This is an excerpt from the book "Prayer" by Phillip Yancey and I thought you might enjoy this as it really put authentic prayer into focus for me:
I was teaching a class at a church in Chicago when a young woman raised her hand with a question. I knew her as a shy, conscientious student who attended faithfully but never spoke. The rest of the class seemed suprised as well and listened attentively. "I'm not always sincere when I pray," she began. "Sometimes it seems forced, more like a ritual. I'm just repeating words. Does God hear those prayers? Should I keep going even though I have no confidence that I'm doing it right?"
I let the silence hang in the room for a moment before attempting an answer. "Do you notice how quiet it is in here?" I said. "We all sense your honesty. It took courage for you to be vulnerable, and you touched a nerve with others of us in the room. You seem sincere, unlike a salesman, say, who gets paid to give a spiel. We're tuned in, listening, respectful, because you are being authintic. And I imagine it's the same with God. More than anyting else, God wants your autintic self."
And a couple of other quotes from the same chapter:
Prayer makes room for the unspeakable.
In truth, what I think and feel as I pray, rather than the words I speak, may be the real prayer, for God "hears" that too. (Reference Psalms 139:4,7-8)
Unless I level with God, our relationship will go nowhere.
"We must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us." (C.S. Lewis) In other words, we must trust God with what God already knows.
Stay Strong, PLD
STP, an IronMan
1 comment:
Wow, I like this plead to be honest and just pray. I know it is always hard for me to pray. Sometimes it seems to be a waste of time to pray. My prayers always seem to have me or my family as the focus; seeking prosperity, health or anything that benefits me.
Lately I have been struggling with my prayer life. Thanks for posting this blurp. I may see if I can borrow this book.
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