Do You Pray Before Movies?
Does praying before a movie sound like a strange practice to you?
Not too long ago I took my two oldest children to see Dune: Part Two. Having a family with five children means that we seldom take trips to the movie theater (unless we want to eat that week) so this was something special.
As we drove to the theater, we took a moment to say a prayer of thanksgiving and asked for discerning minds for what we were about to watch. I admit, there was part of me that felt strange to specifically offer prayers about watching a movie. Thanking God for Dune: Part 2 seems a little weird, but maybe that’s just me.
However, there was another part of me that knew it was absolutely appropriate. While we don’t stop and pray as a family before every movie we watch, it is something we’ve grown more accustomed to. If we stop and pray before most meals, why not stop and pray before a movie?
What is prayer?
There are many ways we could define prayer, but, perhaps the simplest, would be this - Prayer is talking to God. At its most basic level, prayer is a conversation between a child and their Father.
As a father, I want my own children to talk to me about anything and everything. If I, being evil (Matt. 7:11), want my children to talk with me, how much more does our Heavenly Father welcome his children? He welcomes us to lay our thoughts before him, because he already knows them. We cast our cares and concerns before him, but we also give thanks for his creation.
Christians believe that God reveals himself through creation and we refer to this as general revelation (Ps. 19; Rom. 1:18-20). Therefore, movies are a form of general revelation because they reveal truth about God and his creation. Why not give him thanks for this?
Why Do We Pray?
There are many answers to this question, thanksgiving is one I already mentioned, but another is asking for wisdom. God is all-knowing. He is the source of wisdom and he also promises to grant it to those who ask (James1:1-8). But if we truly believe that movies are a form of general revelation, we need wisdom to discern what they’re revealing. Is the message something that confirms or conflicts with our Christian faith? That’s why we pray.
As we drove to see Dune: Part Two, I knew we were about to partake of something true. (For some deeper thoughts on this movie, check out Brett McCracken’s review). Our eyes were going to see mind-blowing effects, we would witness performances that were captivating and we would hear truth as well as perversions of it. I wanted to ask my Father for wisdom for what I was about to see.
As a father, I also wanted my own children to grasp a bigger picture of God. I wanted them to know God’s fingerprints are on all of creation, and that movies are just one more avenue for us to get a glimpse of his grace. God didn’t have to give us movies to enjoy, but this is just one example of the lavishness of his grace.
As always, I want to hear from you. Does your family pray before movies? Do you think this is a strange thing to do? Please feel the freedom to express differing thoughts and beliefs, we can all learn from each other.