Praying Myself Into Trouble

trainYesterday, in our bilingual service, one of our college kids was helping with the Lord’s Supper. He spent the summer studying Spanish, but I could tell he was nervous as he led the prayer. He even made a grammar mistake, which he quickly corrected.

Took me back to my first public prayer in Spanish. I’d been in Argentina all of a week. Yep, four days of language classes under my belt. And I was invited to help with the Lord’s Supper. I didn’t have to say a prayer, but was invited to say one before we passed the cup (and it was just one cup, not for doctrinal reasons, but just because that’s what they had). I thought quickly and realized that I knew enough Spanish to say a simple prayer.

Unfortunately, I didn’t stick to a simple “Thank you for this cup, In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Nope, I decided to express something a little more complex. Something beyond what I really knew how to say. I soon found myself at a point where I didn’t know how to go forward with the prayer.

This was in the little town of Fray Luis Beltrán. The building sat about 50 yards from the train tracks. And at that precise moment, a train went by. A long one. A loud one. One that allowed me to pause my prayer, collect my thoughts… and say “In Jesus’ Name, Amen” when the train was past!

So what about you? Have you ever talked yourself into trouble when praying with someone else or leading a public prayer?

Photo by Kaya Tanyel

4 thoughts on “Praying Myself Into Trouble

  1. Scott

    No – Never! I have never ever said the wrong thing in a prayer, never have I misspoke or . . . Ok! You caught me. I once led a prayer at a retirement ceremony for a Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel. There were multi-star generals present, and orders from the Commander-In-Chief were read by a Captain. In my nervous state, I demote the Colonel to Lieutenant — well beneath his rank.

  2. Terry

    A few months ago, I was taking the prayer requests during our Sunday morning worship services. One of our members raised her hand and said, “I would like to praise God for helping me to get a job at the casino!” I thought that I must have misunderstood her until she added, “All I need is my gaming license, so I ask for everyone to pray that I get my gaming license.” I didn’t quite know how to handle such a prayer request in the public assembly, so when the time came I simply said, “Thank you for new jobs.” (Later, one of our ladies took her aside privately and talked to her about the wisdom of taking a job at a casino.)

    In the same service, one of our members named Kaytie asked for prayers for her father. For the life of me, when it came time to pray, I could not remember her name. I could only remember her nickname (Big Mac). So, when it came time to prayer for her father, I paused for about 10 to 15 seconds, looked up at her and still could not remember her real name. Finally, I said, “And please help Big Mac’s father.” It was awkward, but God knew who I was talking about, even if some within the congregation did not. :)

  3. laymond

    (Later, one of our ladies took her aside privately and talked to her about the wisdom of taking a job at a casino.)
    Terry, did she also tell her how to pay her bills without a job?
    at least she was thankful for small favors. I believe it was James who said it is nice to feel for people, but it don’t feed the kids. or something to that affect.

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