Thoughts On The Way - A Bad Model For Prayer

Lately I have been thinking on prayer; actually on the need for more of it in my life. Prayer is a funny thing if you listen to what people say about it. It's another term that probably needs defining more often than not.

Once I heard a radio host (who considered himself devout in the faith) comment about a politician's prayer habits and said something like he believed in taking your petitions to God as this was called prayer, but saying that God answered directly back was not prayer; that was mental illness. I don't like that definition. That's not biblical.

I like my pastor's definition that it's speaking to the King in the King's language. While it doesn't explicitly mention the hearing part it does orient prayer around the Lord. It is not a function of repetition or dramatic language or obligatory habit nor does it need audible tones or good grammar (fortunate for me). He gave us instruction on prayer in the Bible so if we learn to pray as He taught... that's when we begin to hear back, and THAT IS PRAYER!

The problem more often than not is that rather than spending our lives constantly in prayer after the manner that Jesus taught in the model (aka Lord's) prayer, our lives more represent the following:

Myself who art here now

Hollow be my prayer

My kingdom is come as

My will shall be done

On Earth regardless of Heaven

Give me this day my momentary wants

Forgive whom I deem worthy and advantageous

And demand all to forgive my debts

Lead me to things most immediately pleasant

And deliver me from all suffering and discomfort

For mine is the comfort, the power, and the glory in this moment.

So here's me praying that will be less true in my life and yours.
Lord, may it be.
DCW