Concentrating On Prayer

Concentrating On Prayer

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.

1 Peter 4:7

If it were possible to see into a person’s heart, nothing would be more ridiculous than seeing the thoughts of a cold, undevoted heart in prayer. When someone forgets what they just said, they aren’t praying a good prayer. Praise God that I now understand this clearly. In true prayer, one remembers all the words and thoughts from the beginning to the end of the prayer.

To illustrate, a good barber must keep his thoughts, mind, and eyes on the razor and on the hair he’s cutting. He can’t forget where he is. If he starts chatting away, thinking about something else, or looking somewhere else, he might cut his customer’s mouth, nose, or throat. So doing anything well requires total concentration of the whole person. As the saying goes, “Whoever thinks about many things thinks about nothing and doesn’t do anything right.” Praying a good prayer requires even more concentration than this. It demands the whole heart.

This is how I pray the Lord’s Prayer. For even today I keep on eating and drinking from the Lord’s Prayer as if I were a hungry baby or a famished adult who can never get enough. It’s the best prayer of all.