An opening commentary on my Bible app was based on a reading from Acts 5 verses 1 to 11, the story of Ananias and Sapphira.
The writer’s opening comments were as follows. Many these days have been wondering if we are too flippant with God. We livestream church for our convenience. We check our phones during a worship service. We wear very informal clothing and judge a church by the quality of its snacks and coffee. God is our “good buddy.” If you had any doubts, the last sentence probably confirmed that the writer was an American.
These statements might prove interesting if a debate was conducted in a spirit of love and respect. My immediate reaction was to question if our actions are a reflection of a reverent or irreverent attitude. I recall taking a group of young people to a service, specific to their age group, to listen to a well-known Christian speaker. As part of his talk, as a 30-year-old, I was appalled as he demonstrated to these young people how older Christians pray. My reaction was not based on how these older Christians were dressed, but a sense that they were in conversation with a God with whom they had a personal relationship.
I recall a story of one man who said to a fellow Christian, “You shouldn’t pray like that!” to which the response was, “I wasn’t talking to you”. I may have referred earlier to an occasion when, in a prayer meeting I had to open my eyes as I listened to an older Christian praying. His language made me look to see if Jesus was sitting next to him because of the lovely way he was “talking with God”
As I read my Bible, and the prayers of so many different people, I am often reminded of Jesus’ comment on the two men who went to the temple to pray. – Luke 18 verses 10 to 14,
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, may our prayer times with you, whether private or public, be a true reflection of a right relationship with you. AMEN