Over and Over Again
written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. ”
“We who cut mere stones must always be envisioning cathedrals.” I love that quote by Cal Newport. You do not wake up one day and decide to build a cathedral. It takes time, education, experience, mistakes, support, vision, and much more.
Rusty Ellis tells the story of an art teacher who broke her class into two groups. One group was instructed to make as many clay pots as quickly as possible. The other group was told to take their time and build just one “perfect pot.” By the end of the class period, the ones who went as fast as they could created some pots that were as good or better than the students who worked at the “perfect” pot.
In other words, hard work and repetition are often more beneficial than concentrating on creating the perfect thing. The same is true of prayer. When I was a young pastor, I was immediately flung into the deep end of public prayers. Oddly, there was not a seminary class on offering public prayers. Crafting a good prayer is an art. Often, I use the words of those who are better at it than I am in our worship services. But that isn’t always possible in public prayer. Through the years, I’ve become more proficient by simply doing it over and over again.
A well-crafted, meaningful prayer for public consumption is best learned through practice, over and over again. Today, write your prayers. Try to craft your prayers to God as if a group of people would hear them. When you do this activity, you will learn to take your time and focus on the deeper meaning behind your words. Writing your prayers will enable you to communicate with God in a new and meaningful way. Do not worry about crafting the perfect prayer. Instead, practice each day. Start cutting your prayerful stones and molding your prayerful pots today.
