Martin Luther had a variety of experiences with prayer before the Reformation. Not all of his experiences were good, right and proper. In the middle of a thunderstorm, rather than praying to the true God, he asked St. Anne for help. In the monastery, he was exposed to the useless repetition of prayers.
In the Large Catechism he writes, “Let this be said as encouragement, so that people may learn, first of all, to value prayer as something great and precious and to make a proper distinction between babbling and praying for something. For we by no means reject prayer. We reject the bare, useless howling and murmuring, as Christ Himself also rejects and prohibits long idle talk [Matthew 6:7].”
The Psalmist offers a wise prayer, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord.” While we ought not fear that our prayers do not live up to God’s standards when we cry for mercy, it is also important to remember that thoughtless babbling and repeating of meaningless mantras have no place in our prayer life.
May all of our Lenten prayers be offered in sincerity, kneeling before our crucified and risen Savior.
Prayer: O Lord, Jesus, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Thank you for hearing and answering my sincere cries for mercy. Amen.
God’s richest blessings in Christ,
Pastor Philip Quardokus.
Download a pdf of all the Lenten devotions here.
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