I overheard a Christian praying over his meal this morning…out loud…in a public setting.
He was holding his plate up in the air, somewhat as on offering toward God I suppose, with his face raised to the heavens. How pious he looked! And people were watching.
But it was his prayer that got me the most. He said, “Almighty Father in Heaven, thank you for this daily bread, the fruit of your loins. Bless it to my body. Amen.”
…the fruit of your loins????…I have to believe he had no idea what he was saying, and I hope nobody else did either.
If you don’t know what “loins” are, the Oxford English Dictionary coyly defines it as “The part of the body that should be covered by clothing.”
Here are the rules for praying in public:
1. Know what you’re saying.
2. Don’t make a show of it.
You don’t even have to bow your head, close your eyes, and fold your hands. That is not the magical posture which makes prayer rise faster to the ears of God. And as long as we’re talking about God’s ears (which, along with loins, He doesn’t have), please note that God is not deaf. You do not have to shout or scream your prayers.
What an odd post this turned out to be…
