When it comes to the topic of prayer, I consider myself no natural. There are people who loudly proclaim their prayers, who are fluent, who talk about their prayer lists, answered prayers.
I’m sitting in the corner croaking. I am not good at this: I’m better at study. So I have but two comments, and they are both in the text.
Psalm 143
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness.2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.3 For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead.4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.5 I remember the days of old, I think about all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands.6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land
Matthew 6:1-6,
1“Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Mission and Ministry — GAMC.
The first comment is that croaking is normal. The Psalmist is troubled by enemies and affliction, he is aware of his sin, and he asks for deliverance. In doing this, he is honest with God and himself. Life is not a box of fluffy unicorns. His enemies are about to destroy him. And he turns to God. We have to allow the full range of emotions in our life, and that includes in prayer.
The second point is that what we do in private is what matters. The public prayers were described as acting out their piety to some standard that the world has for religious people. Now, there is nothing bad about prayer in public, or alms in public — but the things people do not know about define us. Therefore, we should not be intimidated by Sister Sally with her pious psycho-babble as a substitute for prayer.
God values our honest croaking.