I’ve been in many churches and in many chapels—so this isn’t a critique of chapels specifically but of all of the churches out there in Americanland.
I was sitting in church, when I wondered—why do we only give a couple of prayers. Church prayers typically come in two forms:
Short to the point—“lets get this over with prayers.â€
And the long—“let’s draw this out as long as it takes to feel spiritual prayers.â€
That is harsh—I know.
But I wonder if in church—do we really pray, or is it something we stick in the service because we have to. I have been in services where the prayers were authentic and appropriate and well meaning. We don’t have enough of that. The chapel needs to be a place of prayer. Chaplains need to be teaching prayer in the service—teaching how it is done and how to pray in our own lives. Demonstrating worship is so important to a culture who has forgotten God.Â
Let’s stop praying in stale spur-of-the moment prayers and begin communicating with God. It doesn’t have to long, but it needs to be authentic.