In preparing for today’s message, I began like I do any other time, which is to agree to do the message having no idea what I’m going to talk about, look at the lectionary, then pray, and pray hard that something will come to me or a scroll will fall out of the sky and land magically on my desk. So far the scroll hasn’t happened, but here’s hoping that today’s message brings a little hope and peace to us. Today’s lectionary actually talks about Prayers of the People. I actually like what the lectionary has for a summary, so here it is, “In particular, the prayers of the people invite us to respond to the complicated and often unknown challenges facing our neighbors in the pews, down the street, and around the world. Few simple solutions exist to the complex problems that plague our lives, whether we’re talking about war among nations, conflicts within families, or battles being waged in individual hearts. Whether our neighborhoods are hungry for food, a living wage, or unconditional love, we must grapple with the problems. And yet, no matter the enormity of the challenges we face, grace abounds again and again. The prayers of the people remind us that when we don’t know what to do or we are afraid to acknowledge the suffering around us, we begin with prayer; and not just individual prayer—corporate prayer. We don’t have to know the details of our neighbors’ struggles to gather together and offer one another grace through prayer.” With that, you’re probably wondering where in the world today’s scriptures came from. Well, here’s a hint, they didn’t come from the lectionary. I actually looked up other verses about prayer and went with that. There are so many ways to go with this message, from talking about prayer in general, to talking about the Lord’s prayer and the interpreted meanings, to talking about prayer for ourselves, or even praying for others. But with that, I think sometimes it's helpful to take it back to Prayer 101. Have you ever been asked to pray in front of others and feel that you “won’t do a good job” or that your words feel inadequate? I know I have. There are times I may not even have words to say. But here’s the good news, God knows what is on our hearts. All we have to do is call out to him whether it’s vocally or just in our hearts. Our words don’t have to be fancy. The scripture reading from Matthew specifically states, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” It then goes into the Lord’s prayer. I came across this meme a few weeks ago and it resonated with me (I don’t know prayer meme): 

An, “I don’t know prayer” 

You just go somewhere quiet and you sit at the feet of God and you say, “I don’t know.”

I don’t know where to go from here.

I don’t know what is happening.

I don’t know how to process this.

I don’t know what to do with these emotions.

I don’t know how to handle this situation.

And, then, with whatever little grain of faith you have, you say, “but you know.” And you leave it there. God most certainly hears your prayer. Trust Him. Amen

An I Don’t Know prayer. Do you realize how reassuring that it to some people? It doesn’t take fancy words. It doesn’t take very long to say, but the meaning is so powerful, but God knows, and that’s what we need.

Now that we have established that we don’t always have to have words in order for our prayers to have meaning, let’s talk about who we pray for. Of course we definitely want to pray for ourselves for guidance, forgiveness of sins, etc. But today’s lectionary specifically calls out corporate prayer, the power of praying for others. Friends, so many times in life, we encounter people who are carrying so much and we have no idea what they are carrying. Or we think we do, but we truly may not. There are people who may share things, which is definitely ok and acceptable, but there are things that maybe people aren’t comfortable sharing for whatever reason. Maybe they don’t feel comfortable sharing because they have been hurt in the past by those they thought they could trust, or maybe whatever they are going through is too much to bear and the fear of verbalizing a situation will make it seem more real, or it truly just hurts too much to share. In those times especially, we need to utilize the power of prayer for our fellow humankind and admit to God that while we don’t know the details, we just want to lift a prayer for them. You may not know the impact of your prayer, but you know what? We don’t need to know the story. Matthew 17:20 talks about having faith the size of a mustard seed and being able to move mountains. How amazing is our God! Even the strong people who you may look at and think, “they have it together” need prayers. So at the end of the day, it is so important to be prayer warriors in the world. Say a prayer in the car. Say a prayer when you’re getting ready for the day. Say a prayer in the grocery line. God hears your prayer and hears you everywhere. Your prayers matter. I came across this quote from Max Lucado and it was another one that resonated with me (Max Lucado meme): “Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the One who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers so make a difference.” Friends, our prayers don’t have to be elaborate, long winded, fancy worded prayers. They just need to come from the heart. And don’t worry if you don’t know what to say, God knows what you’re getting at. He’s pretty smart like that. Amen? Amen!