Don't you love to hear some people pray?
It just seems they know how to do it. They know the right words and seem just to sound just right when they pray. On the other hand, we feel like when we pray it is the most discombobulated collection of syllables ever composed.
In many cases, those individual that we are thinking of truly are people of great spiritual depth who sound experienced in prayer because...they are experienced in prayer.
It is good to be around these folks. But at the same time...there is a subset of people who have simply mastered the sounds of prayer.
In Luke 18.9-14 Jesus tells the story of two people praying. One knew all the right words and themes. It is possible that folks may have leaned in to hear this learned man pray.
The other man...well it seems no one has ever felt more out of place praying. He stood as far away from the center of the room as possible. He could not even turn his eyes heavenward and just poured a handful of words in humble confession.
No one leaned in to hear this man pray.
But wonder of wonders...Jesus tells us it was the second man was the one who really knew how to pray! As we think about the prayers of the Bible, be reminded that you don't have to be an expert in prayer to be heard.
Know that you should never be intimidated because someone else sounds better in prayer.
More important than people loving to hear you pray is God loving to hear you pray! And He loves real people, praying real prayers.
Nothing fancy. Just straight from the heart.
Your Pastor
Tim
