Words of Wisdom from the Babylon Bee – According to a recent survey over 40% of American respondents said they fear speaking in public (glossophobia). Only the fear of snakes (a tempting Biblical Christian rabbit trail,) was worse.
Add the fear of fumbling in public prayer to the fear of speaking in general, and it is no wonder that we are reluctant to call out to God in a group setting.
Here and here are some broad statistics from Barna Research and Worldmetrics on the subject of prayer in America.
What does the Bible say?
Matthew 18:20 - For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
James 5:16 - Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Acts 1:14 - All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
1 Timothy 2:1 - First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.
Conclusion
Interestingly, I could not find statistics that specifically focused on the level of Christian aversion to public prayer. However, it would be no surprise to discover how few feel comfortable praying out loud around a table of believers. There is always that knot in the stomach when it is a circle, where each is expected to take their turn … or when the leader calls on someone (often trying to hide, with eyes downward) … or if there is a list of prayer requests that one needs to cycle through.
Sadly, we judge each other based on a myriad of criteria including the scales of sanctification. And, one of the subsections of this process is often the point score on public prayer. It doesn’t matter if some are more naturally articulate or bold than others. Nor does it matter if some pray out of pride or out of communicating gossip rather than a true heartfelt petition and worship to the Lord. In the end, it is often just another expression of our sin nature that we rank each other based on outward signs, rather than an inward heart.
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
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