Walking With the Giants in Prayer

If it is recommended reading from our friend Jodi, you can be sure it will be interesting.  She is the one who sent three copies of A Gospel Premier to Mexico and forwarded a link to National Wear a Tea Cosy on Your Head Day.  The article is usually accompanied by such comments as “Thought of you when I read this” or “I found this helpful.” 

One of those suggestions came a few days ago.  Because of snow our office was closed.  After breakfast with the snow still flying, I sat at the fireplace perusing Facebook when a notification came from Jodi.  She suggested I read an article entitled, “WhyUse Written Prayers?”

The idea of written prayers has just not been my idea of a real prayer.  I’ve been more along the opinion of Garrison Keillor’s grandpa when he said, “If a man can’t remember what he wants to say to God, let him sit down and think a litter harder.”  To that Garrison’s Aunt Esther meekly replied, “There’s the Lord’s Prayer.”  Grandpa responded, “You call that prayer?  Sitting and reciting like a bunch of school children?” 

I learned from Jodi’s article, however, there are a number of valuable reasons for the practiced use of the written prayer.  Of the twelve reasons listed, let me highlight three:  

1) They teach us how to pray–We can learn to pray by “tracing over” the prayers of godly persons.  After a while their wording becomes a part of our prayer vocabulary.  It's a way of walking with the giants.  

2) They infuse our prayer life with rich biblical and theological content - The charge of being “a mile wide and an inch deep” has been leveled against modern Christianity.  There are a plethora of hymns, verses and prayers that can move us into the depths. 

3) They connect us to the wider church, both geographically and historically–There is something powerful about saying time-tested prayers in common with those seated beside of us, with believers around the world, with Puritan believers of the 18^th century and with great-grandparents of a previous generation.