Prayer. The Same Old Story.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Posted by Katie

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I have used many a traditional prayer in my day. There have been the meal prayers:

From when I was a kid… “God is great, God is good, and we thank him for our food.”

From my Nana, some old-timey prayer that ended with “…from thy bounty through Christ the Lord”

From the Pickard Family… “Bless O Lord, this food to our use…”

Then there have been the Katie/God one-on-one prayers:

My morning commute prayer from about 10 years ago: “Lord help me to glorify you today…”

My pleading prayer from that horrible year when the real estate market bit the dust and took my retirement savings with it: “Lord, seriously. PLEASE sell the condo!!” (I think I said that one at least 10,000 times and the wording might have grown more colorful.)

Phillip’s and my parenting prayer: “Lord, please bless our efforts…”

And so on. You get the idea.

There have been many seasons in my life in which I have settled into a comfy script with God during some of my prayer time. As I am pondering favorite or impactful prayers that I have uttered throughout my life, I find a question rising within me:

When God hears the same prayers from me over and over and over again, does he…

A) …smile broadly like he is hearing a favored story he has heard a million times and can’t wait to hear again? Or

B) …groan inside thinking, “I heard this one already.” Why doesn't she tell me what’s really going on?

I’m not entirely sure. But, the question does give me pause.

Alrighty then, my Lord and beloved Three-In-One pal, before I launch into another “script” when I next address You, perhaps I’ll begin with a question instead.

Just remember to stop me if You’ve heard it before.