Pray, Tell

"Your Father knows"

Matthew 6:8

Do you remember those old commercials for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, where someone wandering around with a chocolate bar bumped into someone wandering around with an open jar of peanut butter?  "You got peanut butter on my chocolate!"  "Well, you got chocolate in my peanut butter!"  And then, hey look how great these things go together!

Well that happened to me the other day.  I was reading something about how sometimes our words sound feeble to us when we are praying, and it rang so true to me.  I often find that my words sound so trite in my head when I'm talking to Him.  At those times I'm grateful for the knowledge of Romans 8:26 ~ "We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

It reassures me to know that when my words are inadequate, He understands the feeling behind my words.  And so I pray my lame, sad prayers, stumbling over my words like my own language is new to me...

And then today I happened to come across Matthew 6:7 ~ "when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words."

That term "vain repetitions" leaped out at me because sometimes I do think my prayers are repetitious.  But then I realized that it's not because I'm just trying to say a lot of words.  It's about feeling that words are not enough.  It's about knowing that it's more important that my heart is reaching out for him, than my brain.  Sometimes my poor, weak words are all I have.  But it's enough. 

So, how is your prayer life?  What is your prayer life?  Frequent or occasional?  Long-winded and wordy, or sincere and simple?  What are you thinking about when you pray?  Do you remember that you are communicating with the Creator of the universe?  Are you praying for others who might share that prayer you are praying for yourself? 

Prayer is a privilege, and not to be taken lightly.  That means not ignoring that freedom we have, and not abusing it by praying as if it's a duty we're checking off our to-do list.

~ "For Yours is the kingdom

and the power and the glory forever.

Amen." ~

Matthew 6:13

~

Dark chocolate is a good thing

"the Lord has promised good things"

Numbers 10:29

Oh my goodness, I'm doing it...  just like my mother always did.  And I used to make fun of her for it...

Does that happen to you?  Do you find that you do, or say, what your parents did?  Some of their decisions make more sense as we mature.  Go figure.  What's that saying of Mark Twain... "When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around.  But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."  And even more so in when Twain got to his 40s, I would guess.

So what am I doing?  Hoarding chocolates.  Sees Candy, to be specific.  When I was growing up, any time my mother received a box, she'd put them up high in a cupboard, and save them for a "rainy day".   But we used to tease her, because she would often forget they were there, and long after that rainy day had passed, someone would find those chocolates back in the cupboard, and they'd be far past their prime.  Of course, we'd generally eat them anyway...

I know she was being thrifty.  Oftentimes, those chocolates were a gift at Christmas, or a birthday, and there's always plenty of sweets around then, right?  So she'd set them aside for a time when they could be thoroughly enjoyed, and not just part of the parade of goodies.  It was a good thought on her part, and I know there have been times when she pulled out and shared what she'd been saving, it was a wonderful, unexpected treat.  But more than once, it ended up such that the chocolate was not as enjoyable as it would have been.

And I realized I've started doing this, too.  I realized the other day that I still have some of the chocolates I got for my birthday, three months ago.  My intention is to make the special things in my life last a little longer, but I think there's a little bit of hoarding going on.  And I mean that, in the sense of not trusting Him.  I feel like I have to make sure there's something good in my future, instead of just enjoying what He has provided, and knowing that when that's gone, He'll have something else that's good waiting for me.

Is it treasuring and savoring the good things, or is it feeling that the good things are elusive?  He is the giver of good things.  He always has more to give.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to enjoy a piece of chocolate!

~ "Therefore may God give you

of the dew of heaven

of the plenty of the earth" ~

Genesis 27:28