Short Prayers

I was reminded again this week of Jesus’ prayer in John 12:27-28, when he says: “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” I found myself convicted that I still love my own comfort more than I love the glory of God. I far too often pray, “Lord, get me out of this situation!” I far too little pray, “Lord, bring glory to Your name!”

I also marveled at God’s swift answer to that prayer: Father, glorify your name. “Then a voice came from heaven: ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’” Wow. It is such a short prayer. Yet it is powerful to elicit an immediate response from heaven.

After thinking further upon last week’s post (saying more by saying less), I stumbled upon a verse concerning prayer. Jesus taught His disciples: “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:7).

I found this verse to have a few nuances worth exploring. First, it cautions against mindless, faithless, insincere praying. There is no use blabbering on to God without thought or care. Our prayers then amount to false promises in the end. “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2).

We may at times lose track in prayer and forget what we are asking and seeking. A prayer list or journal can help in this way, to prevent rambling, wandering, and trailing off. It can also encourage us to pray “without losing heart,” over time. In another sense, we may discover that we simply do not have words to express what we want to say. At that point, it is better to be still in His presence and let the Spirit do His searching and groaning work (Romans 8:26-27).

The main gist of the passage, though, is an apparent rebuke against using (pagan) ritual chants and “magical” incantations in a vain attempt to invoke the divine. More recently, mystics have proffered “breath prayers” as a way to connect with God. They take phrases (some from the Bible) and recommend repeating them, until you feel “enveloped in His presence.” There is much debate over the place of meditation techniques such as yoga in Christian spiritual formation. I do not desire to enter into that debate here.

I will say that I took issue with the Prayer of Jabez movement when stores offered up coins and key chains as seeming lucky charms. The prayer was often removed from its context and no longer offered in faith. It is, for the record, an amazing scriptural prayer. Yet, people began using it as a means to try to get what they wanted from God.

Instead, I have been benefiting greatly from what I will call “biblical short prayers.” I do not mean the repeated use of a phrase to enter into some kind of meditative trance. On the contrary, I mean the “word made flesh” in daily life. Inevitably, I become busy at some point. And I may not have much time or be able to kneel down and pray. But I still desire to maintain a real sense of God’s presence and to honor His command to pray without ceasing, even in the chaos of the week. It is at that time I can offer aloud to God a short, simple prayer that is rooted in His word. I have found that a few words offered up quickly from even small faith does bear fruit, both in and through my life.

Jesus once prayed to the Father: “Sanctify them in the truth; your Word is truth” (John 17:17). There is great power in hiding the Word in our hearts. The Word never returns void. And, offering up the short prayers recorded in scripture can likewise sanctify us.

Some of the short prayers I have been offering up in faith at various times, when desiring similar things or in similar situations to their biblical context, include the following:

“Father, glorify your name” – based on the prayer of Jesus in John 12:28

“Please show me your glory.” – based on the prayer of Moses in Exodus 33:18

“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” – based on the prayer of the tax collector in Luke 18:13

“I believe; help my unbelief!” – based on the prayer of the father of the demon-afflicted boy in Mark 9:24

“Lord, save me!” – based on the plea of Peter in Matthew 14:30

“Lord, help me.” – based on the request of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:25

“Come, Lord Jesus!” – based on prayer of John in Revelation 22:20
…

The Psalms are filled with the prayers of David including –

For understanding: “Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (119:18)

For holiness: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord” (19:14)

For integrity: “Search me, O God, and know my heart!” (139:23)

For singular purpose: “Unite my heart to fear your name” (86:11)
…

I am also given to adapt the prayers of the heroes of faith for my own life:

“You must increase, I must decrease” – from John the Baptist in John 3:30

“I am powerless, and I don’t know what to do. But my eyes are on You” – from Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:12

“I ask for wisdom and knowledge to lead these people” – from Solomon in 2 Chronicles 1:10
…

We should rightly consider again the prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10.

Plus we can never go wrong with the prayer that His Son taught us to pray in Matthew 6:9-13.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.