Apparently, when babies are born, they arrive with the capacity for every sound in every language. It is by exposure that over time communication is learned and some of those capacities fall away.
A wordless baby will cry and need or pain is communicated.
A wordless baby will laugh and delight is expressed and recognised.
A wordless baby knows to hold your eyes without being taught for they are wired toward connecting.
I have no idea what language was like prior to the confusion that separated and dispersed the people at Babel, but speech itself came from the One who gave the gift, created with His own speech and who holds all understanding of all speech for all time, of every language, tribe and tongue, for all peoples of the earth and also that of angels.
The vocabulary of our prayers has no meaning if separated from the heart. It doesn’t matter if our words are eloquent or simple if our motive comes from any place other than a heart turned to Him.
If our prayers are to preach or impress, are externally pressured or for outward performance, are rote and separated from the hearts engagement – their reward will be confined to that which we seek in the moment.
We can speak an oft repeated memorised prayer – by rote – with the heart or without it. It’s not the repetition, but the heart which renders it meaningless or otherwise.
We can speak an eloquent prayer, in public, loud and long – with the heart or without it. It isn’t being public or private that renders prayer valid or useless, but the heart.
We can speak a simple prayer in public or private – with the heart or without it
We can utter a wordless cry, a groan, incoherant blather in public or private – with the heart and the God who created those sounds, see’s the hearts engagement and the prayer goes into His presence instead of falling to the floor having accomplished its momentary motivation. It’s not the language or vocabulary that makes the difference, but the heart.
Don’t do what you say you do for God, to get seen by others. It doesn’t impress Him.
It’s OK to pray with others. It’s good to pray with others!
It’s OK to pray alone. It’s good to pray alone – and if we never pray alone – that says something about our praying with others.
Our Father who made us knows we come in need or delight and longs for us to find our refuge in Him. The approval of man is nothing.
What is your heart communicating?
Lovely message. Words are a great way of interpreting what we feel and want to communicate. I’m sure they express at least 25% of what we feel…:)
I dunno Rob… maybe that 25% is even a bit generous! 🙂
Yes I’m willing to accept that maybe yes, I’m being a bit too generous. Over 25 years ago I mused with my pastor how a deaf and mute person might pray to God. I imagined and demonstrated that movement (dance?) might be one way of conveying inner emotions. Sometimes, perhaps not often enough, I pray to God, not allowing myself to use any words. Everything has to be expressed with gestures. I think I should do this more