A SIMPLE WAY TO PRAY

This is such a cool article on prayer!

A SIMPLE WAY TO PRAY

by Martin Luther

I will tell you as best I can what I do personally when I pray. May our dear Lord grant to you and to everybody to do it better than I! Amen.

First, when I feel that I have become cool and joyless in prayer because of other tasks or thoughts (for the flesh and the devil always impede and obstruct prayer), I take my little psalter, hurry to my room, or, if it be the day and hour for it, to the church where a congregation is assembled and, as time permits, I say quietly to myself and word-for-word the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and, if I have time, some words of Christ or of Paul, or some psalms, just as a child might do.


It is a good thing to let prayer be the first business of the morning and the last at night. Guard yourself carefully against those false, deluding ideas which tell you, "Wait a little while. I will pray in an hour; first I must attend to this or that." Such thoughts get you away from prayer into other affairs which so hold your attention and involve you that nothing comes of prayer for that day.

It may well be that you may have some tasks which are as good or better than prayer, especially in an emergency. There is a saying ascribed to St. Jerome that everything a believer does is prayer1 and a proverb, "He who works faithfully prays twice." This can be said because a believer fears and honors God in his work and remembers the commandment not to wrong anyone, or to try to steal, defraud, or cheat. Such thoughts and such faith undoubtedly transform his work into prayer and a sacrifice of praise...

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When I read these words, the first thought that came to mind was, "Gosh! This sounds very much like a 20th/21st century letter, what with all the busy things... even though it was written back in the 16th century." Some things remain timeless - the busyness and the hustle and bustle even of work, ministry, family and so on...

Wow. Thank God so much that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Aye-men.

So be it the Ice Age, Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Steel Age, Industrial Age, Space Age, Information Age or the Saus Age...

"Age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the End
Beginning and the End..."

Thank God so much that we can always pray to Him, no matter what time it is. And I reckon that if God could make the sun and the moon stand still in response to Joshua's prayer or even make the sun go backwards for King Hezekiah' request... then I reckon even if we "waste" time on praying, He literally is able to make enough time for our hands.

So what are you waiting for today? Let's PRAY!!!