Week 5 | Tuesday

Read: Matthew 6:1-8 

Does your family have a designated pray-er? That relative called upon to bless Thanksgiving dinner or the one everyone stares at awkwardly when you eat at their house, unsure if you can dig in before they pray? It’s usually the person the whole family knows as “the churchy one.” In my family, that’s me. Becoming a pastor solidified my standing as the only person apparently qualified to speak to the Lord out loud in front of other people.

I remember the time we were at my grandma’s house for Thanksgiving. She announced that the food was ready. We all stood in the space between the dining room and kitchen, no one sure who show go first or if we would say grace first. My grandpa used to say it. After he passed, my grandma carried that torch. This year, though, she looked at me and said, “pastor?” Mind you, my grandma didn’t attend my church. She had been a faithfully praying Christian twice as long as I had been alive. She hosted us. She made most of the meal. She said this prayer for years…and this was the only time I ever pushed back with my grandma. “You know, Grandma, your prayers are just as effective as mine,” but her look was all the response I needed to say, “Let’s pray.”

I think this happens because we don’t pray on our own very much. That makes us shy about praying in front of others. Praying is like anything else. It gets easier with practice. The more you do it, the more natural it feels. Eventually, praying is as much an ongoing attitude, a posture of constant connection with the Holy Spirit. On our way from, “I guess I will talk to God like I talk every day” and “pray[ing] all the time” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, MSG), we get more comfortable praying out loud. Don’t get me wrong. Some people are never comfortable praying in front of others. I get that. When push comes to shove, however, they can. And when called upon, they usually do.

Prayer is much more often done privately, even intimately. That’s what Jesus tells us to do. The idea of praying out loud in front of others is a good self-assessment of your prayer habits. Are you comfortable praying in front of others? If so, why do you think that is? If not, why not? Not sure? Ask these questions: How often do I pray? What/who do I tend to pray for/about? Is there variety, or do my prayers tend to be the same? What would I say if someone asked me to pray for a meal? For someone in need? In front of people I know? In front of people I don’t know?

Reflect on these questions in a journal and/or in prayer.