Thought for Today

Exodus 34:8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. 9 He said, "If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance."  

Matthew 6:7 "When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 "Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  

“When did you learn to pray? Who taught you how to pray? How often do you pray? What place does prayer have in your life?” (These Days, July 23, 2025)

Four excellent, very pertinent questions for us all! Most who are reading this live in the U.S.A. Ours is a largely secular society structured on the basis of the separation of the civil government from all religious influence and control . . . at least in theory. For many, the only time they think or read about religion is in the context of challenges to alleged Separation Clause in the First Amendment to the Constitution. “In United States law, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, together with that Amendment's Free Exercise Clause, form the constitutional right of freedom of religion. The Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause together read: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...” (en.wikipedia.org)

Some of us are ‘of an age’ when we can remember praying at the beginning of each school day. We would recite the Pledge of Allegiance and pray together the Lord’s Prayer. There were public prayers offered before athletic events. There were manger scenes erected at Christmas on public lands. Today, most of those things have been eliminated as transgressions against that Establishment Clause. Some support the idea, some do not. But, our world today, at least in that aspect, is different from the world of our youth.

I was first taught to pray by my mother. Like many others, I was taught a simple, childhood prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” I would follow those words with a pray for God’s blessing and protection for my parents and siblings. Some years later, I learned the Lord’s Prayer and then prayed that prayer each night before retiring for the night. Even more years later, Greta and I taught those prayers to our own children. Today, I do question the appropriateness of having a young child pray about their own dying before you expect them to go to sleep for the night. But, I do strongly support the idea of teaching our children to pray.

It was common for rabbis in Jesus’ day to teach their disciples a prayer. Jesus’ own disciples asked him to teach them. From his response, we received what we now know as the Lord’s Prayer. Like many congregations, ours includes this prayer in our weekly worship service. Generally, the main difference one hears on Sunday in various churches will be whether one ‘debts’ or ‘trespasses.’ For what it’s worth, the Greek word in Matther is ὀφειλήματα (ofeelamata); Luke uses ἁμαρτία (haymartia). Matthew’s word means debt, incurred sin, offense, Luke’s word means sin, wrongdoing, guilt, evil.

The last 2 of those 4 questions may be the most significant indicators for us as adults of the health of our faith. “How often do you pray? What place does prayer have in your life?” I still pray each night before I retire for the night. But, I also pray often during each day. Sometimes I pray for patience; sometimes for safety as I negotiate the city’s traffic; sometimes for understanding as I confront the day’s problems and issues. Prayer has become an integral part of my daily life, more than a mere pre-bedtime ritual.

Prayer is an anchor for my faith, a rescue lifeline for each day. In prayer, I share with God the cares and concerns God already knows that I have. God patiently listens as I articulate in my mind or aloud that which occupies my mind. When I still my mind to listen, God answers. In my heart I hear the “1 Kings 19:12 sound of sheer silence” and I feel the encouragement of the Holy Spirit. I know that my Creator God has heard my prayers and will sustain me in all my endeavors.

Stay safe, talk to God, trust God,

Pastor Ray