Prayer

You know how every now and then we get one of those ‘holy bops on the head’? We could get all theological and call it conviction but you know when a holy bop comes your way. I was bopped this morning. A little background…….

We have one of those large cool prints in a great frame of the old man sitting at his table with a Bible, loaf of bread and bowl of soup. The man has his head bowed and hands folded in prayer. You’ve seen the one I’m talking about. I love it. It was a gift from a friend and though I have little wall space for it to occupy, it sits in a place of prominence atop the china cabinet. It is a study of humble and prayerful simplicity.

Here comes the topic of my ‘holy bop’……

Have we gotten away from the real way to pray? Is it really a prayer if you are busy putting your napkin in your lap as you rush through the requisite thanks at the speed of light? If your mouth is full as you utter, “thanks, Lord” before moving on to the next bite can we take solace in knowing the Lord really accepts that as a prayer? Is it really a prayer if we are just getting it out of the way so we feel better about it because we are suppose to pray? Laying it on the table, so to speak, prayer served up cold like fast food can hardly be worthy of being called PRAYER. Can it?

We have become a lazy people that think so highly of ourselves and our growling bellies that we have gotten to a place where we are not only content with but consistently spitting out a line or two of complacent words (usually the same ones every time) as quickly (and insincerely) as we can so we can move on to the good stuff…..food.

Really, People, can we call this prayer? Bop, BOP, BOP………..

I believe that God would rather us not waste our breath or His time with such foolishness. It is a mockery of prayer….a mockery of thankfulness…….can a mockery of God be far behind?

Repeating a child’s prayer is great when we are children but it is meant to be a teaching tool to form good habits, not a lifelong prayer discipline. If we approach the foot of the throne in anything less than humble thankfulness with a sincere heart we are missing the point. The fast-food-like prayer offends my sensibilities (though I have been guilty of doing it) so I can only imagine that the Lord finds it lacking. Bop, BOP, BOP…..

Maybe this only applies to me……..maybe none of you have ever uttered the speedy short prayer……..maybe we to get real and honest with ourselves so we can be honest with God. Thought I’d share the picture as well as the questions………