Originally posted on April 23, 2017 

When Paulette and I recently went out for pizza, there was a couple together with their daughter seated in a booth across the room from us. They received their food before us, and about half-way through our meal I looked over and noticed that they had finished their meal and had reverently bowed their heads. I was touched.

​Many disorganized thoughts about prayer started flashing before my eyes.  Did they have it right? Maybe we should say a prayer of thanks after our meals? No, we should pray before, giving thanks independent of how much we like the food. Probably we should do both (Didn’t Luther speak to this?). Is it too much like the Pharisees to pray in public? Should we ever ask for worldly things? Well yes, the Lord’s Prayer asks for daily bread, but our asking should be in a spirit of gratefulness.  Prayers can change the world; I thought of  Nehemiah’s prayer for the returning exiles from Babylon and the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem. Like Nehemiah’s, our prayers should include confession. Sometimes prayers reflect great faith such as Stephen’s, who asked God to receive his spirit and forgive his accusers as he was being stoned to death. Could I ever have that much faith? Finally, I thought that since God is omniscient, prayer must be for the our benefit and not for God’s; indeed, by the very act of praying, we turn our attention to Him.

​Paulette soon noticed my “deer in the headlight’s” stare and said, “Jim.” I snapped out of it and looked more closely at the booth across the way. I was surprised to see that the couple and daughter were only looking down at their smartphones, which were lying flat on the table. But I still felt blessed by the experience.

​To learn what Jesus told us about how to pray, read Matthew 6:5-15 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Jim