Real Prayer Has Meaning

"First of all, real prayer is far better than mere ritual because there is meaning in it. When grace is absent, there is no meaning in ritual. It is as senseless as a fool's game.

Did you ever stand in a Roman Catholic cathedral and watch the daily service, especially if it happened to be on a holiday? With the boys in white, and the men in violet, pink, red, or black, there are enough performers to entertain a city. There are those who carry candlesticks, those who carry crosses, those who carry cushions and books, those who ring bells, those who sprinkle water, those who bob their heads, and those who bow their knees. The whole scene is very strange to look at - very amazing, very amusing, very childish. One wonders, when he sees it, what it is all about, and what kind of people are really made better by it. One wonders also what an idea Roman Catholics must have of God if they imagine that He is pleased with such performances. Do you not wonder how the Lord endures it? What must His glorious mind think of it all?

The glorious God cares nothing for pomp and show. But when you call upon Him in the day of trouble and ask Him to deliver you, there is meaning in your groan of anguish. This is no empty formality. There is heart in it, is there not? There is meaning in the sorrowful appeal. Therefore, God prefers the prayer of a broken heart to the finest service that was ever performed by priests and choirs."

-Charles Spurgeon, "Praying Successfully"

Psalm 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Psalm 51:15-17
[15] O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
[16] For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
[17] The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Matthew 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

I'm currently reading "Praying Successfully" by Charles Spurgeon, and felt prompted to put that quote out there on my blog. I have a very strong feeling that 2009 will be a trying year for America and the world, and I urge everyone to draw near to the Lord!