A Flood of Empty Words

I used to think that the more words I used in my high school essay, the better chance I would have of getting a good grade. Fill up several pages with phrases and commas and exclamation points and that would impress the teacher. Didn’t work. Doesn’t work in sermon preparation, either. Have you ever sat through a seemingly endless sermon and wondered: Is there an end to this thing? So, I’m not surprised to hear Jesus give this specific instruction when he was discussing prayer with his disciples. “When you pray, don’t pour out a flood of empty words, as the Gentiles do. They think that by saying many words they’ll be heard. Don’t be like them.” And then he goes on to demonstrate a very concise, specific prayer for their daily use.

You know, I’d like to offer similar advice to other segments of our population. “A flood of empty words” serves the good of no one. I’m not impressed by an hour of senseless sound. Remember that funny TV commercial where the old woman with a raspy voice used to say: “Where’s the beef?” Where’s the substance? Well, I think for Jesus the substance was in the simplicity. When I learned to prepare a sermon many years ago, I got some good advice: “Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Then tell them. And then tell them what you told them.” Or, there’s the KISS principle: Keep it simple, stupid!

So, at the risk of running on and on, I come to the point. It’s not how many words you use in your prayer. In fact, prayer may not have to do with words at all. Maybe it’s enough to just sit quietly in the presence of God, unlock your heart, and connect. Do we really think God needs to be informed or reminded with “a flood of empty words”? Name the person (Aunt Sarah) or the situation (my doctor’s appointment) or your concern (the world!) but don’t write an essay with lots of commons and phrases. What was that other thing Jesus said in the same prayer conversation? “because your Father knows what you need before you ask.” I once heard a story about….never mind. Too many words.