Real prayer!

In Luke's account of the Gospel record, he tells us that, in the Garden of Gethsemane, just prior to His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus "... being in an agony ... prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground." (22:44).

Real prayer is not the mere repititon of words that we have learned. It is not the recitation of a shopping-list. It is not an attempt to influence the will of Almighty God. It is not always easy! If our praying is painless, we may not be communicating what is really in our hearts. Jesus' great struggle in Gethsemane was His cry to the Father out of the most urgent matter of the moment. It was His battle with the enemy over His impending death on the cross for the sins of the world. Prayer can be hard work!

Of course, we must also remember that prayer is not one-way communication! Jesus not only spoke; He also listened! Sometimes it is in prayer that we receive the answer to what God has said to us through His Word, by His Spirit. But we cannot know His voice; we cannot recognise His leading; unless we quieten our hearts and listen - in reflection and meditation. Prayer is active listening!

Prayer is not a magic ritual. I was checking YouTube for a particular video-clip that I recalled as I started to prepare ths post. Regretfully, I did not find it. However, I was astonished at the titles of some of the clips that I looked through: "Prayer For Immediate Financial Help - Here's What To Do."; "Prayer For Success In Business - Business Abundance Success Prayer."; "Prayer For a Job - Powerful Miracle Prayer For a New Job." So many "Miracle prayers" - pray this prayer, and watch the miracle take place! What I did not notice were any prayers for holy living; prayers to help me be more generous in my giving - of time, money, and abilities; prayers to draw me closer to God! How sad! Effective prayer directs our attention to the living God. It is God-focused communication.

Prayer, as already mentioned, is not mindless, parrot-like, repetition. I stopped using what is generally referred to as "The Lord's Prayer" in a service of public worship, a long tme ago. Why? Because so many merely repeat words that they have learned, with no thought to what it is they are saying! Of course, it was never given for such a purpose! It is a "model prayer", a "blueprint for praying". It is not a set of words to be repeated ad nauseum! Indeed, just before giving those words to the disciples, Jesus warned against doing so: "And when you pray, do not heap up phrases (multiply words, repeating the same ones over and over) as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their much speaking." (Matt.6:7; Amplified Bible - emphasis added).

Prayer is not always easy! It involves talking, and listening, and it is God-centred. If those elements are missing, then we may be deceiving ourselves - thinking that we are praying, when we are not!