Last week, in my capacity as a chaplain for our department, I was asked to give the invocation at the local City Council meeting.I guess they consider me a person of prayer, so I am somehow qualified to say them for public functions.
It made me think about what it meant to be a person of prayer. Is a life of prayer largely ceremonial, meant to be a performance for public and familial events? Or is it an act of desperation when things go wrong, as in "O God, don't let that truck hit me!" Or when they could go wrong, as in "O God, help me pass this dumb test, or I will never get a decent job anywhere ever!"
Or maybe it is meant to be a chance to communicate with God himself. For those that don't believe in him, this certainly seems delusional. But, what a difference it could make in our lives if we actually could communicate with the God of the universe.
Part 2.
When I was in school, one of our classes(on prayer) assigned us to spend an hour in prayer every day during the week. One day, prior to heading out to my hour long interlude, I got in a good argument with the wife. And by good, I mean that she wasn't listening to me, so I had to elevate my tone of voice and repeat the same things over and over.
Finally, in a fit of exasperation, she finally just yelled at me, "You better go pray!"
It seemed obvious that my prayer world at that moment wasn't having too much of an effect on my likability. Or maybe she thought that if anyone could get through my thick skull, it would be the almighty himself.
So, what does being a person of prayer mean?
I have met people that pray (I know they do because I have heard them) that are as mean as a stepped on snake.
Still, I like to think that being a person of prayer can a will make a difference in our lives, our outlook and our attitude. And maybe even in the way we relate to other people.
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