Prayer – Learning how!
I was in a little church in Mississippi in 1999 and one of the teenage boys did the “Opening Prayer.” I had met him earlier and had sat in Bible class with him and all the other men. The congregation preferred the King James Version, so everyone sat armed with their KJVs. The men took turns reading from the Bible, but when it came to this young man, he struggled. Not just with the art of reading, I’m talking about with the way that the KJV is put together, especially the archaic words. However, now standing behind the podium praying, the contrast was remarkable. Same church, same boy, same KJV English. His speech was now smooth, clear, and melodious. A prayer rich in sincerity and straight from the heart.It was clear to any visitor, that this boy had learned how to pray in these respectful tones, yes, using Old English, by sitting in that church building from the day he was born.Believe it, or not, we all learned to pray from someone, even Jesus’ disciples.When I preach about prayer, I like to remind the congregation about the old man who said he wakes up every morning and says, “Good morning, Lord” He said he would then pause, look around the room, and say knowingly, “Satan.” He said he was not going to let the devil know that his presence was going to go unnoticed as he went about his prayers.From our frail and prideful human standpoint God’s glory shines amongst the brokenness. This not only reveals God’s grace and beauty, it reminds us that buying into the devils counterfeit glory only adds to the pain and the vanity.Our prayers reflect our spiritual mentors. Do you want to pray prayers that bring you closer to God and make you more useful in His Kingdom? Go and make friends of Christians who are closer to God and more useful in His Kingdom. It is guaranteed that each of these brothers and sisters have a richer prayer life. They constantly add to each request, “Father, Your will be done!” and as a result, His will is done. Praise God!You don’t have to sound like them, but you will do well to do as they do.”Lord, teach us to pray!”John StaigerIf you have been blessed by this message, please feel free to: Like, Comment or Share it with your friends.
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