The “Hmmm”…

On Monday mornings at 11:30am, some people from our church gather together for an intentional time of prayer… Those participating come from various backgrounds – some are older… some are younger… some are retired… some are unemployed… some (like myself) are on church staff… etc…

As we gather, our prayers generally begin in a positive manner… We adore God’s nature and character… We praise Him for lives that are changing… We thank Him for meeting our needs… From there we may begin to pray with a more somber spirit as we voice supplications concerning specific needs, fears, and requests… Our modern-day Moses – Jim Schindler – usually closes our time by reading a Scripture and praying in regards to the text…

Now to the significance of all this…

Have you ever noticed the “Hmmm”??? You know what I’m talking about… It’s the noise we all crave to hear when we pray out loud… or share a thought in a group… or give a speech… the “Hmmm”… It’s that noise that people make when you say something profound or thought-provoking… the “Hmmm”… You get my drift…

Today, while in the prayer meeting described above, I noticed something very alarming… and if you stop to think about it, maybe you’ll notice it too… Sometimes I really need to hear the “Hmmm” in order to feel like I prayed really well…

Then I got really REALLY convicted… because I realized that I was becoming more concerned with hearing the “Hmmm” from the crowd than I was with authenitally pouring my heart out to my God…

Since when did public prayers become more like a public address… since when did it become OK for me to disguise a speech as a conversation with God… and since when did hearing the “Hmmm” from my people become more important the hearing from the voice of the God I claim to love…

Let’s avoid the need for the “Hmmm”…

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