Simple Prayer

Deuteronomy 8:9-18

"It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees thatI am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. He did allthis so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in orderto fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath."

* To heed this warning in Deuteronomy, the Jewish people developed a tradition of offering specific, short prayers throughout the day - from when they awoke until they fell asleep.

* Each of these tiny prayers of thanksgiving are called Barakah, which means blessings.

* In the English language the word blessing usually means having favor upon someone, but the Bible often speaks of the word blessing to mean praise, to acknowledge God as the source of all blessings. In Deuteronomy 8:10 many translations use the word blessings instead of praise.

* The word Barakah to the Jew also means to kneel down. So when you combine the words praising and kneel down, the Barakah means to kneel down mentally and humbly praising God for His goodness.

In Jesus' day each prayer was just one short line that started with "Blessed is He". Within a couple of years, the Rabbi's declared that one should call on the name of the Lord in prayer by using the phrase, King of the Universe. So the past 1,700 years the first line in their prayer is this...Blessed are you, O'Lord our God, King of the Universe."

Jews had a simple prayer or Barakah for everything...for opening your eyes by saying, "Blessed is He who opens the eyes of the blind." For after you went to the bathroom, budding flowers, a rabbi, a beautiful person, being reunited, the smell of an orange, saying "Blessed is He, who has given us the pleasant smell of fruits." Or when someone died, "Blessed is He, who is the True Judge."

I was watching Morgan and having a conversation with her...and I got this overwhelming feeling of gratitude and the presence of God. We all have had these moments whether it be at work, in the car, spending time with family or friends, at a funeral, wedding or sunset. Those moments cause us to bow our hearts and in thanksgiving to give simple praise, a Barakah.

Unfortunately, we take a lot of life (blessings) for granted...It doesn't rain in Israel from May to October and Israel isn't really known for their rain showers period. One Rabbi says this, "The best time to pray is during a rain shower, because God is in a good mood, ready to hand out blessings." Another Rabbi says, "Rain gives joy to the whole world, including birds and flowers... the only time we give praise is during a dry time."

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 tells us to, "pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances..."

We also complain...a lot...

Our jobs, our circumstances, our church, spouses, our performance, kids, how we have sounded when we sang or taught, how much we get paid... When we should learn from the Jews in the simple prayer of Barakah...even though it is traditional and repititious, we can learn to mentally or physically bow our hearts in thanksgiving and praise to God...

See also;
Ephesians 5:18-20
Colossians 3:15
Philippians 4:6

Be blessed,
Steve