My Simple Prayers

 Today, I hear God telling me: “You don’t pray much these days.”

 

I confess to God that I have slacken last week. “December, with no cell meetings cause me to slack.” God, please forgive me for giving excuses.

And so, my mind started to wander into the simple prayers “encounters” that triggered me and humbled me to draw nearer to God.

People size you up by how you pray:

#1. In Prayer Meetings

Whenever we are in a group prayer, people instinctively are drawn to those who are eloquent in prayers. They are the so call “prayer warriors”. Some people also take the opportunity to display their “spiritual” level of maturity by their prayers. That leave us (me included) with nothing to “show-case” and so if we can be quiet, or avoid being called to pray, we feel more at ease. This is the kind of prayer meetings that I loathe to attend. No wonder, most Wednesday evening prayer meeting often has low attendance.

Last year 2020, during the Alpha meeting I was appointed into the prayer group besides being the helper in one team. I suspected that I was appointed to be in the prayer group because, during one mock / trial-run Alpha zoom meeting, I shared that I often pray while driving alone. The Alpha ministry leader/trainer happened to be in my mock Alpha meeting. I may have sound boastful while sharing about prayer and that triggered him to get me to be involved in prayer for the Alpha sessions (12 sessions in all). There are 3 people in the Prayer Group. Since the other 2 people try to be very passive, I took the initiative and put up a prayer list (as requested by the Ministry Pastor). And, so with that, I became the prayer IC. And I had to update the prayer list weekly. Although, the 3 of us took turn to pray each week, somehow for the last 3 sessions, the ministry leader specifically called me to close each sessions with prayers. I remembered clearly during the 12^th (final) sessions on 22^nd October 2020, he specifically said: “I ask Mark Lim to close us with prayer, AGAIN!” to the giggles of several girls who were in the Alpha zoom sessions. He made it so obvious that he was using prayer to humble me. (“So you think you are so spiritual in prayer, right? Then pray for us, lah!). I must confess that I did not complete the prayer that final night. I actually broke down in tears near the end of my prayer and Karen, the administrator continued with a final sentence and closed the prayer for me. That week as the most stressful week for me as my wife broke her leg on 19^th October and I was no longer in a clear state of mind. [Bye-bye, no more Alpha sessions for me]

#2. In Leadership gathering

I remember the time when I was in the Precept Sunday Lunch Leadership gathering about 4 years ago. I was new to the Precept Ministry and the Elder who was the Advisor, was present. Seeing me as a newbie to the group, he started to talk to me (in a group), perhaps to size me out whether I was qualified to facilitate Bible Study Discussions. During the conversation, he would often quote Bible verses without mentioning the Scripture Passage or context to see if you follow the discussion. This is the kind of Christians’ sparring that are meant to indirectly show off or test others how knowledgeable someone are well Bible-versed. Then before the meal started, he called me to “say Grace” for the food. Instinctively, I knew in my heart that he was again sizing me up to hear how I prayed. I mean, in such a gathering, shouldn’t the top leader give thanks instead of a lowly new guy like me to do it, Jesus always take the lead to give thanks for the food, (see John 6:11) Since he displayed such well-trained in Bible verse, he should know that giving thanks to God for food is the duty of the top leader. [Even at home during meal times, it is my duty as head of the family to give thanks to God for the food, like Jesus, not any of my daughters].

#3. In Cell gathering

Many years back in my previous cell meeting, we often separated into men’s and ladies’ for prayers during the cell gathering. Once, during such a prayer meeting, the floor was opened for anyone to pray. After a long wait, no one wanted to verbally pray out loud and so, I took the initiative to pray for the men by names in the group. It was a long but simple prayer without any eloquence or drama. I remembered clearly after my prayer, one member smiled and said to the group that asking God for needs was very “childish” and we should thank God instead of asking for needs and helps. Then he prayed a Thanksgiving prayer (as if to teach me how to pray). All this while, I kept quiet and accepted the fact that I was childish (or child-like) when it comes to prayer.

God don’t size you up by how you pray

I often wonder how God would see me when He hears me praying to Him. Does He see me asking for needs and helps, very childish and is bothering Him?

Howard Hendricks, Professor of Dallas Theological Seminary shared a time when he was attending a Wednesday night Bible Study and Prayer Meeting:

 

A man in our church came to Christ and decided to show up for a prayer meeting and Bible Study on Wednesday night. We had the study and then we broke into groups for prayer.

“Hey, Howie. Where are we going?” he asked me as we headed down the hall.

“We’re going down here to pray,” I said.

“Well, then I’ve got a problem.”

“What’s your problem?”

“I can’t pray,” he admitted. “I mean, I can’t say it the way you guys say it.”

I said, “Friend, that’s no problem. Thank God for that.”

So, we began praying. I knew he wanted to participate, but he was a little hesitant. Finally, I reached over and prompted him to go ahead. I’d give anything to have a recording of what happened next.

He said, “Lord, this is Jim. I’m the one that met You last Thursday remember?” (I thought he was going to give God his zip code.) “I’m sorry I can’t say it the way the rest of these guys say it, but I really love You. Honestly, I do. And hopefully, after I know You awhile, I’ll be able to say it a lot better. Thanks a lot. I’ll see you later.”

You know what that man did? He turned on a prayer meeting. You see, the rest of us are saying prayers. As usual, we were reviewing our theology, taking our tour of the mission field, scrapping the Milky Way. This guy was praying – just talking to God. Without realizing it, he was way ahead of the rest of us because he was honest before his heavenly Father. The only thing that ever moves Him is our heart. - Howard Hendricks, Living By the Book; 2007; page 101

Yes, people listen to our prayer and size us where we are spiritually. (I can almost imagine how that Elder grade me during the Precept Lunch meeting if I pray like this man which Dr Hendricks talk about). But God sees our heart. Every time I draw near to God in prayer, I am reminded of Jesus’ parable on prayer in Luke 18:9-14

^{Luke 18:9} He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

So, how’s your prayer? A Pharisee’s kind of prayer or the tax collector’s kind of prayer – simple, short and helpless plea to God?

Agape