Good morning everyone.  I hope you are all doing well.  Before we were forced to be apart we were putting a significant amount of emphasis on prayer.   The first several weeks that we started these devotionals we were also looking at what the Bible says about prayer.  We took a little break to look at a few Psalms and share the heart of David with you as well as to spend some time around the cross and the empty tomb over Easter.  I want to get back to our studies around prayer.  Yesterday when I was mowing at home I was praying as I have done many times previously and I was thinking about how we are able to talk to God anywhere and at anytime.  I was riding a mower while wearing a hat, a beat up old sweatshirt, some grungy old sweatpants, and my work shoes.  I did not fix my hair and I had not shaved in three days.  I was riding a loud mower and had grass and dust blowing all over me and I was praying.  Is God okay with that?  Shouldn’t I have cleaned up and made myself a little more presentable? 

Jesus talked about prayer many times and while preaching His sermon on the mount in Matthew 6:5-8, He talked about prayer.  Jesus said:  “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.  But 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.  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.”  Not too long ago I read a devotional by Max Lucado titled “Prayers Don’t Get Graded.”  He says that Jesus downplayed the importance of words in prayer.  We have a tendency to do the exact opposite.  We think the more words the better.  I have often called that praying around the world, making sure the you get all of the missionaries too.  We also have a tendency to put emphasis on the appropriate “prayer language.”  Sometimes the latest prayer trend comes along and we hop all over it.  We try to make use of the holiest prayer terminology and hopefully people are impressed.  Sometimes we pray the very same prayer every day or before every meal, word for word, because we think the perhaps God forgot it since the last time you prayed.  Do you give any thought to what you are saying?  Jesus says in v.7 “do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”  I want you to know that there is not a panel of angels sitting in heaven with numbered cards waiting to score your prayers.  They are not there giving out “10’s” and letting you know that God will certainly hear your prayer because you did an awesome job.  Maybe you would grade your prayer as a “2” because you just can’t pray like so and so.  Your thought might be that angels give you a “2” and tell you to go home and practice.  Prayers are not graded according to style.  Prayers do depend on your style and vocabulary.  The power of prayer does not depend on you at all but rather on the One who hears the prayer. 

Public prayer was very important in the Jewish culture and it was said aloud in the morning, afternoon and evening.  Jews would stop whatever they were doing at a set time three times a day and they would pray.  Some would do it discreetly and others would stand on the street corners and pray out loud.  Jesus does not condemn public prayer because He did it Himself on different occasions.  The problem was that their motivation was that others might take notice.  Public prayer does have value, but there is something special about getting completely away from public view to be able to focus more intently on God. 

I want to share with you some of the shortest prayers in the Bible. 

In Luke 18:9-14 Jesus shares the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector.  Pharisees knew how to pray.  They had the right words and they were not afraid to let everyone know it.  The tax collector had probably rarely ever prayed but when he understood how desperate he was he simply said “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”   He knew his condition and he knew that only God could meet his need.  God was merciful to him.

In Matthew 14:22-35 the disciples find themselves in a boat during a severe storm in the middle of the Sea of Galilee when Jesus comes walking to them on the water.  Peter sees Jesus and walks on the water himself out to Him but as he looks around at the storm he begins to sink.  Peter simply says:  “Lord, save me!”  Jesus saved him.

In Mark 10:46-52 Jesus is leaving Jericho and along the road there is a blind man by the name of Bartimaeus sitting alongside the road begging.  When Bartimaeus realized that it was Jesus he began to shout “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  We are told that he shouted that over and over again until Jesus said “Call him” and he jumped to his feet.  Jesus asked him “What do you want me to do fo you?”  His simple response was “Rabbi, I want to see.”

Immediately he received his sight.

In Luke 17:11-19 Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and while going through a small village He was confronted by ten lepers who stood at a distance and they called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”  All ten of the men were cleansed and only one returned to give Him thanks.

In Luke 23:39-43 Jesus is hanging on the cross with two criminals, one on each side.  One mocked Jesus and the other said “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”  Jesus told him “today you will be with Me in paradise.”