Beech Tree News Network

Prayers and Praying: 

Growing up in a Southern Baptist Church I have heard lots of different kinds of prayers and styles praying. 

Having spent the first ten years of my life attending a country church, I’m able to compare petition to the almighty with those later or when we moved to town and I attended town church (same denomination). Town Church prayers were somewhat more formal-but just as sincere I judge… “God looks upon the heart.” 

I recall at New Cypress Baptist as a lad, most of the praying men sat in the “A-men corner.” Mister Charlie Wright was superb when it came to leading us all to the Throne of Grace. Mister Charlie could take us close to the gates of glory when he prayed. One could almost hear the melody of the angles. 

When called on to pray Mister Charlie slipped out of his seat into the aisle and went to his knees. After hid quiet supplication we could just as well all have gone home- Charlie’s prayers were sermons unto themselves. Brother Herbert Stobuck would kneel with Charlie and “back him up”, so to speak. Every time Charlie got a breath, Herbert would fill the void with, “Naw God helps”. At least it sounded like that to an eight year old boy. 

I recall asking my mother why Brother Herbert said Naw. “Doesn’t he want God to help?” “Yes honey”, mother explained, “it sounds like Naw, but Brother Herbert is saying “Ahh, God Helps.” That was ok then. Kids don’t always hear things like grown-ups. 

Prayers come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, but you knew that. In some spoken prayers, the pray-er feels obligated to repeat the Lord’s name every sentence like the Lord needs to be reminded who He is; “Lord; now Lord; Oh Lord…” I suppose the most unusual prayer I remember hearing about was by an old guy who seldom went to church; theology or fancy talk when it came to praying, he didn’t know a lot of that. 

A community was going through a terrible drought. A group had met at a local church to pray. The old fellow went. Different folks were volunteering their prayers. Hearing this, the old guy thought he would like to stand and offer-up a prayer too. “Dear God”, he began. “Now we are in bad shape down here. But I expect you already know that. Our corn crop is about gone. Our gardeners are burnt up. Our pastures are dry and dusty-milk cows are not giving much milk-an ole cow would need mouth four-feet wide, and she would need to run eight-miles-an-hour to keep from starving to death. 

“Heck, just yesterday Lord, I saw two crows over on the highway fighting over a fan belt. Well God I’ll conclude our little talk with one last request before I hush: We need you bad-don’t send your son, God; you come yourself, THIS IS A MAN’S JOB.” 

From the heart.

Kindest regards….