Derek Zoolander: Or are you here to tell me what a bad eugoogoolizer I am?
Matilda: A what?
Derek Zoolander: A eugoogoolizer... one who speaks at funerals.
[Matilda looks at Derek confused]
Derek Zoolander: Or did you think I was too stupid to know what a eugoogooly was?
Apparently Derelick is not the only person who feels that he is a bad eugoogoolizer....veterans in Texas are also questioning their skill set. Recently, the Department of Veteran Affairs has been censoring all funeral prayers, insisting that the use of the words "Jesus" or "God" are strictly prohibited at Houston National Cemetery (read here). I think we can all agree that this is a blatant violation of our First Amendment right to freedom of speech. However, what is far more interesting to me is the question "Is there a right or wrong way to pray" ?
As a kid, I always seemed to think that prayer was a fixed script that you would chant multiple times a day because the church said "I told you so". There was no emotion or relationship associated with it. It was simply something I did out of requirement, guilt, and fear of horrible consequences if I didn't. My prayer would start with the typical "Our father who art in heaven" and end with "Hail Mary full of grace..." . When I got older (age 10), I would try and slip in my own verse and rationalized it's acceptance by vowing to always make it the same every time " God bless mom, dad, chessy , brother, don't let anything bad happen to us let everything good happen to us, let us all stay in good physical and mental health. Amen".
My perspective on prayer didn't change until fall 2006, when I heard a sermon about prayer on a church retreat. The pastor started off by clarifying that as Christians, we have a direct relationship with God. We don't need to go through a priest, or a virgin (Mary) to talk to him because that's the whole point of Jesus! Jesus paves the way for us to speak directly to God. The pastor then told us to imagine God as a best friend who is available 24-7 for us to talk to. My main take away was that prayer was meant to be conversational and personal. The pastor wrapped up by giving us the A.C.T.S model for prayer as a loose guideline to help structure our prayers.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT-
"Because Thy loving kindness is better than life, My lips will praise Thee." Psalms 63:3
This is a time to recognize the Lord for who He is. If you are looking for a starting place, the scripture offers multiple names for God
- El Shaddai:“God Almighty.” (Gen. 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; Ex. 6:1; Ps. 91:1, 2).
- El Elyon: “The Most High God.” (Gen. 14:19; Ps. 9:2; Dan. 7:18, 22, 25).
- El Roi: “The God Who Sees.” (Gen. 16:13).
- Yahweh Jireh (Yireh): “The Lord will provide.” (Gen. 22:14).
- Yahweh Nissi:“The Lord is my Banner.” Stresses that God is our rallying point and our means of victory; the one who fights for His people (Ex. 17:15).
- Yahweh Shalom:“The Lord is Peace.” (Jud. 6:24).
- Yahweh Ro’i: “The Lord my Shepherd.” (Ps. 23:1).
- Yahweh Tsidkenu: “The Lord our Righteousness.” (Jer. 23:6).
- Yahweh Shammah: “The Lord is there.” (Ezek. 48:35).
CONFESSION
"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:8-9
We aren't perfect and the Lord knows that. This is a time to demonstrate great humility and come to the Lord and confess the ways in which we have displeased God...whether it's an issue of idolizing work, not spending anytime reading our Bible, or gossiping about a co-worker behind his back, confess this to the Lord.
THANKSGIVING
"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thess. 5:18
I always think of this as a time of praise. I think, what's going well in my life right now? Maybe I'm grateful a friend got a job offer, or I'm thankful that I was able to spend a day relaxing at the pool. Sometimes, it can seem nearly impossible to think of something to be thankful for because all of our circumstances at present are MISERABLE. During these times, I often either look to the past and thank God for awesome things He has done in my life or I will revert back to Acknowledgment and just praise the Lord for who He is.
SUPPLICATION
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Phillippians 4:6
Admittedly, sometimes I just skip right to this step and present a laundry list of my demands as if God was a genie in a bottle. Regardless, this is a time to present prayer requests for the world, for others, and for ourselves. God wants us to express to him the desires of our heart.
So what do you think? Is there a right or wrong way to pray? How do you pray, if at all?
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