.

[ChristsSoldier115]

Its pretty simple...just because prayer can eventually become insincere for you if repeated or be insincere if you read someone else's.. doesn't ring true for everyone else. If you can't do it with sincerity don't do it at all because you are just speaking words. I think that is what Jesus meant when he was asked how to pray sometimes.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

Jesus didn't say: “This then is how you should pray: First, be authentic, and then. . . .

 

[sunlover1]

Oh, I'm sure that there are such folks, but if I'm asked what I think of it, I can't see any logic in that position or, for that matter, any Biblical reason to adopt it.


Again, if you ask me, I can't agree. I can appreciate why they say what they do, and I CAN accept the general principle, but I can't see that reciting a prepared prayer is automatically insincere. If I read a prayer and put nothing of myself into what it states, then that would be wrong, obviously. If the sentiments expressed are clearly slanted by the author to bring about a phony agreement with some political premise, for instance, that's wrong.

However, almost every prayer that I recite from the prayerbook used in my church reflects my heartfelt and Scripturally-correct sentiments, so to say that there's something wrong--or that I cannot emotionally connect with what I'm saying when reading it--is just arbitrary. And frankly, I think there's a good argument for the OPPOSITE view.

Personally, I grow cold at hearing nothing but awkward, inarticulate, repetitious extemporaneous prayers offered by people on such occasions as grace before meals or at a Bible study group, for instance. They're sincere and I appreciate that, but they don't relate to me very well

By contrast, some of the prayers that I find in a book can be tremendously uplifting and beautiful. And there's no reason to say that the words are not sincerely meant by me when I recite them, not any more than the hymn "Amazing Grace" or the 23rd Psalm--both of which owe to someone else's pen.

I was going to mention music too, if it's sung from MY heart, then it becomes MY prayer/worship/song to God.
My pastor prays the Ephesians 1 prayer every time we are getting ready to open the Scriptures.

I often pray from a book.

OTOH, you can recite and have it be nothing more than mechanical.
I knew a man who would say the Lords prayer every meal and it sounded
like this OurFwiartheavallownamkingcomebedoneinheaven.
It was truly painful to sit through :/
day after day for decades.
Did he get anything from it? No idea. Did the hearers? eh no! lol

 

[ViaCrucis]

Back in the day I was part of a church culture that was opposed to set prayers, largely because we believed it to be "vain repetition".

That, however (and somewhat ironically) didn't stop us from singing the same songs every Sunday, and repeating the same lines of the song over and over again.

Somehow that wasn't "vain repetition", even though it is far more repetitive than anything I've experienced in a traditional worship setting.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Tigger45]

For me it's not a choice between praying from a prewritten prayer or praying extemporaneously but it's utilizing both to their fullest potential.

I have to add that I've found that there are those folks gifted at writing prayers and it's been a blessing many a time.

 

[seashale76]

The key is you have to mean what you're praying.

 

[ViaCrucis]

My personal prayer life involves "prayers from the heart" mixed with traditional prayers. For me this helps ground me in the history of prayer, I'm not truly alone in my prayer even when by myself; even when alone I am still praying with the Church of God throughout all ages.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[jimmyjimmy]

I've never prayed a prayer, other than the Lord's Prayer, that was not extemporaneous; however, I see nothing wrong with using prayers write by other saints or even by myself in a service.

I bought my wife The Valley of Vision. She loves it, but I have some reservations about the Puritans. Are there other books of prayer that anyone would recommend (not RC)?

 

[Tigger45]

You could checkout the Anglicans Book of common prayer. Here's one that's online. bcponline.org

 

[bbbbbbb]

The key issue is praying or reading. Many people read their prayers with as much feeling as reading the telephone book. OTOH, if one is praying one is communicating with God, the Lord of the universe. We are limited by language in our prayers but are not limited as to what forms our language takes.

 

[Dave-W]

WWJD? Since it says in Luke that it was His custom to worship in the synagogue on every Shabbat, He did a LOT of "rote" pre-written prayers; including the Amidah, Kaddish and Alenu. They are still in use in synagogues today.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

WWJD? Since it says in Luke that it was His custom to worship in the synagogue on every Shabbat, He did a LOT of "rote" pre-written prayers; including the Amidah, Kaddish and Alenu. They are still in use in synagogues today.

Good point!

 

[Noxot]

During a worship service, is it inauthentic to use a prayer that you wrote beforehand or someone else wrote 1,000 years ago?

it is if your heart is

 

[jimmyjimmy]

You could checkout the Anglicans Book of common prayer. Here's one that's online. bcponline.org

Thanks for that!

 

[jimmyjimmy]

I found this in a blogpost, and thought that it was helpful: Opposition to Pre-Written Prayers Comes From the Spirit of the Age

“If I use a pre-written prayer, it couldn’t be authentic…”

“It’s not something that is really from my heart…”

“It wouldn’t be a personal relationship between me and God anymore…”

The assumption here is that the central criterion for “good prayer” is that it must be an authentic expression of my innermost self. Indeed, this criterion has been so exalted that it overpowers all the criteria I laid out in my previous post rendering them inconsequential. Thus expressing your innermost self (or your perception of your innermost self) trumps prayer that is consistent, deep, rich in content, broadly-biblical, Christ-centered, historically-rooted, etc. The notion that this is the paramount criterion for “real/good prayer” and is thus incompatible with pre-written forms is flawed in at least two ways. . . .

http://www.richardliantonio.com/blo...ten-prayers-comes-from-the-spirit-of-the-age/​

 

[jimmyjimmy]

A small sample of two prayers from The Valley of Vision:

I rejoice to think that all things are at your disposal, and it delights me to leave them there. Then prayer turns wholly into praise, and all I can do is to adore and bless you.​

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

O Father, you have loved me and sent Jesus to redeem me;

O Jesus, you have loved me and assumed my nature, shed your own blood to wash away my sins, wrought righteousness to cover my unworthiness;

O Holy Spirit, you have loved me and entered my heart, implanted there eternal life, revealed to me the glories of Jesus.

Three Persons and one God, I bless and praise you, for love so unmerited, so unspeakable, so wondrous, so mighty to save the lost and raise them to glory.​

 

[actionsub]

I think its a fear they have because they are guilty of the crime.

I find it ironic that some folks who would blanch at the thought they were engaged in "vain repetition" purchase books called "Prayer That Availeth Much", which are Scripture-based prayers for various situations.
The older I get, the more I find the existence of such things comforting. Sometimes I get tonguetied when called upon to "close in prayer". While I manage to avoid the "Just Cul-de-sac"..."Lord, we just want to just praise you because you're just Lord, and just bless..."...it's a bit difficult to avoid slipping into trite cliches no matter how much we try to avoid "vain repetitions".

 

[jimmyjimmy]

I find it ironic that some folks who would blanch at the thought they were engaged in "vain repetition" purchase books called "Prayer That Availeth Much", which are Scripture-based prayers for various situations.
The older I get, the more I find the existence of such things comforting. Sometimes I get tonguetied when called upon to "close in prayer". While I manage to avoid the "Just Cul-de-sac"..."Lord, we just want to just praise you because you're just Lord, and just bless..."...it's a bit difficult to avoid slipping into trite cliches no matter how much we try to avoid "vain repetitions".

Actionsub, I just want to thank you for your post, Actionsub. It's just spot on. ;0

 

[nomadictheist]

I would answer that a pre-written prayer is not necessarily any less sincere than a spontaneous one, and some pre-written prayers are more sincere than some spontaneous ones. What matters is the heart.

The problem lies in the modern "experiential" thinking. The argument boils down to "if it's not what I'm experiencing in the moment in my own words, it's not real." As if nobody's ever had a thought or a prayer in the past that can express what you want to express to God as adequately as you can in the moment.

Ah, but "vain repetition," they will reply. But the modern church doesn't understand that the "vain repetition" is not in reference to praying words that others have prayed, but in trusting the words that you pray for a specific result, rather than believing in God and praying for His will to be done. (E.G., pray the prayer of Jabez for 40 days and you'll be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams).

In that way, those who say that "scripted" prayer is inauthentic are also in danger, because to some extent they believe in the originality of the prayer as the reason it is heard. Instead of believing they will be heard because of the "multitude of their words" they believe they will be heard because of the "originality" of their words.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

The problem lies in the modern "experiential" thinking. The argument boils down to "if it's not what I'm experiencing in the moment in my own words, it's not real." As if nobody's ever had a thought or a prayer in the past that can express what you want to express to God as adequately as you can in the moment.

I think that your assessment is correct.

As I read this, the immaturity of what you described struck me. The other people-group who do this is teenagers. They think that anyone 30 and over doesn't know anything, and can in no way understand their situation, thoughts problems, etc.