I was shocked when I read about a web site called InformationAgePrayer.com that offers, for people too busy to speak to God themselves, a daily service of invocations using voice-synthesizing software. Each prayer is voiced individually with the subscriber's name on the screen, and set up for the individual specific beliefs. (For Muslim prayers, the computer's speakers point toward Mecca) The cost varies depending on the type of prayer. (Hail Marys are 70 cents a day, the Lord prayer or Islamic Fajr is $3.95 a month.) As I read about this service, I couldn’t help but think about what Jesus said in Matthew 6:7, “But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” It probably wasn’t what Jesus had in mind when he uttered those words but it sure fit. We are to a continually praying people but not at the expense of meaningful prayer. True prayer requires the heart of man not just a voice.
In Acts 20, there is the tragicomic event surrounding a young man by the name of Eutychus. He did what a lot of folks before and after him did, he fell asleep during a sermon. Unfortunately, he was setting in in the third story window at the time. So instead of nodding off and hitting the pew in front of him, he fell to his death. The good news was the apostle Paul was delivering the sermon and had the ability to bring him back. I don’t know, however, if we can judge Eutychus too harshly. The sermon had gone on till midnight. Paul wouldn’t finish it up till daybreak. That’s a long lesson. I know some folks that might want to jump out of a window if I had a lesson that long, yet these Christians wanted to be there to hear Paul. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pushing for all night sermons but I think we might need to adopt these folks' dedication. They knew that Paul was only in town for a limited time only and they were determined to ...
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