Musings on Prayer

I am sure there are times when people teach you methods or 'guidelines' for you to pray like first you praise God, then you pray for others, etc etc. To me, that is all unnecessary. Just pray what is in your heart and in your mind. God wants to hear that. God wants you to have a relationship with him. I am speaking about your personal prayer time and not so much on corporate prayer. Consider this prayer from Jeremiah 20. Like i said, we were sometime taught to open with praise to God, right? See what our friend Jerry (lol!) says...

7 O LORD, you deceived me, and I was deceived ;
you overpowered me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed all day long;
everyone mocks me.

(Jeremiah 20:7)

This is his opening. Not really praising, is he?

God our Heavenly Father wants us to tell him our deepest feeling, thoughts, fears, etc no matter how 'dark' or crazy they are. Look at this part towards the end of Jeremiah's prayer.

14 Cursed be the day I was born!
May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!

15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,
who made him very glad, saying,
"A child is born to you—a son!"

16 May that man be like the towns
the LORD overthrew without pity.
May he hear wailing in the morning,
a battle cry at noon.

17 For he did not kill me in the womb,
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.

18 Why did I ever come out of the womb
to see trouble and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?

(Jeremiah 20:14-18)

Wah liao...look at what he says! One would probably think, "Surely God is going to rebuke him for this." Read on in Jeremiah and there is no mention of anything like that. God understood what was going on in Jeremiah and knew it was natural for him to say something like that.

Jeremiah was sent to prophesy against the Isrealites in Judah. Because of his not-so-sweet message, the people were against him and many people, if not everyone, hated him. He must have felt lonely and depressed. He must probably felt like all this is unfair. "I am only speaking God's Word! Why do I deserve all this? " Since he had no friends to turn to, he turned to the only One who knew and cared: Yahweh Yireh, who would provide even for his spiritual and emotional needs.

So, when we pray, you don't have to form eloquent or bombastic words with all the theological terms. Just say what is in your heart or in your mind. Don't worry of thinking God won't get the message. He does and always will get the message. Heck...he knows what is bothering you even before you say it! He just wants you to commune with him.

Soli Deo Gloria!
Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison

PS: I love the Bible coz the stuff written somehow fits my feelings perfectly. Truly living and active Word, eh? :P