Good Morning All!!
Matthew 6:7; “And when you pray, do not heap up empty
phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their
many words.”
Out of the mouth
of babes. My wife and I helped put two
of the grandchildren to bed one night.
Our oldest grandson was asked who he wanted to pray with him at bedtime. Did he want grandpa or grandma? He asked his dad, “Is Grandpa gonna have one
of his long ones?” Apparently, my
grandson thinks some of our prayers are too long. Out of the mouth of babes. So he thinks the Prayer of the Church gets a
little long. Well we do gather a lot of
petitions together for the corporate prayer but it isn’t that long but maybe
when you are four it is long.
Many people have this thought that their
prayers need to be long and elaborate.
As they face this task, it seems daunting so they shy away from
prayer. There is a running joke at the
seminary that says if you are willing to pray you will get invited to a lot of
free meals. Yet it is this view of
prayer; that it has to be a formalized, ritualized statement. While there is a place for this type of
prayer, such as a corporate prayer during an organized worship service; most of
the time we are on our own or with just a couple of fellow believers and have
no need for a long drawn out prayer. The
best prayers are prayers that speak our heart.
The best prayers often reveal our vulnerabilities.
It is where we are most vulnerable that
the devil will attack. If we fear for
the safety of loved ones or we worry about the decisions that they make, the
devil will attack by feeding those doubts and fears. If our vulnerability is about our future,
whether health, wealth or companionship; the devil will attack these weak
spots. Prayer strengthens our weak
spots. By opening our heart to God and
speaking of our weaknesses, we stop hiding them and begin to see that only God
can truly protect us, that only God can truly comfort us.
This is what prayer is all about. It is about going to God with honesty in our
souls and earnestness in our hearts so that we may open ourselves up to him. By opening our hearts to him, God opens our
spirit to know and our eyes to see that our only hope is in Jesus and that by
calling upon his name we may have the comfort and the consolation that he gives
to us. Prayer refreshes us through this
“holy conversation” that we are engaged in with God. Prayer does not need big words, long phrases,
or sound “churchy”; prayer needs sincerity, truthfulness and honesty. This is how we pray.
God gives this tremendous gift so that we
might come to him and bare our souls and open to him that we might know his
healing. Be sure to pray and pray often
for its benefit.
Father of all mercy, open my heart, mind and eyes to
your eternal truth. Keep me close to you
that I may always know your protection and love. Guard me with your Spirit. Send your Spirit to those who are lost or
hurting and in need of your protective love and mercy. Defend them with your love. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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