Popcorn prayers

“Let’s all pray popcorn prayers,” the preacher said at prayer meeting one evening. That was the first time I had ever heard that expression so I asked, “What are popcorn prayers?” He politely responded that popcorn prayers are when you go around the room and everybody prays a sentence prayer. I immediately made the connection: small and without substance.

Later I asked why he chosen to pray these non-prayers. I was told it was because we had a number of new believers who did not know how to pray and he did not want them to be overwhelmed or intimidated by people praying longer prayers.

Like so many things we do, that sentiment sounds good but has disastrous results: we end up with people addicted to popcorn. In church after church across America we have people who claim to have been Christians for years who could not pray their way out of a paper bag.

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.’ And he said unto them, ‘When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.’” (Luke 11:1-2). Today's churchmen would do well to follow Jesus’ example. Instead, when their disciples come to them wanting to learn how to pray they say, “Just pray a popcorn prayer.”

Popcorn prayers are not prayers at all. They are brainless mutterings. They go against the whole nature of prayer, which is to pour your heart out to God. Now, I have nothing against short prayers. The shortest prayer recorded in the Bible was only three words long, both in the Greek and in English. That prayer was Peter’s cry to Jesus after Jesus had commanded Peter to come to him on the water: “Lord, save me.” That was a real prayer. It was from the heart. It was sincere. It had pathos. It was direct. It was a cry of distress to God.

Enter the average American church today and listen to the praying. It is weak and anemic. It is often inane and wandering, little more than pious words strung together with no thought of what is coming next. If we talked to our Congressman like that we would get ushered out of his office hastily, yet we come before the Sovereign Lord of all the universe and blather.

The way to teach new and immature believers how to pray is not using popcorn prayers. The way to teach new and immature believers how to pray is to follow the example of the Master pray-er. But before we can teach others how to pray we must first learn at the Master’s feet ourselves. Weak prayers come from weak pray-ers. Weak prayers are symptomatic of a careless and distant walk with God.

Sure, new believers may feel uncomfortable praying and should not be forced to run before they learn to walk. New believers need mature examples to follow. This is no less true in the school of prayer than in any other discipline. Pastors: give them meat, not popcorn.