How to Pray

Oftentimes when people pray, they will repeat the word "Lord" over and over again. "" thank you for the rain "" and "" please come into our hearts and "" help us to do right. You get the point. These types of prayers have bothered me because it seems as if they are taking His name in vain, but I'm not sure if I'm overreacting or not. Anyone care to share their perspective? Is there anything in the writings of Ellen White on this matter?

First, Lord isnt a name. Secound, if God doesnt want to hear His name in worship and prayer, He would have told us in no unsertain terms. What He did tell us is:

5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.' 14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.


5Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'

7"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"


And also John 17 is a good read on Jesus prayer.

/Thomas

It's not that God doesn't want to hear His name. It's just seems very repetitious sometimes when the beginning and end of every sentence is "Lord". Yes, technically it isn't a name but it's the title the KJV substitutes for Yahweh if memory serves me correctly. Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill.

Yes, I think so. The description of a christian doesnt include having oppinions about other christians individual relationships with God.

Their relationship with God is irrelevant. I don't question that a lot of people who pray like that are sincere Christians, probably more than I. I get highly annoyed when people use the phrase "Oh my G*d" like it's going out of style (even once gets me upset) and I guess I associate the two somehow.

Some people just have a style of prayer where they say Lord, or Jesus a lot. To me it is annoying but I don't think it wrong or sinful, just not my style of praying.

Redfog

This is artificial, because nobody talks with a friend or parent repeating their name every five words. It might indicate that the person is nervous to pray publicly, or at a loss for words.
The Lord's prayer has 73 words and the title "Father" is used once. The prayer of Jesus in John 17 has 637 words and the title "Father" is used 6 times.

Well, I dont know anyone who would seriously use the language of either the lords prayer or the John 17 prayer when talking to friends either.

The point is not the language, but the number of times you directly address the person by his name. Jesus used the word "Father" about once every 100 words. Repeating the name of the person at every five or ten words would not be natural in any conversation - especially if you are familiar with the person and feel comfortable in his presence.

Have ya'll ever known anyone who in public prayer speaks in the Kings James Bible vernacular? Just listen sometimes, I find it rather amusing. The thee's and thou's they would never use in every day speech but they do when praying. The point is that everyone prays differently, and some use the words Lord, Jesus or God a lot. They mean no disrespect.

(Basicly Vaster said the same thing in post 81414)

Redfog

I must admit that I also find the use of thee and thou in today's prayers.

Yes. Jesus didn't address His Father in the Victorian language of the KJV, but in the everyday language spoken in His days, as we should do today when addressing God. Jesus even addressed God using the word abba, which means "daddy".

Back in the fifties when I attended Emmanuel Missionary College - now Andrews - it seemed unthinkable not to pray without using Thou and Thee.

From Europe I was used to addressing strangers with the plural form "De" or "Sie" which in English is "you"! In modern English you only use the polite plurar form "you", but in former days thou and thee were the normal words to address family and friends and divinity. Why are we so overly polite that we merely use the plural form "you" today for all, and consequently have no idea if "you" is/are one or many? Grammatically we should address one person as "thou" - but we are all using the wrong grammar!

I did not mean to quench the discussion with the remark I made above!

Two words for "you" are spoken in French.

If I remember correctly:

"Vous" is the more respectful use of "you" when speaking to people who are older than you are, or when showing respect to those of any age.

"Toi" is the more common use of "you" when speaking to younger people, or to close friends of any age.