Tag: prayer

Should We Recite the Lord’s Prayer?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 11, 2015
2 Comments on Should We Recite the Lord’s Prayer?

Last week I blogged about saying the Lord’s Prayer each Sunday in church as a kid and my apprehension for doing so. I cited my reason as the phrase “vain repetitions” (KJV) found in Jesus’s warning about how not to pray.

The NIV is more colorful in its rendering: “babbling like pagans.”

Though I didn’t get it as a kid, I now know that not all repetition need be in vain. I suppose that just as we can have vain repetition, we can likewise have worthwhile repetition.

So is repeating the Lord’s Prayer vain or worthwhile? I suppose that depends on the person doing the reciting. For some the repetition may be in vain and for others it may be worthwhile.

What I do know is that just a couple verses after Jesus warns against vain repetition and babbling like the pagans when we pray, he teaches us the Lord’s Prayer.

This gives me pause, for it seems like he tells us not to do something and then teaches us how to do what we’re not supposed to do. Is this another of the Bible’s paradoxes?

However, I don’t think Jesus intends us to recite his prayer. I suspect he gives it to us as a model to guide us, not a passage to memorize.

That’s what I use the Lord’s Prayer for, not a form to follow verbatim, but an example to steer my words when I communicate with God.

So, yes, I do use the Lord’s Prayer when I pray. I follow it as an outline to inform my prayers, not a refrain to repeat. For if I recite it verbatim, it would indeed become vain repetition—at least for me.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

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Tags Lord’s Prayer, prayer

Christian Living

Who Would Like to Pray?

Let Us Pray

Recently my wife and I were hanging out with friends, good friends, the best. The time we spend together is always a spiritual experience. As we immerse ourselves in each other’s presence, God joins us.

We don’t realize time’s passing, only becoming aware of the hour after seeking out a clock. The dinner hour snuck up on us. We order pizza—not because we are hungry as much as we know we should eat.

Soon we’re sitting at the table. “Who would like to pray?” our host asks. With little hesitation, their oldest, a preteen girl offers. We bow our heads but she doesn’t launch into a flurry of words; she pauses.

When sufficiently ready, she prays, not a memorized petition or spewing phrases of rote familiarity, but considered words appropriate to the situation. When finished, we thank her and nod our approval, but no one lunges for food; we wait.

“Does anyone else want to pray?” Her brother and sister both do, but her sister speaks first. We bow again. She prays, too. Her brother is next. These kids know how to approach the Almighty. Their parents have taught them well.

Only the youngest has not participated. “Do you want to pray?” his mom asks him. He nods. He’s not yet talking much so I wonder what he might say. Like his siblings, he prays from his heart; his few words surely bless God.

We affirm his prayer, just as we did for his older brother and sisters. Only then do we consider the food before us.

As I savor my first slice of pizza, I contemplate what just happened.

These kids want to pray. They place prayer over food and their siblings’ turns over their stomachs. Their reverence inspires me.

The prayers they offer are not a performance for people but communication with their Father in heaven.

May I be more like them.

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Tags children, food, prayer

Christian Living

Say “Amen” Like You Mean It

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 12, 2015

What does the word amen mean? It sometimes seems like amen must mean “the prayer is over,” or “I’m done praying?” Or perhaps “I have nothing more to say.” Maybe we don’t even think about saying it; we just do.

The Amplified Bible gives us the answer. It says amen means “so let it be” or “so be it.” I like that. It’s as if we’re cheering God on at the conclusion of our prayers, that we’re affirming he is able to answer what we’ve asked.

This understanding of what amen means has so informed my prayers that I often replace my “amen” with “so be it”—at least when I pray silently.

However, when I pray out loud, I usually stick with the customary “amen,” because people are confused if I end with “so let it be.”

Still, in select company, I will sometimes say “so be it” to vocally add freshness to my words and affirm my faith in God’s ability to answer. Still this is hard for some people.

My wife, for one, isn’t satisfied with that phrase and out of compulsion she adds the “amen” for me when I don’t. It’s not that I’m being sacrilegious or rebellious, it’s that I desire to affirm the power of the Almighty who I’m praying to. Try it some time.

Some preachers, however, use amen in a far different way—and it bugs me. They utter it often at the end of sentences, as if to ask “are you listening?” or “do you agree?”

The expected response is for the audience to echo back “amen,” as if to say “Yes, we’re listening,” “We agree” or “Preach it brother!”

Too often they take this to nonsensical extremes, where amen becomes nothing more than filler, as in: “Turn in your Bibles, amen? To the book of Luke, chapter two, amen!” The funniest was when one preacher said, “Shall we pray, amen?”

Most of the dictionaries I consulted confirm what the Amplified Bible says, that amen means “so be it.”

A few add a secondary definition that amen can express agreement. But I found none that confirmed these amen-spouting preachers are using amen correctly in their sermons.

Let’s reclaim amen for what it really means and stop using it incorrectly. We need to say “amen” like we mean it.

Try ending your prayer with “so be it” or “so let it be?”

It may feel strange at first, but it a try?

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Tags prayer

Christian Living

What Happens After We Promise to Pray For Others?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date June 14, 2015

Be Sure to Follow through in What you Say You’ll Do

Prayer is important to me, and I often pray for others. However, I seldom promise to pray for them. Why is that?

Too many times, people have told me they’d pray for me, but I sensed they never would. Their words were hollow.

Perhaps they had good intentions, or maybe they were just saying what they thought they should, being socially polite, with no intention of following through.

I seldom make that promise to pray for others because I’m afraid I might forget. I’d rather not promise to pray and pray anyway, than to make a promise and not pray.

This reminds me of a story Jesus once told about two sons. The father tells the first to go work in the vineyard. The boy says “No,” but later changes his mind and goes to work anyway.

When Dad tells the second son to get to work, the boy says “Sure,” but he never does. Jesus commends the first son as the obedient one.

As they say, action speak louder than words. Don’t talk about praying, just pray.

When an opportunity to pray for a person or situation arises, I try to pray immediately. If the situation allows, I pray aloud. Other times I pray silently. In both cases I trust the Holy Spirit to remind me to pray again later.

Sometimes it’s a single prompting; in other instances it’s multiple times, over the course of hours or days.

Usually this spiritual cue results in a short prayer: God does not need to hear many words or elegant words, just honest words. Other times I stop what I’m doing, become still, listen to God, and pray accordingly.

Our promises to pray are not what’s important; it’s our actual prayers that matter.

[Matthew 21:28-32]

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Tags Jesus, pray for others, prayer

Christian Living

Will You Pray For Me?

Three Outcomes to Consider

When people ask for prayer, I’m eager to do so. Prayer is important; prayer makes a difference. God wants us to pray, and it’s part of our spiritual formation.

So when someone asks, “Will you pray for me?” I pray. Often I pray right away, either silently or out loud, depending on the situation. And I try to pray again later.

Sometimes this may be just once or twice. In other instances I feel a prompting of the Holy Spirit to intercede multiple times throughout the day or over the course of many days.

Then, after investing so much in praying for someone, I’m anxious to learn what happened. I hear one of three responses:

Yes! Often I hear glowing reports of God’s amazing answer, either exactly as we prayed or in ways beyond what we hoped. Then I breathe a prayer of thanksgiving to Jesus. God is good; I’m so glad I prayed.

No! Other times, the person is downcast. God seems to have been silent, not responding in any discernable way. I’m disappointed when this happens, but it doesn’t dissuade me from praying. I persevere.

Prayer isn’t about getting our way; prayer is about aligning our thoughts with God’s will.

Sometimes we fail to see his perspective. Navigating this is a tricky path, but it’s part of our spiritual journey; it hones our faith. I press on. I thank God that he is growing me.

What? A few times—too often, in fact—they give me a blank stare. This is something they asked me to pray about, but they forgot. It was a passing thought to them, one quickly disregarded.

I invested time, emotion, and faith into something for their sake, and God was part of that process, but they went AWOL: not joining in prayer, not listening to God’s direction, and not doing their part to move towards resolution.

I was more faithful in praying for them than they were. They didn’t follow through or keep me updated. This minimizes prayer and demeans God; it makes me sad.

At times we can be too casual when asking for prayer. While prayer should be common, it is not trivial. When we ask someone to pray for us, it is serious business; God is involved. After asking for prayer, our role is to pray, too.

Next we listen to God, and then we do our part to move towards resolution. This honors God and respects those who pray for us.

Don’t ask someone to pray for you unless you truly mean it and are willing to take part.

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Tags faith, faithful, prayer, Thanksgiving

Christian Living

Who Prays For You?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date May 24, 2015

Are there people who pray for you? Family members, such as parents or spouse often intercede for those dearest to them.

Your best friend, boyfriend, or girlfriend may seek God on your behalf. Maybe members of your church, your small group, or your pastors pray for you. If you’re fortunate, it may be your boss, coworkers, neighbors, or the clerks where you shop.

Sometimes these folks pray for you when you ask them to, when they see a need in your life, or when the Holy Spirit prompts them. Or praying for you may be a daily habit of theirs and you are the benefactor.

As you read these possibilities, the list of people who pray for you may be overwhelming. Or you may be dismayed that no one (that you know of) prays for you.

Regardless of how long or short your list, there are two names we can add to it—important names, the most significant we can find, the best of the best. Did you know that Jesus prays for us? And not just Jesus but the Holy Spirit, too.

Imagine that, Jesus prays to the Father for us. The Holy Spirit prays to the Father for us.

Though the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one, this is kind of like God praying to God, but they are also three parts of the godhead, imploring each other on our behalf, as though urging themselves to give us their best.

Jesus advocates for us; the Holy Spirit advocates for us. And I see God the Father nodding in agreement. It’s like a heavenly pep-rally—at least that’s how I imagine it.

Though this is hard to grasp, the essential point is that God wants the best for us and one way he shows this is by interceding for us.

Know that others, including Jesus and the Holy Spirit, are praying for us.

[Romans 8:34, Romans 8:27]

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Tags Holy Spirit, Jesus, prayer, small group

Christian Living

Mowing Lawn and Theology

God Hears Us When We Pray

Many years ago my dad gave me his twelve-year-old riding lawnmower. “If you’re careful,” he advised, “you might get a couple more years out of it.

The first time I used it, I prayed. I thanked God for his provision and for my parents’ generosity. I asked God to keep the mower running. Most every time I mowed lawn since then, I repeated that prayer.

With my prayers, regular maintenance, and a few repairs along the way, the mower kept running—for another fifteen years.

When my friend moved, he sold me his riding mower for a great price, and I retired my faithful, worn out one.

Out of habit, I continued praying when I mowed lawn, thanking God for his provision and my friend. I’d ask God to keep the mower running.

That was ten years ago. With my prayers, regular maintenance, and a few repairs along the way, the mower has kept running.

Last week I was in a hurry when I mowed lawn. I forgot to pray. After a few minutes, the mower broke, leaving me with a partially groomed lawn.

Fortunately, the repair was easy, and soon I was back on the mower, praying as I finished my work.

It would be wrong to make an absolute theological conclusion from me forgetting to pray and having my lawnmower break, but there is a lesson. God used this to remind me that, “When you pray, I listen.”

Thank you Jesus for this reminder, your provision, and my friend’s generosity. Please keep my mower running.

(In two weeks, I’ll give my lawnmower to my son. If he’s careful, he should get a couple more years out of it.)

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Tags prayer

Christian Living

Never Just Say a Quick Prayer

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 6, 2014
2 Comments on Never Just Say a Quick Prayer

Don’t Rush Your Time with God

I cringe whenever someone says, “Let’s just say a quick prayer.”

Prayer is holy communication with the Almighty. It is a hallowed honor that we, as mere human beings, are granted the privilege to experience with the Divine.

I’ve never comprehended why God bothers to listen to us or why he cares about what’s troubling us.

Why does the Creator condescend to the created?

Yet he does.

He wants to hear from us, but not just to ask for things. We can thank him too; we can praise him—even though we often forget.

Prayer is such a sacred act. It’s bad enough when we forget to check in with God or take our communion of words with him for granted.

I think it grieves him even more when we minimize the solemn act of prayer by preceding it with “just.” To “just pray,” trivializes prayer. We need to stop it and treat prayer as serious business.

Equally appalling is when we suggest saying a “quick prayer.” Yes, there are times that warrant short prayers, such as when an out of control car careens our way or when we don’t know what to say in a volatile situation.

We can also breathe our praise for a beautiful sunset, a kindness experienced, or God’s provision for another day.

However, a “quick prayer” generally dishonors God. It implies we don’t have time for him or feel obliged to squeeze in some obligatory words before doing something we think is more important.

What could be more important than connecting with God? Surely, a “quick prayer” distresses him.

Yes, I have said, “Let’s just say a quick prayer,” and I hope to never say it again.

God expects better and deserves more.

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Tags prayer

Visiting Churches

Praying for Church

Say a Pre-Church Prayer

One of the practices my wife and I followed when we visited 52 churches was to pray before we headed out the door.

This seems simple enough and something we should have always done, but praying prior to church was a practice we seldom did, more likely skipping it than remembering.

However, one year of visiting a different church every week taught us to embrace this practice; we depended on it. Indeed, without prayer to prepare the way, disaster would have surely resulted on more than one occasion.

52 Churches: A Yearlong Journey Encountering God, His Church, and Our Common Faith

Almost every week we prayed we would hear what God wanted to teach us. Often we prayed for ways to give back to the people at the churches we visited.

Sometimes we’d pray against fear or apprehension—or even that we could find the church. A few times, I needed to pray for a good attitude. And towards the end, we prayed to fight fatigue and to keep an open mind.

For the 52 churches, we remembered to pray 51 times. (The time we forgot was in rushing to Saturday Mass after squeezing in time with family.)

After experiencing firsthand the benefits of praying before church, we’ve continued this practice, remembering most Sundays. When we expect much at church and pray for it, we usually experience much. The opposite is also true.

If we take the time to go to church, shouldn’t we also take time to pray for a great experience?

[Read about our journey of visiting 52 churches.]

My wife and I visited a different Christian Church every Sunday for a year. This is our story. Get your copy of 52 Churches today, available in ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook.

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Tags 52 Churches, church, family, Mass, prayer

Christian Living

Praying for Future Generations

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date December 22, 2013
4 Comments on Praying for Future Generations

Pray it Forward

For my first ten years as a parent, I struggled to pray for my children. Oh, I did pray for them but not regularly, not every day.

This changed when someone gave me a list of twenty-three traits to pray for my children. The items included that they would fall in love with God’s word, have a heart for missions, love others, for their future spouse, and so forth.

Each morning I’d ask God to instill in them one of the characteristics on the list. After twenty-three days, I’d start over.

Just when the list started becoming routine, I bought a prayer card that provided thirty-one items, mostly different from the first list.

For the past twenty years I’ve switched between these two resources, each day asking God to instill in my children one of the traits on the list.

But I didn’t just pray for my kids.

The first additions to the list were their friends. Not only did I desire God-honoring children, but I also wanted them in the company of godly friends.

In later years, I likewise prayed for those they dated, and then college roommates, and finally their spouses.

With my kids’ marriages came the prospect of grandchildren, so I added my future grandkids to my daily prayers. It wasn’t that I urged God to rush them.

Instead, I prayed that when they did arrive, they, too, would possess these same godly characteristics.

It’s one thing to pray in faith for future grandchildren, but soon God prompted me to expand my vision, to include my future great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren: the next four generations.

While it’s feasible I may one day see my great grandchildren, it’s highly unlikely I’ll ever see my great, great grandkids – at least not in the physical realm.

After my first grandson arrived, God prompted me for even more. Now my prayers are paving the way for the next ten generations. It’s hard to comprehend, but I pray by faith, expectant for amazing results.

Even more, I suspect that before my life is over, God will tell me to pray beyond the next ten generations.

In addition to praying for my offspring, I’ve also included my niece and nephews, my closest friends, people I mentor, and missionaries I support.

I share my prayer practices with much trepidation. I don’t want to call attention to myself, but I do want to encourage everyone to pray for their children, both those seen and those unseen.

May you pray it forward. Start today.

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Tags future, prayer, youth