It's refreshing to hear something in a prayer that isn't a whole lot of nothing stretched into ten-minute monologues that utilize dozens of Christian cliches simply because they are the first things that come to mind. While liturgy is not solely prayers, but Scripture readings and teachings, it is structured, intentional, Scriptural - beautiful.
Now, don't get me wrong. Personal prayer is very important. In a relationship, spending time is crucial to the growth of said relationship, and the same goes with one's relationship to/with God. Prayer is fundamental.
I'm just tired of hearing the same seemingly meaningless prayers over and over:
"God, bless the Smith family." (What the heck do you mean by bless? Do you even know what you're asking for? Be specific and use Scripture to back up why you're asking for what you're asking.)
"Let your presence come fill this place as we worship you." (The primary instances of God showing his presence in Scripture instilled great fear in the people. The temple shook, the curtain tore, the people were terrified - Do you really know what you're asking for? Because God filling a place doesn't necessarily mean pretty music making you feel all loved and warm and fuzzy inside.)
There are countless other examples, but you get the idea - We pray thoughtlessly using the Jesus-terminology we hear over and over. I am no exception, which is why I've started a small collection of resources that help to deal with this problem. Here are a couple of my favorites:
A Puritan book of prayers, this collection helps one to better understand his place before the Lord, while praying Scripture and being reminded of God's attributes.
While this does come in book format, the website provides daily prayers, midday prayers, evening prayers, and occasional prayers. Each selection has a short anecdote followed by Scripture readings and prayers. When I don't know where to go for daily devotions, this is where I go. Here is the website.
Homily Recap
This website is an extension of the church Grace Chicago. I have attended here several times, and the liturgy is always, and I mean always, beautiful, praiseworthy, and honoring to God. While this site is not the liturgy itself, it has weekly recaps of the homily. These writings inspire deep thought and profound worship of our Savior.
That's all for now.
After shoveling a total of three hours of the last three days, my car was released from its hold in the deep. Thanks to the help of my dad, brothers, and Mark, I'm back in Green Bay for a few weeks. Let the cheesehead adventures continue - Go Pack!
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