The Purpose
The purpose of prayer is to commune with God and to learn His will for us. It is God’s classroom for teaching us; hence we learn His will, while He teaches. It is a platform to express gratitude, ask questions, seek direction, and confirm inspiration, thoughts, and ideas.
It is not an arena to persuade God into seeing life through our eyes. It is not a platform to teach those who are collectively praying and within earshot to pontificate doctrine in hopes of persuading others to see things our way or to be seen of men. In other words, its not a competition to sound intelligence, articulate, brilliant, or to say a long prayer as a sign of piety.
While serving in Switzerland and Southern Germany on my mission, I frequented Catholic churches, sometimes as an interested tourist marveling at the craftsmanship of the structures, and other times as a student of scripture, studying the stories told in the stained glass art and other paintings on the walls and sculptors. Perhaps the most memorable moment came in a small village in the Black Forest with an investigator that eventually joined the church. We entered a large and beautifully decorated Catholic church in a small Catholic village and commenced walking toward the altar.
The floor plan of most Catholic churches is laid out similar to Solomon’s temple depicting the Three Degrees of Glory. The entrance to the church is the Lone and Dreary world or the Telestial kingdom. Here the congregation sits, the confessionals are placed on the sides, and much of the artwork is displayed.
Next is the altar on which the priest performs the Eucharist. This section is elevated above the main floor and designated as a holy place where sins are forgiven and according to tradition, the Catholic priest calls down Jehovah to atone once again for our sins. This is the Terrestrial kingdom.
Located behind the altar in some cathedrals is an iron-rod fence where the most holy and sacred part of the cathedral is located. Much of the gold and expensive décor is also found within the barred or veiled boundaries of this innermost sanctuary or Holy of Holies, the Celestial kingdom.
On this particular day, as we entered the cathedral and marveled at the incredible manifestation of praise shown to deity, we walked by 15 or so women praying on both sides of the aisle. I looked at each person straining to hear their words and understand their intent. Dressed as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints brings a certain amount of attention, especially in a Catholic church.
As they looked at me with apparent disdain, they were clutching their Rosary beads and repeating the same words over and over again. Earlier in the week, we had taught our investigator, who was with us, about prayer and quoted a specific scripture to her during the lesson.
In Matthew 6:7 the Lord teaches His disciples what not to do, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” As we walked by, under the watchful eyes of 15 worshippers, I quietly leaned over to our investigator and said four words “plappern wie die Heiden.” She smiled and elbowed me; after all, we were discussing her religion of birth.
In German, it sounds better, “plappern” means to smack your lips repeatedly, and “wie die Heiden” is translated “as the heathens”. I have always noticed that my mouth often betrays my thoughts before they are filtered, and this was a classic case. However, my awareness at the Lord’s meaning was deepened. I resolved to learn to pray differently and vowed to discontinue my heathen practice of praying.
It was now apparent that when I plappern, I am involved in a monologue, as though I have a quota of words or sayings that I must complete in order to feel good about my inability to actually connect with my Father in Heaven on an intimate level.
Perhaps I was addicted to a pattern of praying that was insatiable and unfulfilling without an awareness until I pointed out to an investigator the religious training of her traditional faith. Are we any different with family and friends when our discussions always remain at the surface without truly understanding their thoughts and only talking about our interests, needs, and wants?
Although the point was for her to observe, I could not stop pondering the personal meaning and the mode of prayer taught in my youth. That Sunday I listened in church to see if our religion has any traditional prayers that are virtually rote repetitions, outside the prescribed ones found in scripture? If you’ve been a member for any length of time, you will instantly recognize we have an unwritten book of prayers for almost any event or meeting.
Unique to our faith, however, is the aspect that because our prayers are unwritten, we have literary license for our articulation of prayerful thought. For some that means they feel justified to render a 5-minute talk in the form of prayer because the Bishopric neglected them on the last speaking rotation and the members need to hear their thoughts and insights.
As a reminder the purpose of prayer is to commune with God, to seek an understanding of His will and to express gratitude for life, blessing, challenges, and opportunities. It is not designed as a platform for teaching, pontificating, or exhorting fellow members of the ward.
Next: The Process
