That is an interesting subject to be explored! It is also a very important aspect in our Christian living. It is not a topic to be taken lightly!
We all consider ourselves Christians. Christians pray. Sometimes when we pray, we ask too often and too much; we talk too much. Many times we need to listen more, to listen to what God is telling or whispering to us.
We need to just sit back and maintain silence and listen and listen.
Jesus taught us,
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the Synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men…. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen…. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (NIV Matthew 6: 5-8)
I wonder how many of us do this each and every day in our life. Do you?
At times, I start to ponder whether Jesus taught us to pray in the public–especially in the open air–when a large crowd gathers. (He did pray when he was dying on the Cross, and this was an exception.)
We could refer to the portion of Scripture where Jesus fed the 4,000 and the 5,000. The Bible has never recorded him praying aloud while in the open with such large crowds. He simply blessed the food.
We are unable to identify a place in the Scriptures whereby he actually taught his 12 disciples that they must pray aloud among a crowd gathering in the open.
At this juncture I cannot help but wonder about the motive of one’s prayer. In a crowd, you will have to pray aloud, but the risk is whether you are praying and letting others hear what you are saying or you are just talking to God. Pharisees prayed aloud because they wanted others to hear what they said. Hence, Christians should take heed lest we pray like the Pharisees.
The content of prayer is not what this article is about. The main focus here is on the attitude of praying.
As all the churches in Malaysia now pray for the governance of the country, for the GE14 that is fast approaching, it is of utmost importance that we all need to pray together behind closed doors, whether at home, individually, or in churches with the crowd or in any places of gathering. A concerted but sincere heart is pertinent.
As such, allow me to quote a phrase from our pastor who preached on Sunday (11/2) morning. He reminded us “to pray hard and not to play hard; to work and walk with God” in the building of His Kingdom.
The above is some of the reflections I have held to myself in responding to the Sermon. (It represents my own personal opinion/belief. I do not profess that each reader would agree with me, but this magazine of the Church acts as a platform for us to say what is relevant to today’s issues.)
Our SCAC President, Rev Dr Tie King Tie, puts it this way: “If we do not cultivate the habit of praying, we will not be able to sacrifice ourselves for His sake, nor live for Him, and die for Him.” (The Chinese Methodist Message Issue 1151, 7/1/2018—-directly translated from the Chinese language), 6.
Let me end with just 3 questions for you to think about.
a) Do we pray hard?
b) Do we pray hard often?
c) Do we shut the door behind us and pray in the room?
Remember that our attitudes and motives of praying are vital. Let us, therefore, not forget to communicate with God through prayers.