The One Who Hears the Prayer

The following is from Max Lucado's book Before Amen:

"And when you pray, don't be like those people who don't know God.  They continue saying things that mean nothing, thinking that God will hear them because of their many words."  (Matthew 6:7 NCV)

"Jesus downplayed the importance of words in prayer.  We tend to do the opposite.  The more words the better.  The better words the better.

"Vocabulary might impress people but not God.  There is no panel of angelic judges with numbered cards.  'Wow, Lucado, that prayer was a ten.  God will certainly hear you!'  'Oh, Lucado, you scored a two this morning.  Go home and practice.'  Prayers aren't graded according to style.

"Just as a happy child cannot mis-hug, the sincere heart cannot mis-pray.  Heaven knows, life has enough burdens without the burden of praying correctly.  If prayer depends on how I pray, I'm sunk.  But if the power of prayer depends on the One who hears the prayer, and if the One who hears the prayer is my Daddy, then I have hope.

"Prayer really is that simple.  Resist the urge to complicate it.  Don't take pride in well-crafted prayers. Don't apologize for incoherent prayers. No games.  No cover-ups.  Just be honest with God.  Climb into his lap.  Tell him everything that is on your heart.  Or tell him nothing at all.  Just lift your heart to heaven and declare, Father . . . Daddy . . .

"And sometimes 'Daddy' is all we can muster.  Stress. Fear.  Guilt.  Grief.  Demands on all sides.  All we can summon is a plaintive 'Oh, Father.'  If so, that's enough."