I read a story of a man who lived alone in a little hut in a great forest. He felt it his duty to pray before meals and at bedtime. So he merely repeated some prayers he had learned as a boy.
One day he decided to keep count by putting a walnut in a glass jar every time he said a prayer. This went on year after year until there was a long row of jars completely filled. As their number increased, he became more and more self-satisfied.
Then he had a dream. Jesus stood before him and asked, “What is the meaning of all these containers filled with nuts?” The man replied, “Each nut stands for a prayer.” “Take a hammer and crack the nuts one by one,” said Jesus. The man did as he was told and found that the kernel of each had dried up. When he had cracked all the nuts, nothing remained but a pile of empty shells. Then Jesus said, “Your prayers too are empty. You speak the words you have been taught, but your heart is not in them. Prayers are meaningful only when they come from the heart, not just from the lips!”
This is only a story, but it makes a strong point. The Father longs for His children’s heartfelt communication with Him. “Vain repetitions” are nothing but “empty shells.” – Henry G. Bosch
Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire
Unuttered or expressed;
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast. – Montgomery
The fewer the words the better the prayer.
- September 13, 1989, Our Daily Bread
For You 