A few months ago I stood fatigued after a workout before my Gold’s Gym locker trying in vain to remember the combination to my lock. I could remember the year the Cowboys selected Demarcus Ware, my first home phone number, and my dog Chief’s body weight but I couldn’t come up with the same three-number combination that I used almost daily. So I closed my eyes, stopped trying to remember with my brain and let my hands remember the numbers. And somehow feeling the clicks on the lock made something click. Muscle memory is a funny thing. If you do something enough times your body remembers how to do it, even if your mind might not.
There are a few prayers that I say almost daily- The Jesus Prayer (“Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner) and the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father who art in Heaven…”). As I stand before an all-present and powerful God sometimes I try in vain to come up with a combination of words that connect me to Him. Its in moments like this I am glad that I have spiritual memory, even if my mind cannot conjure up the right words, my lips have said them enough that it just clicks.
Any prayers that have been particularly meaningful to you?
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The expanded version of the Serenity Prayer has been meaningful to me.
Its interesting to me that the Jesus Prayer puts Christ in the position of judgment. Typically I think of asking for mercy from the Father.
P.S. You use your gym locker "almost daily?" Don't even try to hide your compulsion. Its probably more likely to be used more than once a day than go a day unused.
Brian- good observation. I never understood "have mercy" as a cry in the context of a courtroom. I always understood it as the blind man in Mark 10 asking for healing.
My gym locker is never used twice, b/c if I workout in the evening also I will shower at home.
But when you cry out to God for mercy, are you requesting that He heal you from a physical ailment, or requesting he forgive you for the intentional part you have played in hindering the kingdom?
There is a scripture that I pray a lot but it's not really and offical prayer with a title or anything.
Many days I have to keep repeating "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." When I say this over and over I am prayong that I would continually come to Him, not "God give me rest". True rest (physical, mental, emotional, peaceful heart rest) is the promise, but it wont happen if we don't come to Him.
During baseball season I say lots of inappropriate prayers that involve obscenities and yelling (especially while watching the games live).
Seriously...something that I try to repeat to myself is "Bless God". I do this because I think we have become a little too obsessed as Christians with the saying God bless. He HAS blessed us, we have received the ultimate blessing - Jesus. Now I want my life and the lives of those around me to bless God.
"help me to see people the way you do"
always a winner...but be prepared if he answers it...you might be crying for mercy.
Good stuff here Luke. New to the site. Noticed we both read Myth, try unChristian by Barna.
Brian- I think of it more in a general healing from my broken ways.
Heather- That's a great prayer.
Cromer- The phrase of blessed to be a blessing has been really central to my thinking and praying for the last year or two and that seems to go along w/ your thought.
Hoosier- Thanks for joining the conversation.
I will add that to my list. One of the books that Boyd quotes in Myth of an Xian Nation is "Myths that Americans live by." It might be worth checking out if you are interested in that subject.
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