Thoughts from the Sermon on the Mount …
It was late in 1944, during World War II, that the allied troops were pushing their way back through Europe toward Germany. Their efforts were delayed by winter storms, much to the anger of the commander, General George S. Patton. In one of his famous moments, the frustrated general summoned an army chaplain and ordered him to produce a prayer for good weather.
The chaplain finally wrote the prayer and it was distributed to the troops. The weather immediately cleared and Patton gave the chaplain a medal (see here for details).
In that story, General Patton’s brashness is almost comical. But if we look at ourselves, that is often what we think about prayer. We live our lives. We bow our heads in church, and perhaps before meals. But we don’t seriously consider prayer until life stops working and we need help from a higher power.
Lots of people talk about prayer. It has become ingrained in our culture. Even in the Christian church, the very word, “prayer” brings up a host of mental images:
- The venerable older woman praying before her bedside
- The pastor delivering a lengthy prayer before his Sunday sermon
- A quick prayer before a family meal
- The classic picture of Jesus praying in the garden (see here).
Even outside of Christianity, many world religions have incorporated prayer as part of their rites. There are the Buddhist prayer wheels, the Hindu mantras, the Muslim prayer beads, and the Jewish Wailing Wall. Even the Catholic Church has candles and the rosary.
It is still common to see someone in a movie or on television attempt to pray when they are really scared. We still occasionally see a popular athlete pray on the sidelines after a game. All of these images bring together some popular thoughts about prayer:
- It matters most that you pray, not necessarily to whom you are praying.
- Prayer is for the weak.
- You pray as a last resort.
- Those who pray in public are putting on a religious show.
- You need to say a lot of prayers before God will listen to you.
- Don’t expect any real answer from God.
How many of these thoughts about prayer are true? What does Jesus say about prayer?
Sapphire Sky 