Prayer
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Daily Reading: Matthew 6:7 – 15
Focus Passage:
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matt. 6:7 – 8)
How have we turned prayer sideways? Depending on the translation you read, Jesus says do not babble, don’t use vain repetition, or don’t heap up empty phrases when you pray.
The picture is almost comical, as if someone learning to pray observed someone else praying, then merely repeated that person’s language, rhythm, posture, and voice inflection. As a pastor, I learned years ago how to use vocabulary, tone, and volume to make my public prayers sound like they were connecting with God. That they were generally hollow mattered less to me than that people thought I was offering a meaningful prayer. I hope God laughs about those days more than weeps.
While prayer is more caught than taught, the words and images of prayer are meaningless if they are not my own. From years of praying the Psalms, I’ve learned that a chief ingredient in authentic prayer is honesty. If I can’t be honest with God in prayer, then I’d be better off spending my time reading a magazine. If the Psalms are anything, they are honest expressions that erupt from the depths of men and women who struggled to make sense of God, the world, and their own lives. You’ll find few “empty phrases” or “babbling” prayers in the Psalms. You will find gut-level authenticity.
The prayer Jesus taught is short, not babbling. It is concise, nor rambling. Prayer doesn’t depend on the words we say. I’ve spent a lot of time helping adults unlearn their notion that prayer is all about the words we say to God. While speaking to God is a part of prayer, a better definition of prayer understands it as “communion with God.” In other words, to pray is to be with God in ways that may or may not be put into speech.
For many of us, “silent prayer” suggests a formal time to take a quick siesta; yet, silence is an essential part of the spiritual life. We cannot live deeply connected to God if we never engage God in prayer . . . or if we do all the talking to God. In prayer we develop the spiritual art of listening to God, tuning our spiritual antennae to hear the promptings and nudgings of God’s Spirit within us and in our world.
This kind of listening is actually possible. Prayerful listening is a spiritual resource of the Church known as contemplative prayer and practice. Contemplative prayer forms tend to be quieter, more inward, and intended to help one open his or her life at ever-deeper levels to the voice and action of God.
Jesus’ oneness with God came not from his speaking much, but from his continual communion with the Father.
For Reflection:
Today, spend some time in quiet, listening prayer. If you are new to prayerful silence, take a short time (7 minutes or so) for silence. If you are more practiced at contemplative prayer forms, spend 20-30 minutes for your prayer.
Use a word or short phrase to anchor your mind for the time of silence. If you do not have a prayer word already, try the word, “Abba” (the Aramaic word for the parenthood of God) slowly rolling off your tongue in a gentle, silent whisper.
You can use your mobile phone to set a timer for the amount of time for the silence. Sit in a solid chair with both feet on the floor. As you begin the silence, slowly close your eyes until your eyelids gently touch. Place your hands comfortably on your lap. Allow your breathing to slow, taking deep breaths and then releasing your breath. After two or three deep breaths, introduce your prayer word to the rhythm of your breathing, silently whispering “Ab-ba” as you inhale, then “Ab-ba” as you exhale. Continue using your prayer word until the prayer time is over.
After your timer sounds, gently end your prayer, quietly saying the Lord’s Prayer.
Daily Reading: Matthew 6:7 – 15
Focus Passage:
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matt. 6:7 – 8)
How have we turned prayer sideways? Depending on the translation you read, Jesus says do not babble, don’t use vain repetition, or don’t heap up empty phrases when you pray.
The picture is almost comical, as if someone learning to pray observed someone else praying, then merely repeated that person’s language, rhythm, posture, and voice inflection. As a pastor, I learned years ago how to use vocabulary, tone, and volume to make my public prayers sound like they were connecting with God. That they were generally hollow mattered less to me than that people thought I was offering a meaningful prayer. I hope God laughs about those days more than weeps.
While prayer is more caught than taught, the words and images of prayer are meaningless if they are not my own. From years of praying the Psalms, I’ve learned that a chief ingredient in authentic prayer is honesty. If I can’t be honest with God in prayer, then I’d be better off spending my time reading a magazine. If the Psalms are anything, they are honest expressions that erupt from the depths of men and women who struggled to make sense of God, the world, and their own lives. You’ll find few “empty phrases” or “babbling” prayers in the Psalms. You will find gut-level authenticity.
The prayer Jesus taught is short, not babbling. It is concise, nor rambling. Prayer doesn’t depend on the words we say. I’ve spent a lot of time helping adults unlearn their notion that prayer is all about the words we say to God. While speaking to God is a part of prayer, a better definition of prayer understands it as “communion with God.” In other words, to pray is to be with God in ways that may or may not be put into speech.
For many of us, “silent prayer” suggests a formal time to take a quick siesta; yet, silence is an essential part of the spiritual life. We cannot live deeply connected to God if we never engage God in prayer . . . or if we do all the talking to God. In prayer we develop the spiritual art of listening to God, tuning our spiritual antennae to hear the promptings and nudgings of God’s Spirit within us and in our world.
This kind of listening is actually possible. Prayerful listening is a spiritual resource of the Church known as contemplative prayer and practice. Contemplative prayer forms tend to be quieter, more inward, and intended to help one open his or her life at ever-deeper levels to the voice and action of God.
Jesus’ oneness with God came not from his speaking much, but from his continual communion with the Father.
For Reflection:
Today, spend some time in quiet, listening prayer. If you are new to prayerful silence, take a short time (7 minutes or so) for silence. If you are more practiced at contemplative prayer forms, spend 20-30 minutes for your prayer.
Use a word or short phrase to anchor your mind for the time of silence. If you do not have a prayer word already, try the word, “Abba” (the Aramaic word for the parenthood of God) slowly rolling off your tongue in a gentle, silent whisper.
You can use your mobile phone to set a timer for the amount of time for the silence. Sit in a solid chair with both feet on the floor. As you begin the silence, slowly close your eyes until your eyelids gently touch. Place your hands comfortably on your lap. Allow your breathing to slow, taking deep breaths and then releasing your breath. After two or three deep breaths, introduce your prayer word to the rhythm of your breathing, silently whispering “Ab-ba” as you inhale, then “Ab-ba” as you exhale. Continue using your prayer word until the prayer time is over.
After your timer sounds, gently end your prayer, quietly saying the Lord’s Prayer.
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