Daily Devotional for October 31, 2016

Matthew 6:5-6
“And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
 
“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. 

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.  Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.  All rights reserved. 

I will warn you now that you may not like some - or all - of what I am about to say!  But I have studied this scripture passage carefully, and I have developed strong feelings about public prayer – and the importance that many attach to this action.

If you wanted to talk to a friend and loved one about something deeply personal, would you do this out loud – in a public venue?  Would you get on the public address system at a sporting event and thank Mary for the kindness she showed to you…or discuss your concern over Joe’s cancer diagnosis or Bill and Sue’s marital problems?  Would you announce to an entire table of diners in a restaurant that you were worried that your teenager might be experimenting with drugs?  Would you want your child to stand up in his/her classroom and share that there was dissension in your church…or that Daddy got a raise and the whole family was super excited and grateful, because things had been really tight and stressful at home?

I realize that this is an extreme analogy…but hopefully you get where I’m going. I totally “get” that some attach great importance to “public” prayers. Some see this as a way to publicly demonstrate their Christian faith.  But therein lies the problem I have. Are we really talking to God – or making a show?

When I go to the pool to work out, I use this as a personal prayer time.  A man who often swims at the same time as I do tried to strike up conversations with me on more than one occasion. One day he said something that gave me the opportunity to mention that I used my workout time as prayer time. I could have just jogged around the pool, praying aloud…and he and everyone else could have drawn conclusions about what a “good Christian” I must be…or even that I was a little nuts!  Instead, I just kept talking to God in between conversation exchanges and waited for an opportunity to explain that this was my personal prayer time.  I figured this was the best way to respectfully regain my privacy…and simultaneously express my Christian faith.

Carefully consider Jesus’ words in this scripture passage. Prayer is meant to be an intimate conversation with God…not a public spectacle. Jesus is pretty clear that we are to be still and quiet - and pour out our heart to God…to focus completely on Him and not on what anyone else hears - or thinks. Leading a group in prayer has its place and time. But I think when we fret so much about whether or not public prayers are allowed in this venue or that one, we so miss the mark. You and I can talk to God anywhere…anytime!  All we have to do is get quiet and still  - and open the dialogue.  We can do this without ever moving our lips – much less uttering a vocal sound.  And we SHOULD! 

The more we understand about the intimacy – and quite frankly, the privacy – of most prayers, the more we see how important it is to talk to God throughout each day.  We understand how vital it is to keep Him close in our thoughts…and to shift our focus from making a public display to sensing His presence – and His grace.

Each of us has the opportunity for a unique and deeply personal daily conversation with God that will not only nurture our relationship with Him but also profoundly affect how others see Jesus in and through us. If we are busy worrying about whether we can pray out loud – and where such public demonstrations are allowed – we risk missing the opportunity to hear from God.  And that’s a chance I’m not willing to take.  What about you?

 ©2016 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for October 23, 2012

Matthew 6:5-8
When you pray, don’t be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the meeting places and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward.

When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private, and he will reward you.

When you pray, don’t talk on and on as people do who don’t know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

I have said before that I am not necessarily in favor of public prayers at mealtime. There are times when we come together as a family – Thanksgiving, Christmas, or perhaps a family potluck – and I feel that a short group prayer of thankfulness is appropriate. But how many times have you been enjoying a meal in your favorite restaurant… talking and laughing with friends… when you notice that the people next to you are praying over their food? Don’t you feel a little uncomfortable? Doesn’t this give you a sense that you should stop your own meal and bow your head, also? Have you ever started to “bless” your food as a server approached? How uncomfortable do you suppose this makes him/her… not to mention how it slows them down as they do their job?

Now that you have decided I must be a terrible, horrible person, let me explain. Just as there is no reason you cannot bow your head and pray silently in any school, court house, or at any public event or restaurant – there is no reason you have to make an exhibition that all can see and hear. Do you think that God can’t hear your silent prayers? “Oh, but this is a demonstration to others of our Christian faith!” you may say. Is it really? Or are you saying to others, “I’m such a strong Christian that before each meal (or at every event, before school starts – you fill in the blank) I offer an auditory prayer to God. I’m publicly expressing my faith!”

Now, if you do this, and you feel strongly about it, do not feel that I am condemning you…I am not. How you communicate with God is deeply personal and none of my business. But I have to wonder sometimes how intimate and heartfelt our public prayers are.

I have already bought Timothy a little book of prayers, and we read them together. But I did not do this to teach him how to pray, because I believe this would do him a disservice. I thought this would be a good way to begin to introduce a toddler to God… to help Timmy learn about offering gratitude… and to show him how to ask God for guidance and protection. Hopefully, as he grows, he will learn more about God and how amazing it is to be able to share your thoughts and feelings with Him – anytime, anywhere.

If you continue reading Matthew 6, Jesus gives us a model for how to pray… and the Apostle Paul tells us to talk to God throughout the day and make this our prayer. But Jesus did not intend for “The Lord’s Prayer” itself to become our mainstay as a means to communicate with our Heavenly Father. I hope that everyone will truly get this!

Prayer is a deeply personal – and critical – component of our Christian walk. I have to admit that my prayer life was pretty shallow for a good many years… filled with rote recitations and generally based in desperation – as in, “LORD… I need you… NOW!” Much of the rest of the time, I didn’t have a whole lot to say to God. I didn’t understand the importance of talking to Him and expressing my gratitude on the days when things were going pretty well. When we come to the point in our discipleship where prayer is as familiar to us as breathing, we have turned a corner.

Praying aloud over someone who has asked for your intercession can be a blessing for the recipient – and a privilege for you. Reciting The Lord’s Prayer as a group in a worship setting can be a profoundly intimate experience… all of God’s children coming together to speak to Him as one body. But we need to develop a strong, private, running conversation with God… communication that is honest, at times raw, and deeply personal between the two of you.

There is a fine line between talking to God in public as a show of unity… and merely putting on a show. Be sure that you know – and exercise - the difference!

©2012 Debbie Robus