10-06-2022

 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.”

       One time while teaching the confirmands about prayer, I asked them if they ever prayed a prayer that started like this; “Crumbly cheese asparagus.”  Of course, they looked at me like I was growing a third eye out the top of my head.  I got the disgusted teenager response of “no-ah” with that little “tsk” at the end.  I didn’t see the eye roll, but it could have been there.  So, I tried again.  Crumbly cheese asparagus….and let these gifts to us be blessed. Amen.  Again, they looked at me but a little less disdainfully (probably couldn’t have been more!).  So, I said it again a little slower; come Lord Jesus be our guest and let these gifts to us be blessed, amen.  Now they were thinking a little, so I asked them in a different way.

    “Do you say the common table prayer?”  Most said yes.  I asked if they always thought about what they were saying or were they trying to grab the biggest piece of chicken off of the platter before anyone else did; maybe they were already eating when mom or dad started to pray.  Now they didn’t look up.  So, I asked if they thought this was an honest and God-pleasing prayer.  Hearing no response, I asked them if they ever prayed other prayers while they were distracted or thinking about something else, again no response.

    There are many times when we are guilty of this.  There are some prayers that we say so often that we may do just that.  This fact is one of the reasons that some believe you should not pray the Lord’s Prayer with great frequency.  I don’t really agree but I do read the prayer as I pray it, so I do think about what I am saying.  Empty phrases do not make a God-pleasing prayer.  A God-pleasing prayer rises like incense before God.  It is a prayer that truly connects us to God because it is an earnest and honest heartfelt communication to God.  Even when we are hurting or lost or confused to the point that we do not know what to say; it is better to have our heart full and our mouth empty than the other way around.  It is better simply to cry before God with a plaintive “Help me, O Lord” than all the phraseology and beautiful words but no desire to truly communicate with God.  This is what this Scripture verse means.  This is what this whole section is talking about.

    We are encouraged to go into our closet, not because we are ashamed but because we want to be able to pray and be undistracted.  We want to have a heartfelt heart-to-God talk.  God invites us to come to him in prayer, to relieve the burdens of our life.  We can do this best by praying from the heart, even if the words fail us; God never will.

Father, remove the distractions of my life that I may speak clearly to you.  Father, I desire to walk more closely to you.  Send your Spirit to enable me to be drawn to you.  Send your Spirit to fill me with your love and mercy.  Teach me to trust in you fully.  In the name of Jesus our ascended Lord we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret