Some time ago, I was listening to a radio message about honesty in prayer. The preacher talked about how tossing God one platitude after another does nothing to please Him. If anything, doing so has the opposite effect. Platitudes were equated to reruns on television - the ones that we just breeze past with our remote controls because we've seen them before. Would it not stand to reason that the Lord would "turn us off" or "flip to another channel" if we just kept giving Him the same meaningless words?
It's an interesting analogy, equating repetitive or overly pious prayer to a boring TV channel, but here's another comparison. We all have people whom we come in contact with on a daily or weekly basis. Over time, we get used to their favorite sayings, stories, and complaints. We begin to have times when we say to ourselves,"Here he goes again..." What happens then? We act polite and attentive, not wishing to cause offense, but inwardly we usually tune them out. Why? Because we don't want to hear the same old stuff we've heard over and over again!
One nice addition to AWANA this year is group prayer time, which takes place a half hour before the program starts for the evening. We as leaders use the time to clear our minds of worldly concerns by giving them over to God. We pray for specific clubbers and for ourselves. The good news is that it can be a time of great cleansing and empowerment. The bad news is that there is always a potential danger in any group prayer setting. You may ask,"What possible danger could there be in that?"
We, as sinful human beings, each harbor some degree of pride. We have a sinfully instinctive desire to outdo one another and call attention to ourselves. This can unconsciously come out in the form of an overly pious prayer. Don't get me wrong; our Heavenly Father loves adoration in prayer...IF given with the proper motive, which is solely to glorify Him. We should never attempt to glorify ourselves through prayer. Prayer is meant to be the means by which we expose ourselves openly before God and admit our faults, in order to restore fellowship with Him.
After having experienced a couple of frustrating weeks as an AWANA leader, I consciously decided yesterday evening to change my approach to the throne during group prayer time. I openly admitted that I lead a busy life, and that there are times when I don't want to be there working in AWANA. It was then that I recalled a phrase I had heard during a different message,"I am not willing, but I am willing to be MADE willing." I asked the Lord change my direction and make me responsive to His lead.
The freedom I felt after that short time was great. I was amazed at how much smoothly the night went after having said that prayer. I took joy in seeing how God answered the prayers of others who were in that room during the course of the evening.
Remember, Jesus Himself taught us honesty in prayer with His words in Gethsemane. "Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." - Matthew 26:38-39
Take the advice of someone who has to learn most things the hard way. Be honest in prayer. Hold nothing back. The Almighty knows you better than you know yourself. He knows what you're thinking right now. There is nothing you can hide from him. You can't fool Him. Any trusting relationship must have a foundation of openness and honesty. Our relationship with our Creator is no different.
"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." - Matthew 6:7
It's an interesting analogy, equating repetitive or overly pious prayer to a boring TV channel, but here's another comparison. We all have people whom we come in contact with on a daily or weekly basis. Over time, we get used to their favorite sayings, stories, and complaints. We begin to have times when we say to ourselves,"Here he goes again..." What happens then? We act polite and attentive, not wishing to cause offense, but inwardly we usually tune them out. Why? Because we don't want to hear the same old stuff we've heard over and over again!
One nice addition to AWANA this year is group prayer time, which takes place a half hour before the program starts for the evening. We as leaders use the time to clear our minds of worldly concerns by giving them over to God. We pray for specific clubbers and for ourselves. The good news is that it can be a time of great cleansing and empowerment. The bad news is that there is always a potential danger in any group prayer setting. You may ask,"What possible danger could there be in that?"
We, as sinful human beings, each harbor some degree of pride. We have a sinfully instinctive desire to outdo one another and call attention to ourselves. This can unconsciously come out in the form of an overly pious prayer. Don't get me wrong; our Heavenly Father loves adoration in prayer...IF given with the proper motive, which is solely to glorify Him. We should never attempt to glorify ourselves through prayer. Prayer is meant to be the means by which we expose ourselves openly before God and admit our faults, in order to restore fellowship with Him.
After having experienced a couple of frustrating weeks as an AWANA leader, I consciously decided yesterday evening to change my approach to the throne during group prayer time. I openly admitted that I lead a busy life, and that there are times when I don't want to be there working in AWANA. It was then that I recalled a phrase I had heard during a different message,"I am not willing, but I am willing to be MADE willing." I asked the Lord change my direction and make me responsive to His lead.
The freedom I felt after that short time was great. I was amazed at how much smoothly the night went after having said that prayer. I took joy in seeing how God answered the prayers of others who were in that room during the course of the evening.
Remember, Jesus Himself taught us honesty in prayer with His words in Gethsemane. "Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." - Matthew 26:38-39
Take the advice of someone who has to learn most things the hard way. Be honest in prayer. Hold nothing back. The Almighty knows you better than you know yourself. He knows what you're thinking right now. There is nothing you can hide from him. You can't fool Him. Any trusting relationship must have a foundation of openness and honesty. Our relationship with our Creator is no different.
"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." - Matthew 6:7
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