Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Luke recorded, "One of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray.'" Luke 11:1, NKJV

Oh! Come on now! The disciples didn't know how to pray?
They were, after all Jewish men, so prayers were a part of their daily lives.
Examples of prayers of confession, petition, thanksgiving, praise, recollection and intercession are found throughout the Testaments. The practice of prayer was also observed in pagan societies.
Morning prayers were a normal ritual, as expressed by the Psalmist, "Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." (Ps. 5:1-3)
The psalmist's prayer demonstrates several elements of prayer. My dictionary suggests that to pray is to ask for interposition and judgment, to cry or call out, to seek (the face of) to request, to inquire, (of an oracle) to intercede, to pour out one's heart. To pray is also to ask humbly and earnestly, an act of adoration. John the Baptist taught his disciples a way of praying. The Pharisees made a show of public prayer. The disciples were emersed in a society steeped in prayer and prayers, and of practices both pious and pompus.
For one thing, the Pharisees publicly prayed loudly and long, wearing the prescribed phylacteries (small leather cases that contain four passages of old testament scriptures) one on the forehead, and the other on the left hand. (See Mt. 23:5)
The intended purpose for the phylacteries was to serve as a reminder of what the Lord had done for them by bringing them out of Egypt, and that "the Lord's law may be in your mouth." (Ex. 13:8-10; 16) In essence, these prayers were more "How great I am," rather than, "O LORD, how great Thou art!) Jesus denounced the practice.
Jesus obviously engaged in a type of prayer that differed quite noticeably from the practices in vogue. Rather than rote recitation (routine or repetition carried out mechanically or unthinkingly) Jesus' prayers were a two-way conversation with His Father. Each prayer was fitted to the need and the occasion. Jesus also prayed in the common Aramaic language, rather than the more formal Hebrew.
So, Lord, how do you do this? Teach us to pray like you do, rather than like what we have been seeing and doing.
Think about the "Model Prayer" as a framework, the skeleton for your petitions. Flesh it out; use it as an anchor, a blueprint, a starting point. Pray in a spirit of adoration and reverence. Express your longings for God's kingdom to come, share your joys and sorrows, plead for your needs (not wants.)
Pray in a spirit of forgiveness; to forgive and be forgiven.
Pray in a Spirit of praise. Pray!
January 21, 2007

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com

Scripture: The Psalmist wrote, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:” Psalm 92:1, KJV
The celebration of Thanksgiving in America is forever entertwined with the Pilgrims. We readily associate the “thanksgiving” event with the successful harvest and providential relationship with the Indians following a very hard and sorrowful first winter. Sickness and death laid heavily upon the settlers, who were not prepared for a harsh New England winter.
Most of us, however, have little knowledge about the Pilgrims beyond the ship Mayflower, the Plymouth settlement, and the “thanksgiving” feast. First, here are a few facts gleaned from my friendly encyclopedia:
They did not call themselves ‘Pilgrims.’ that name was given to them about 1793.
They were adherents of a religion considered to be “purified” and simplified compared to the Church of England.
Many Puritans became Separatists, setting up independent congregations based upon the Presbyterian system.
The basic principles of Puritanism entailed removal of ornaments and organs (musical instruments) from churches, substituting ordinary dress for clerical robes, discontinuing choir singing, and otherwise simplified church services. Later, in England, the Puritans gained enough control to severely restrict amusements and impose a rigid Puritan austerity. The 1600’s were a time of much turmoil within England. It coincided with the settlement of new lands recently made available in America. With the restoration of the Established Church of England, the Presbyterians and Independents were excluded as ‘Non-conformists;’ many therefore chose to migrate to settlements where they could be truly independent in forms of worship and government.
The Puritans/Pilgrims were not the only people to espouse thankfulness. Giving thanks to God is prominent throughout the Bible, from which they based the practice. Look through a concordance of the Bible, and you will find many references in both the Old and New Testaments to giving thanks and being thankful. Jesus is often found “Giving Thanks.” It is good to remember their celebration of Thanksgiving, of course, but we should give thanks for all things from God, at all times.
Even if the Pilgrims had not endowed us with the legacy of “Thanksgiving,” there are many, many ways their beliefs and practices are to be seen in our daily lives.
The Puritans believed in popular education, high standards of morality, many democratic political principles, and alliance with mercantile interests (the Puritan Work Ethic.) What we are can never be separated from what they were, for which we should indeed be thankful.
November 24, 2002