Magnificent Prayer #84
Magnificent Prayer #84
Let your moderation be known unto all men.
Philippians 4:5 KJV
Let our speech and our prayers be under discipline, observing quietness and modesty. Let us consider that we are standing in God’s sight. We must please the divine eyes both with the habit of body and with the measure of voice. For as it is characteristic of a shameless man to be noisy with his cries, so, on the other hand, it is fitting to the modest man to pray with moderate petitions.
CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE
But we more commend our prayers to God, when we pray with modesty and humility. The sounds of our voice likewise should be subdued; else, if we are to be heard for our noise, how large windpipes should we need!
TERTULLIAN
Pray About It: It’s always wise to listen to our elders. In this case, Cyprian (200–258) and Tertullian (160–225) were early church fathers. They knew about prayer. And in their exhortation, they encourage discipline, modesty, and moderation.
God isn’t hard-of-hearing. Our voices can reach to heaven just fine without resorting to noise. We can pray in an orderly fashion, not hit-or-miss at random. A loud, undisciplined pray-er will find disorder in the rest of his life as well.
Today, respect the order of prayer that was used by the early church. Pray with modesty and humility.
From the book
