Why do we say "just" when we pray?
"Lord I just pray that you would heal this person" or "we just pray that you would move." "I just pray that..."
If you're like a lot of the people out there you'll probably find yourself uttering this four letter word at some point without thought or conscious effort. I've noticed this in myself because I don't really say it anywhere else in my verbal communication. I mean other than it's usual context.
Keep in mind that I'm assuming when people use the word it's contextualized by dictionary.com's definition as "merely or only."
Is it because we don't want to feel like we're challenging God too much? Do we want to keep God from feeling that we're asking for more than we should? Maybe we feel like it's some form of humility.
What are we suppose to do with coming "boldly" before God? What does that look like? And does anything we pray really qualify as just a "just."
This will probably ruin your prayer life for a while in light of the self analyzing, self consciousness that's bound to ensue. That is unless you are one of those who don't say it. But then you'll probably be listening for it in other people when they pray rather than actually listening to their prayer.
But hey, I'm just asking a question.
11 comments:
I just had to comment because I just thought you ask a great question.
Yeah, now that you mention it, I think I say that a lot when I pray. I will just have to try to cut that out.
Sorry, I just couldn't resist! :-)
I don't sense that when people say the word they mean only God's will. It's in the wrong context.
Agreed. Words aren't the bottom line. On the flip side words are, however, indicative of what's going on in our mind and/or heart, something God is concerned about.
Hmm. I'm willing to entertain the the possibility that I'm blowing something out of proportion.
Ricky I'd have to disagree with your thought that phrases such as "just" are a sign of healthy reverence. I don't think we really know we say it. I know I don't. So if anything it's a healthy sign of absolutely nothing but a verbal condiment.
In any case the question of "why the excessive use of the word just in our prayers and no where else?" has yet to be answered with any measure of satisfaction on my part.
Interesting.
So "just" is the prayer contextualized version of "um."
I would agree. Silence is not considered "golden" in prayer. Or any other context really.
I wonder why?
It reminds me of times past when I have experienced pain and people felt like they needed to tell me something.
As if breaking the silence is helpful.
i was going to toss out the idea of people fearing silence in prayer, and silence in general, turns out brett posted it first.
another thing that i notice when people pray (and I am included in 'people') is how often we refer to God by saying his name throughout the prayer. For example, "God I just come to you right now and ask that you God will just heal and God just move" If we were to be in a normal conversation I would probably use Nathan maybe once and that would be at the beginning of the conversation. It would be weird if I continued to say nathan this and nathan that while talking to you nathan.
I think that this relates back to our fear of silence in prayer. But how dare we actually think and take time while praying instead of spouting out words that sound nice and pretty?
but silence is easily feared and considered awkward
i think that taping yourself praying is basically praying to yourself...and that's just weird (to toss some 'verbal condiment' out there) :)
I take it a step further and say things like, "Father, I just ... uh ..." Funny thing is that I only do it when I'm praying out loud in the presence of other people and I think the fear of silence is exactly why I at least do it. I didn't grow up with a pastor who took pauses between his thoughts when he prayed in front of the congregation. Pastors generally have pretty good public speaking skills. I think that totally influence my impression of what public prayer should sound like. No pauses.
As I sit here analyzing when I say 'just' when praying I'm realizing that there might be a bit more to it than mere space filler. I often use the word when I'm not sure how God will react to what I'm saying, what He's thinking. When I say it I often wreak of uncertainty. So very different from how David talked to God. What'd'ya think? Can anyone relate?
That's initially what I was getting at Hethe. I believe we're truly afraid to step out and acknowledge that, yeah, what I'm asking is huge. I'm not just asking God to move or to heal or to whatever. I'm asking Him to move in my universe in only a way that He can move. And that I'm not inconveniencing or challenging God in the process.
I feel that we're afraid to come out and say what we want to pray without apologies, without fear and without belittling the huge request we're making of God no matter how small or large it may be.
Ya. When I pray silently or privately to God I pray with certainty (most of the time at least). Because of this I think maybe, at least for me, that my attitude hasn't changed when praying publicly but that I'm afraid to reveal to other people how personably I pray to our creator. Silently I talk to Him one on one, in a tone that suggests that we've known eachother for a long while and we have quite a past but publically I act like we are just acquaintances. I feel sick saying this but I think I'm a bit afraid to reveal to other people that I really do believe in an invisible creator, know him personally and love him passionately. I'll say as much to somebody but praying that way in front of them shows it. Don't want to be a cuke now do I? Dangit. Great post Nathan. Sometimes your thoughts act like a mirror for me.
Jerk.
Was that shameless promotion for your blog Ricardo?
Weird. I don't know that I say "just" all that often when I pray, but Roach totally does and I definatly noticed. It would seem to me that hers is a sort of filler like Brett was talking about, an "um" or something to get her to the next thing. But I understand what you are saying about this fear of asking God for something. It seems in my prayer life that, well it boils down to, I don't believe God can actually give me more then just "just." Beyond "just" is too much for Him and if I pray beyond it and He doesn't answer then I begin to lose hope, but if I pray "just" it's smaller and then He has a chance. How wrong am I in this sort of thinking..I also pray more general then specific for these same reasons...I can handle "Lord please just give me a job!" but I couldn't handle " Lord if you want me to move back to CA then open a job there, if not I will stay here" because I would be afraid of two things..In this case He will open a job in CA. But more then that the more specific I get, the more liekly it is that my prayer seems to not get answered. I hope that makes sense. Sorry, totally off topic I think...you always make me think! Good to finally hear your perspective
j
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