Recently I was amazed by the counsel on prayer that was given to another by one who spoke with authority. Although the person spoke with authority, their counsel was not biblical, it was solely that person’s personal opinion and it was a matter of likes, dislikes and personal preferences. It is not only wrong but a dangerous practice for any individual (Clergy, scholar or simpleton) to offers his or her personal opinion (not scripture base) on spiritual matter, pass it off as a matter of gospel and expect other to adopt such without question. This attitudes and teaching are normally the beginning of strange doctrines, the same things Jesus fought against and warned about through his prophets and in person.
What is prayer: prayer is the process or means where Human speaks to their god in the case of the Christian: Jehovah. This is the process where Jehovah is entreated, request are made, and praises are offered up to him. These conversations are normally monologs but at times it may be dialog.
In this instant offence was taken with the manner in which certain individual expressed themseves with the spoken words, in particular the repetitious use of the words: Father God, lord and God etc. I must admit, like that individual I to do not like to hear such repetitious prayers. However I do not have the right to tell anyone how to address and speak to or with their best friend. Although Jesus the Christ warned us personally not to be like the heathen, as is outlined in Matthew 6: 7 Which tell us “When we pray use not vain reputations like the heathen do, for they think they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Here Jesus was speaking of the prayers of the hypocrite who was not too concerned with respectfully addressing Jehovah but those who were caught up in their pride and was more concern with the intentional use of fancy catch lines in order to impress their peers and others who were listening. Let us bear in mind that Jesus was not speaking of our honest utterances; prayer is one friend speaking to his best friend, a friend who they love and will do any thing for. If there is one person we do not have to try and impress is our best friend. Jesus spoke of the Heathen they are not friends of Jehovah, they have not truly accepted his hand of friendship and or fellowship that Jehovah have so lovingly extended to them; that’s why they are heathen. With this in mind, who am I to tell anyone what words, what tone of voice, attitude, and demeanor to use when they are speaking to their best friend?
Friendship is all about relationship; it takes time, experience and a common understanding to establishment a certain type of relationship with another before one can declare another his or her friend and Jehovah nor Jesus are not willing to settle for a casual friendship with any member of the human family, he wants to be our best friend. The good thing about Jehovah and his son Jesus; is the fact that although each of us have a relationship with the Father and his Son your relationship and my relationship will not be the same. Therefore I am not to concern myself with the way you communicate with Jesus or Jehovah. They love me and you regardless and in spite of our faults, weaknesses, and other short coming; that is what friends do.
Jesus gave us a pattern which we should use when we pray and this pattern is found in the Our father’s prayer which is recorded in Matthew 6:7-13. The average person may not understand the pattern and nothing is wrong with that either. It is also born out in the scriptures that we who are simpletons in the sight of Jehovah do not know what to pray for but we are assured that the Holy Spirit will translate out utterance into a language that the father will understand and it is base of such that we are blessed. Here we see the requirement of human participant is just to love Jehovah with all of our hearts Deut. 6:5 and the willing ness to do his will.
Let us get into the technicality of personal expression which prayer is. We must remember that our ability to express ourselves or ones ability to express one self with spoken words is greatly dependant on our, his or her level of intelligence, general learning and education back ground. There are many people who are great thinkers but for some reason they are unable to express themselves with words be it the spoken or the written. It is no secret that some people are eloquent, has a very large applicable vocabulary and are thus able to articulately express themselves with words. But there are also those people who are not that gifted and they do not have such ability to use word in such a manner. Should we make such people think that their limited vocabulary, their lack of articulation and their lack of learning some how make them inferior to us and thus incapable to speak to Jesus or Jehovah who is their best friend? No.
My God, Jehovah the one that I love and serve looks on the heart of man, while unfortunately men chose to look only on the outside. It is so sad that human chose to ignore those traits, qualities and evidence of a persons good character, such qualities that look us in the eyes yet we focuses on the irrelevant thins such as:
- The way a person dresses.
- The way they speaks
- Where they are from
- Their family back ground
- Their pass actions and behavior
- Their profession
- Their political alliances etc.
You do not have the rights to judge the intentions and or motives behind anyone actions, not even the heathen; that is the work of Jehovah. Neither are we to make a determination of person’s action or spoken words base on our trivial complexes, likes, dislikes etc. You ought not to be worried with the content of the pray of another just remember that the Holy Spirit translate our rambling into a language that is understood by Jehovah. We ought to be working out our own salvation with fear and trembling before Jehovah our, creator, protector, redeemer and soon returning King.
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