Must of us at one time or another have found ourselves at the mercy of someone offering up a prayer, invocation or similar entreaty to The Divine. Prayer is an important part of living a spiritual life but sometimes we forget that God has already heard it all, our human vanity-strewn egos refusing to let go of the notion that longer prayers yield better results.

Situationally speaking, worst fears are often realized while standing in circles for prayer. A minute or two of hands clasped with companions both left and right, and eyes properly shut, should be cause for heightened awareness. Just know that by the time a congregant is in the weaving-back-and-forth-stage, it may already be too late.

Legend has it that a member of my own congregation was encountering problems standing still for a prayer and began to fidget in obvious distress. The longer the prayer, the greater his agitation. When the amens sounded, it was discovered that said gentleman, for some unknown reason, had a nine-volt battery and spare change in his pants pocket. The coin had shorted across the battery terminals and heated up enough to cause true discomfort. There was nothing to be done other than pray for a shorter-than-usual supplication.

And then there are prayers that can ably substitute for the morning sermon. Why are we compelled to remind God of God’s accomplishments in regard to humankind, and persist in long drawn out explanations of where we find ourselves in the moment. Does the word “omniscient” carry any weight these days? We already have the attention of the The Divine. Do we need to shout and raise flags as well?

For some, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The louder and more public the prayer, the greater its perceived efficacy. Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase “The Message” lays out the alternative in that regard. “Pray with simplicity. And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these peoaple making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for fifteen minutes of fame! Do you think God sits in a box seat?

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God and you will begin to sense [God’s] grace.

“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your [God] you are dealing with, and [your] God] knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

“[God] in heaven, reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what’s best — as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.” (Matt 6:5-13, MSG)