I admit it, I’m a bit of a language snob.
I generally don’t get very exercised about spelling and punctuation (as you may have noticed). This is partly because I’m slightly dyslexic and correct spelling and the use of commas are a mystery to me. However, I do delight in well formed sentences and correct plurals of Latin words and I don’t like the way some people talk about prayer.
However, for once, this isn’t my language snobbery, it is a serious theological point.
Take the common phrase, “Prayer Changes Things“. Does it? Well, the discipline of regular prayer, may well change the prayer-er, but it really doesn’t change anything else. God, in response to our prayers, may well change some things; but he is the one who makes the changes, not us and not our prayers.
Over the last few years, I’ve started to hear the phrase “Would you like to receive prayer?“; another phrase that I’m uneasy with. I can receive insults, compliments, chocolate, baffled looks and many other things, but I can’t receive prayer. We pray to God; He receives our prayers. We can pray for or on behalf of someone, but those prayers are addressed to God.
You might want to suggest that I’m just being picky; a stereotypical grumpy old man, but I would disagree.
Both of these common phrases exclude God from the picture and I think this is a problem from two angles. Firstly, the fact that God listens to our prayers and acts in response to them is one of the most profound mysteries of the Christian faith. Anything which sidelines this and allows us to take it for granted is, at best, unhelpful. Secondly, both phrases make it seem as though prayer in and of itself is effective. This can easily encourage us to focus on the form and act of prayer, rather than on the the gracious loving God who is listening to them.
The language we use both shapes and reflects our thinking and our attitudes and there are some areas in life where we should be particularly careful about the way in which we express ourselves.
By the way, if you would like to pray for us, we’d be delighted! You can sign up to receive our news on the sidebar.
14 replies on “No! I don’t Want to Receive Prayer!”
Phil Prior liked this on Facebook.
I so agree! The other one I feel really uncomfortable with is “Our prayers go out to so-and-so”, and similar expressions, as if we’re talking about the Force being with them rather than our lifting them to Almighty God. I am also a bit of a language snob…
I think it is laziness or the new culture of everything abbreviated. If it can be shortened let’s shorten it EG LOL “laugh out loud”. Sadly though, many don’t think of it as shortened, not realising what they are saying, I take it that when folk say let us pray for so and so they mean, let us pray to God for so and so. Not good that God is omitted in this I think.
Laura Warrington liked this on Facebook.
It’s not so much saying ‘pray for someone’ that bothers me (I said something similar at the end of my post). My problem is when people use language that implies that the prayer goes to the person rather than to God; ‘receive prayer’ or as Ann suggests ‘our prayers go out to X’. Our prayers go to God, for other people.
I reckon I’m making an important point about the language of prayer. You might think I’m being picky. http://t.co/mkPm80dXgh You Choose.
RT @kouya: I reckon I’m making an important point about the language of prayer. You might think I’m being picky. http://t.co/mkPm80dXgh You…
RT @kouya: I reckon I’m making an important point about the language of prayer. You might think I’m being picky. http://t.co/mkPm80dXgh You…
RT @kouya: I reckon I’m making an important point about the language of prayer. You might think I’m being picky. http://t.co/mkPm80dXgh You…
@kouya “By the way, if you would like to pray for us, we’d be delighted! You can sign up to receive our news on the sidebar.”#smoothoperator
RT @kouya: I reckon I’m making an important point about the language of prayer. You might think I’m being picky. http://t.co/mkPm80dXgh You…
No! I don’t Want to Receive Prayer!: http://t.co/eAlYJSWBmh << good points from Eddie. A Christian tendency to make prayer a technique?
RT @dougchaplin: No! I don’t Want to Receive Prayer!: http://t.co/eAlYJSWBmh << good points from Eddie. A Christian tendency to make prayer…
My favorite gripe is those who say .. “We’re sending our prayers out to xxx and his family.” .. Really.