Question:
Do I have to shed tears while I pray?
So I go to a church. I have (at least I believe so) a faith in Christ. I know he has led me to where I am in my life right now. I feel thankful for it. He saves me all the time in spite of my nature of sinfulness.
However, I have not had teary moments. When our church had a worship, I heard some people crying as they confessed their sin. I just don’t know if I am not faithful enough yet. Am I missing something in my life?
Answer:
Two daughters wanted to serve their father water when he returned from work. One daughter used an elaborate glass to serve him, but it had only a drop of water because she drank it on the way to him. But the other daughter used a modest glass, yet she served a full glass of water.
Tell me, of these two, who truly served the father?
The one who gave the full glass!
Prayer is not the words (cups) we use, nor is it the outward displays, but rather the inner reverence we pour into the words (glass). Prayer is the intuition of pure devotion that even precedes the words. Focusing on tears and other outward displays causes you to miss the whole point of prayer. Just because you offer tears and shouts (fancy cups) does not mean it is filled with water. Ergo, I would switch my focus from assessing another’s cup to ensuring yours actually has water in it! Remember that the Father is interested in water.
Also, it might be helpful to revisit the concept of prayer. There is a difference between prayer and petition. Petitions comprise the great majority of how human beings approach the Almighty today: always asking Him to do something for us, which is equivalent to lobbying Him to serve our endless wishes. On the other hand, we have prayer. The true essence of prayer is inner reverence, worship, and devotion. Clarifying the difference between petition and prayer brings order to our concepts, thus helping us apply them in a more lively manner through greater understanding.
~Ikenna Q. Ezealah
Foundation for Ascent 