28/07/13

Prayer without words

Psalms 17:1 - Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry [signing], give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned [deceitful] lips.

It is very common that Christians judge other Christian's spiritual life by the prayers they make. Once it happened with me a person I invited someone from my Church to attend one of my Bible classes. The revelations I shared at the class shock him very much and he did not like it, he was very upset and came bombarding me. I asked him to point out the wrong he found which was not according to scripture and he could not give me even one point. He expected me to share things which he had already heard; something fresh from the Lord was too much for him. At the end there was only one point he could point towards me and that was my opening prayer, he called it a weak prayer.

I had made a simple prayer of just 2 or 3 lines asking the Lord to take charge of us, of our minds and everything I speak would be not of my thinking but from Him. This I spoke in one standard tone without any shouting or variation in tones.

When people pray many a times I get an insight of their spiritual life not by the theatrics they use but by understanding the words they speak. It shows their spiritual understanding the real riches they hold. It does not require them to declare great things but requires them to be correct in their words, not contradicting the Word of God.

When it comes to God, He too does not go by the theatrics we use in our prayer or in our worship. We may be shouting, using hi-fi words, lifting our hands, kneeling down or dancing our life away during worship but yet these as not the things that affect God or impress Him.

When we pray or worship God it is not our words, our quality of singing or the actions we do which impress God, it is the things that come from our heart that really impresses Him.

In today's message David one of the greatest worshipper of God says to the Lord through this psalm, 'do not give attention to my worship or the words that come out of my mouth, but give attention to what comes from my heart'. He goes to the extent to call his own mouth a deceitful mouth.

When we kneel or lift our hands or dance or bow it is to help us make the corresponding affect in the communication which comes from our heart to the Lord. If we do these are done in the subconscious level they become just actions like rituals and these God hates. So it is important when we do these actions they should have their symbolic effect in our real communication with God.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You are Spirit and your true worshippers worship You in Spirit and Truth. Lord, help us to truly communicate with You from the depths of our hearts. Let not our actions be just vain actions but come with meaning...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
Isaiah 1:12-17
12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Ecclesiastes 5:7 - For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

Mark 12:38-40
38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,
39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:
40 Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)