Walking With Christ

Matthew 6:7-8 (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. (8)Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.(ESV)

A short, simple prayer said in private is often far more powerful than the most eloquent public prayer ever spoken. Why is that?

When I pray privately, I speak with God as if He is my closest friend, or as is the truth, my Father. There is no filter, no concern for getting the words right. It’s just a stream of consciousness from my heart to His ears. I don’t hold back. I don’t always try to collect my thoughts. When my mind is jumbled, I pray until things begin to make sense again. When the noise in my head is so loud that I can’t hear anything else, I pray until His whispered comforts are all that’s left. When praying in private, I’m inarticulate. I stumble and fumble. I repeat myself until the words match my meaning. Often, I give up trying to find the proper words and just ask that He sees my heart because I recognize my own confusion knowing that He is never confused. These prayers are so informal. This doesn’t mean I don’t show proper respect, fear, or reverence. It’s just that truth and authenticity become more important than a false façade designed to hide what lies beneath.

When I pray in public, for people or with people, my prayers become formal and almost formulaic. I used to slip in the occasional “thy” and “thou”. I think that’s from my KJV-only days before I knew there were more versions of the bible besides KJV and NIV. I always feel a bit ashamed of these public prayers and usually ask God for forgiveness for them later because they feel inauthentic, bordering on lies. Logically, I can’t conclude that my public prayers are lies. I truly mean everything I say. It’s just that these prayers, said in public for others to hear, lack the intimacy that my private prayers have.

Our pastor used to describe it like this, how would you ask something of your earthly dad (or father figure)? Would you have a weekly ceremony where you got all dressed up and formally made petitions for the things you wanted, or would you find where he was sitting and simply say, “Hey, dad. Can I get five bucks?” The formal ceremony makes it seem like a prayer operated vending machine. Something about that just seems wrong to me.