“There is a mighty lot of difference between saying prayers and praying.” ~ John G. Lake, Canadian Missionary, (1870-1935)

Good morning folks and welcome to another edition of my version of this, that, and the other. Today is Monday, July 14, 2025 and we continue in our thanks to God for His provision in the good outcome of the cancer related surgical procedure performed on the wife's sister here in what is commonly known as the Houston Metroplex. Don't let anyone fool you, that metroplex name is just so it won't be called the Houston Area Gridlock. At any rate, we do thank so many who prayed for the wife's sister. Today's title captures the essence of the difference between prayers of the mouth versus prayers of the heart. And, as many preachers like to say, "The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart." Prayer in many ways is a mystery or at least it is to me. While we do not have a biblical record of Adam and Eve praying, we do know it was God's desire to communicate with them. Here's the record from Genesis chapter 4, verses 25 and 26: "Then Adam knew his wife again; and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, for she said, “God has set for me another seed in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” And to Seth, to him also, a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of Yahweh."  (From the Legacy Standard Bible, a literal translation, my bolding.) My point? Calling on God is ancient and we know from the template of Scripture that prayer is a part of God's plan and purpose for His created human family. Some point to Abraham's communication with God as the first recorded prayers in the Bible, however, I think the Book of Job is remarkable in this communication aspect. Well, I'm not going to be able to go into a lot more about this other than to say this: Prayer Works. Many say the outcome would have been the same whether you prayed or not. The outcome is much more than just the result of the matter being prayed about. Praying Your will be done and believing and accepting that as the standard of our prayers, well, it works on those doing the praying. Have I ever prayed for something that did not come out the way I wanted it to? You betcha! Why do I continue to pray, to seek God, to intervene on behalf of others? I trust God. I believe what He said. And, He is worthy regardless of the outcome, period. There's so much more. But, for today, I will leave you with this Holy Spirit inspired invitation, Hebrews 4:16 "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (You can find out more. You can. Read about the model prayer in Matthew Chapter 6, read about the Lord's prayer is John Chapter 17.)

 

Please don't send me letters about my labeling of the Jesus' example format prayer as the model prayer. I am fully aware that it is commonly referred to as the Lord's prayer. I don't have a problem with that but I choose to call it the model prayer and I use it often. I do. I really do. What about you? May I also quickly add how well aware I am that it can either be a recitation memorized set of words OR a prayer from one's heart using words chosen by our Lord Himself. I was at the huge Promise Keepers gathering at the Hoston Astrodome back in the 1990"s. At that session attended by over 40,000 men, John Maxwell, a noted pastor and conference speaker, introduced the concept of praying back the Scriptures. Out of all the things shared, that one session spoke to my heart and I have actually did exactly that, praying to God from the Scriptures many, many times. I have. I really have. My favorite prayer from the Scriptures, and there are so many, is praying back to God Psalms 145-150. It might be a little awkward as you use the words as your own and address God from these inspired lyrics. Hey! When it's just you and God, messing up is no big deal. Work on it. Make it your own version of these praise and worship lyrics, from your heart to the heart of God. Isn't that what prayer is about? I hear many of you saying Amen. For the rest, well, I will speak to you another day. Just joking around. However, you might want to keep tuning in just to find out. May our Great God continue to be honored as we seek Him from our hearts. Have a great day and may God bless each one. Amen.