:
- His life is transformed.
- His household is baptized.
- Salvation comes to his entire family.
Paul and Silas’s worship didn’t just alter their circumstances. It reshaped someone else’s future.
Our Prayers Shape the Future
Our prayers shape not only what we believe; they shape our futures and the futures of those around us.
Paul and Silas lived out the very unity and love Jesus prayed for: a divine mindfulness, even in prison. And because of that, the jailer experienced both literal and spiritual freedom. Paul and Silas trusted God through their worship. And through their trust, God worked transformation.
From Thought to Destiny – A Pathway of Formation
Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher, once said:
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
If our worship shapes what we believe and our belief shapes our thoughts about the world and our place therein, then our words are a reflection of those beliefs and they inform how we act—what we do. Over time and through repetition, those actions become habitual and shape our character, and it is our character that will guide the course of our lives—maybe not what happens to us, but how we respond to our experiences and the paths we choose to follow. This is the gift of free will that gives humanity agency, and, for Episcopalians, it is best stewarded through a life of intentional, worship-rooted love and unity.
Worship shapes belief.
Belief shapes thought.
Thought shapes words.
Words shape action.
Action shapes destiny.
This is the gift of free will that gives humanity its agency, and for us as Episcopalians, it is best stewarded through a life of intentional, worship-rooted love and unity.
Aligning with God’s Destiny
An active life of prayer means both communal and personal devotion.
- Regular communion
- Hearing and reading Scripture
- Praising God and giving thanks daily
These practices realign our minds with God’s presence. They renew us. They root us in grace. Gratitude reminds us that we are fully known and fully loved by God—without exception.
And in a world that is:
Brittle,
Anxious,
Nonlinear,
and Incomprehensible—
We are called to choose unity over isolation. Division begins in the mind, but unity is a spiritual mindset that is grounded in the heart and cultivated by an active and engaged life of prayer.
A Destiny Greater Than Prison
Proverbs 23:7 says: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”
We cannot control every circumstance in life or in the world, but we can control how we think, what we believe, and how we respond—and we do that through prayer.
Paul and Silas chose praise over panic, and the doors of their prison swung open. But, and maybe more importantly, so too did the doors of the jailer’s heart that day as well as his family’s and the other prisoners who were there that day. Perhaps the most remarkable prison break wasn’t an earthquake that immediately opened all the doors and unfastened everyone’s chains. Perhaps the most remarkable prison break wasn’t physical at all—it was spiritual.
Pray Boldly, Live Fully
As beloved children of God, formed by prayer and shaped by love, we are offered a destiny greater than our darkest prisons—a destiny not defined by our chains, but by our choices. We need only trust that the prayers we offer—day after day, week after week—shape our lives and the lives of those around us.
Pray boldly. Believe deeply. Praying shapes believing. It shapes our destiny.