I read a wonderful book called Adopted for Life. In it author Russell D. Moore tells us that our Jewish and Christian fore fathers rarely would have prayed silently with their heads bowed. Instead, “they prayed noisily with their arms outstretched towards heaven.”[1] I have seen Christians in India pray like that, with loud cries with arms outstretched towards heaven. Russell Moore goes on to tell us that he heard Patrick Henry Reardon, pastor of All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church in Chicago explain that style of prayer. Pastor Patrick Henry Reardon standing up with his arms outstretched says: Does not this look like a toddler, in virtually every human culture crying out to parents for attention?[2] I thought to myself, yes it does, because I have a toddler who first thing in the morning when she wakes up stretches her arms upward towards me for me to pick her up. I have a toddler when he gets tired of walking stretches his arms out towards me so that I can carry him. I have a toddler when she wants to cry stretches her arms out towards me so that I pick her up, and she can bury her face in my shoulder and cry. This is indeed a universal gesture of a child seeking comfort and attention from a parent. Therefore, when we pray like this with our arms stretched out towards God we are making an important statement, that God is our Father (Matt.6:9) and that we are members of God’s household (Eph.2:19). To Him we reach out everyday as we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread (Matt.6:11).
No comments:
Post a Comment