Sincere Prayer

I read a line in a book yesterday that has stayed with me. The book is a novel, not Christian fiction, but it deals with brutal realities in some families and how people deal with them. The line that caught my attention is:  “If he’d gone for a genuine heartfelt, please-bless-Maisey sort of prayer, I might have stayed. It is quiet and peaceful here in the chapel. But I’m not going to hang around and listen to this fledgling boy–man use prayer as an opportunity to tell God what he already knows.” (King, Kerry Anne. Whisper Me This)

How often do we hear this kind of prayer being spoken? I have to admit that this has always been a pet peeve of mine, even though I can be as guilty as anyone of doing it. Even though the scriptures tell us not to use vain repetitions, but to be sincere and humble in our prayers, we too often fall back on the same prayers that we’ve always heard uttered. I remember going to church in California one summer and being amazed (not in a good way) to hear the same words being spoken there that I always heard in my home congregation.

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. (Matthew 6:5-7 NKJV)

The first time I ever remember hearing a person praying like they were really talking to God was when I was in high school. That is really sad, because I have attended church 2-3 times a week since I was BORN! Then when Dennis and I moved to Nacogdoches, I was blown away by a brother there who uttered some of the most REAL and sincere prayers I’ve ever heard:  no pat phrases, no fancy language, just simply pouring out his heart to God.

I imagine (at least I hope) that most people pray this way in private, but then allow something (pride, fear of letting others see their hearts, etc.) to get in the way when leading a public prayer. I really don’t think this is what God wants to hear! Quoting scripture in prayer is just showing out…He already knows it all…He spoke it! One of my personal pet peeves is saying things in triplicate. It happens all the time. Someone will be praying and use two or three words that mean the same thing in a sentence. But rarely do you hear someone just speaking simply from their heart…which is what prayer really is.

I hope that some day people will move away from using prayer as an opportunity to make a speech or give a sermonette or try to impress people. That’s never what God intended and doesn’t serve any good purpose. The only person that I know of in the Bible that was praised for their prayer was the publican who prayed thusly: "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:13-14 NKJV)