Prayer-talking
If you were brought up in the Church of Christ in the late '60's and '70's, your earliest concepts of what Christianity actually was were probably very conservative and traditional. I was blessed with parents (especially a father) who didn't think things were quite so cut and dried. That helped...but there were still some things I accepted as rote.Communion went before the sermon.
The older you were, the longer you prayed.
If you "went forward," something was terribly, terribly wrong.
The devil was in charge of television programming, which is why "The Six Million Dollar Man" was on Sunday nights and "The Bionic Woman" was on Wednesdays.
Potlucks were an act of worship.
The pathways of life were uneven.
You never, never, talked during a prayer.
There were more, of course, but I've been thinking about this last one recently. I remember the first time I was praying in a group and somebody actually spoke while another person was praying. I was with family in Riverside and my cousins, Tom and Linda, were interjecting the occasional "Yes, Lord" and "Thank you, Jesus" into a prayer. I was in my early teens and I remember opening one eye, slowly, barely a squint, to get a look at what was happening. There they were, heads bowed, seemingly praying right along. But talking! And they didn't stop!
As time went by, I met more people like this. I realized early on that they weren't interrupting at all, but actually joining in. They were praying themselves while I had mostly just been listening to prayers. It wasn't long until I attempted my first quiet "yes" during a prayer and I quite enjoyed it thank you very much. It's become a part of my corporate prayer life and I hardly notice it anymore.
I have known people, by the way, who seem to commandeer a prayer for their own purposes sometimes. The interjections are so loud and so plentiful that they are a distraction to all. This makes me want to say "Amen" and move on. Most folks though are quite sincere.
On Monday of this week, Lisa and I put James to bed and knelt by his bed to pray with him. He asked his mommy to pray so she did. She asked God to be with James while he slept and I heard a very soft "yessssssss" coming from him. I smiled wide as she went on. She asked for God's protection and thanked Him for our family and our friends and James whispered "yesssssss" each time. When she stopped praying, I knew why. As sweet as it was, it was cracking her up. Which cracked me up. Which, naturally, cracked James up. The prayer went on but now the "yesssssssss"es were louder and more deliberate. Lisa said her Amens and we all laughed together and hugged. I was afraid we'd started a new trend but it hasn't happened since. So far it was just one sweet moment.
My conference with the parents who are really, really mad at me is at 2:00 PST. Please pray for me and for them and for the administrators who have to decide what to do about everything. Maybe I'll hear your prayers and throw in a "yesssssss" at just the right time.
posted by Thurman8er @ 8:02 AM
3 Comments:
Oh...sweet brother...maybe I'm just an old softy but your James story didn't make me laugh, tears...lots of tears. How sweet that is.
As for your conference/meeting, I'll be in prayer all day.
I love you.
It's 1:16pm EST and I'm in prayer for you my Math Brother.
I cannot help but think there was a part of Heaven laughing with you as you, Lisa, and James enjoyed a "Holy Laugh" together.
Yesssss, I believe so.
You are in my thoughts brother. There's nothing like waiting for a confrontational encounter. I hope it goes well.
As for the prayer. I don't know how many times something funny happens in prayer, but I get the feeling that God enjoys laughter too or He wouldn't have put it in us.
I can relate to all of your thoughts about the traditional c of C. It is scary how well I remember the very same things. Shows how "cookie-cutter" the church has been.
Post a Comment
<< Home