My ten year old is exploring the weeknight youth group at the Baptist Big Box nearby. He enjoyed it, which pleased me, but he also reported the leader's closing prayer was (1) a speech repeating the lesson to the kids and (2) a Lord-Lord-Lord prayer. Yes, he's observant because he's been prepped by me. Thank God it took.
Anyway, you know the Lord-Lord-Lord prayer. It goes something like: Dear Lord, we thank you, Lord, for all your blessings, Lord, and we ask you Lord, to come, Lord, and bless us, Lord, with your presence, Lord... (The speech-making version is an advanced technique, to be attempted by professionals only.)
Seriously, what explains people who pray like this? Are they trying to remind themselves who we're talking to? Or their audience? Are they trying to focus? Or do they just not feel like they've really got his attention? In other words, do they think they're like Stewie, here, crying mom, mom, mom, mommy?
As it so happens, Bo and I had seen this clip together recently (yes, just the clip). And we both laughed pretty hard when I mentioned it during our conversation. Then I started thinking harder, which prompted this post.
By the way, our conversation ended with me encouraging Bo to keep making the most of it. With a hopefully-not kind of tone, I asked him, "Did you roll your eyes?" And he said, "No, but I wanted to sigh sooo bad." There's a good boy. :-) If nothing else, while hopefully learning a bit more about God and exploring the world of religion for himself, at least he gets to hang out with kids who believe in the Lord. And the Lord-Lord-Lord-Lord. We love both kinds.
Welcome to the wider world of christendom, my boy. God help us all.
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5 comments:
At my wife's high school reunion, one of the alumni was asked to pray over the food. He then launched into a FIVE MINUTE (no joke) prayer that used "Father God" like a space between words. In other words, it sounded like this, "Father God, we thank you, Father God, for your blessings, Father God, and we ask, Father God, that you bless us, Father God..." you get the idea. It was excruciating.
Joey, I can't see your profile. Can you "enable access"?
Nice to almost-meet you, anyway. I forgot about the "Father God" repetition. Seriously, what drives that kind of thing?
I am no fan of those kinds of prayers either. Your mention of the repeat the lesson prayers, also reminds me of the preach a people through the prayer prayer- where the person is telling someone what to do. Lord help ______ to do _____ Lord give them strength to _______, You know, preaching prayers.
The other ones I can't stand are the weepy prayers, not sure how to describe it in writing but I imagine you know what I mean.
Yeah, the youth leader did the preachy prayer AND Lord-Lord-Lord at once. Shows he's a real pro. ;-)
What's the "weepy prayer"? Is that a pentecostal thing?
I've also heard of the judicial prayer (Lord we just... and we just...) and the salad prayer (Let us... Let us...) and the future prayer (all verbs future tense, always).
But, Lord, have mercy on Brian and I for the weird ways we pray.
This cracked me up. Our small group leader prays this way too. I think it's an unconscious verbal tic more than anything. It makes it so hard to stay focused!
P.S. I just found your blog from the 1 Tim 2 series and I love your exegesis.
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