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Investigating the Bible: Don’t pray like this

By DAVID CARLSON PASTOR

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave the desired template for prayer, which we now call “The Lord’s Prayer.” Less is written about the verses before that prayer, where Jesus told his followers how they shouldn’t pray. Here are those two guidelines.

First, don’t pray to be seen. Instead, pray in secret. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6, English Standard Version used throughout).

Frequent prayer was required for a devout Jew in ancient Palestine: Prayers before and after meals, prayers at 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m., and of course prayers in the synagogue. A Jew could plan his day so that while at the busy market, with crowds of people around, he would have to roll out his prayer mat and kneel. Jesus said these men have already their reward. Instead, find a place of privacy. The Greek word translated “room” in the verse above, was a storeroom, somewhere in the cool and quiet middle of the home, with grain and dry foods on shelves and no windows.

Some of the wealthy had a secret room, a hiding place from thieves. Jesus said, go there and in that safe solitude talk and listen to God. Honestly tell God of fears and secret thoughts and listen to God by reciting Psalms and other scripture. As the Jewish King David prayed, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14).

Second, don’t pray long in public: Keep public prayers brief. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:7-8).

A picture of the empty and lengthy prayers of Gentiles is in the Old Testament, when the prophet Elijah confronted the priests of the false god Baal with a challenge: Each would sacrifice a bull and place it on an altar of firewood. Both the priests and Elijah would pray for fire. The priests began calling, “… from morning until noon, saying, ‘O Baal, answer us!’ But there was no voice and no one answered…And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, ‘Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.’” (1 Kings 19:26-27). Elijah had workers douse his altar wood with water three times, filling a trench with water. Then he called upon God and “…the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” (1 Kings 19:38).

To pray long in public is a temptation. D.L. Moody was a powerful American evangelist of the late 1800s and founder of the Moody Bible Institute. Thousands attended his rallies. At one of these large events, a minister opened the meeting with prayer and kept on praying. Finally, Moody stood up and said, “Let us sing a hymn while our brother finishes praying.”

When author Peggy Noonan interviewed President Ronald Reagan, he acknowledged the necessary role of prayer: “I’ve prayed a lot throughout my life. Abraham Lincoln once said that he could never have fulfilled his duties as president for even 15 minutes without God’s help. I felt the same way.”

David Carlson Pastor (yes, that is his last name, not his profession) is a Polk County resident and graduate of Bethel Theological Seminary in Minnesota (M.Div., M.Th.)

Comments

fiddler

This column is ridiculous. All he talks about is men and what men do. Little left to the imagination as to why women leave religion, now in droves. All this maleness opens the door to sexual abuse, which is another form of domination. Churches and men set themselves up to dominate women, period. The justify it with the Bible and say God wants it that way. Make me vomit.

Male led churches are preaching to a choir that is missing women's voices (Religious Dispatches).

One of the letters attributed to Paul but not written to him says that women should not talk in church, they should wait until they're home and ask their husbands. Of course, this is not only a forgery by using Paul's name, but the passage is a second forgery that added the passage after the letter was written. The big tip off is that it's inserted in another passage. It's like saying, "The temperature is about to drop my cousin was arrested for posession with attempt tonight to 30 degrees."

By 2050 people will be unable to worship in churches, according to a catholic priest in WA. He had been given this message during prayer time and it distressed him greatly. That's one option, of course, because we have free will and can change history by making different choices. But women must be included equally to men.

I think churches already dead. I don't feel the Spirit moving in them. I did once, when I attended an Episcopal service in Ballard, WA. The priest was Dennis Bennett. He and other priests were awakened during the great awakening of the late 1950s. When I went there the pews were packed and people stood in the hallway because there was no room. There were healings, visions, people speaking in tongues. Twenty years later he was not with us anymore and there were three people attending the service.

Women comprise 50% of the population. Wake up! You're losing us in DROVES, especially Gen Z.


fiddler

And get awakened. Bees on honey, honey .

Lulu

It definitely makes a difference who is writing the book. How very convenient. Notice how the prodigal son was celebrated and fawned over after his foray into the seamier side of life. He received a valuable ring and ate from the fatted calf. The prodigal daughter, on the other hand, would have been stoned to death--slowly and methodically--the crowd prefers the smaller, sharper stones to prolong suffering.

Otis

Next series in the NR is Bruce Campbell with his thoughts on "Investigating the Necronomicon".

Lulu

Several years ago, out of curiosity, I began visiting area churches. One was Bethel Baptist on Baker Creek Road. It has since changed its name. At that time, the church was between pastors. In the interim, sermons were delivered by the "menfolk" in the congregation. After a few months, I naively inquired why women weren't also contributing their own sermons. I was informed (by three separate female members), "Oh, no; the men wouldn't approve." My very close friend had been a Bethel member for years. When other churches or local groups were invited to special outdoor lunches, the food was served only by married women; the divorced hussies had to remain behind, out of sight, in the kitchen. How ironic. You devout people are more than happy to accept my money; just not me. Relax: I won't be occupying any more spaces in your pews.

Mona Ellison

Had to laugh at Lulu's post. I grew up in the Baptist church in south Georgia (In the 50s & 60s - had sense enough to leave at age 19). One of my classmate's mother and stepfather were in the choir. There was a big brou-ha-ha about kicking them out of the choir because she was a devorced "hussy." I remember my parents whispering about it, but, to their credit, they thought it was inappropriate and stupid. The hussy's back story was as follows: 1st husband (3 kids with him) was a wife beating drunk so she divorced him. 2nd husband (1 kid with him, my classmate) committed suicide due to severe depression or a mental issue. Neither of these two situations were in any way her fault, of course. She now had 4 kids to support and married a 3rd time (2 more kids with him). She always worked a full time job. These were the reasons neither one of these people were "worthy" to sing in the choir. Her because, let's face it, she had, ahem, "been with" 3 men, and him, I guess, for marrying such a hussy.

Meanwhile, one of the loudest proponents of throwing these "sinners" off the choir was an old fart who was himself "living in sin." He had rented an attached apartment (located in his big, white antebellum style home) to the "old maid" 4th grade school teacher and started a torrid affair with her that went on for years while his bedridden wife was still alive and in the house.

Baptists! Bigger hypocrites, you won't find! Well, maybe Catholics.

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