I am always deeply touched by the prayers that are recorded in the scriptures. I delight in reading such beautiful words of praise uttered by man. I am also saddened that our prayers today fall short somewhat of reverence and worship they used to be anciently and now tend to be mere one-way dialogues of thanks and petitions for help.
We mostly tend to speak to God in all too familiar and common way as if He is our friend and so godly respect gets somewhat lost. I struggle with this trying to find more ennobling words that would be fitting to be heard by the God of heaven and earth and all of creation.
I am reminded of Nephi who praised God ‘all day long’ as he was tied and suffering affliction at the hands of his brothers while they sailed to America (1 Nephi 18:16). I think of the Jaredites who sang praises to the Lord unceasingly for nearly a year as they were tossed upon the waves of the sea sailing to the same destination (Ether 6:9).
Do we know God well enough to be able to praise him? You cannot praise someone you do not know.
Some years ago I read about the prayer of King Manasseh who reigned for 50 years from 671 B.C. This king was the most loathed and cursed king in the history of Judah, the most idolatrous king who sacrificed his own son to a heathen god, added devotion of heavenly bodies and constellations to idol worship, who shed innocent blood of prophets and all the righteous men among Hebrews every day until he had filled Jerusalem with blood from one end to the other (2 Kings 21).
But something unexpected happened….Manasseh repented. When the Assyrians carried him off to Babylon he saw the error of his ways and went to the Lord with the most profound prayer that is today known as The Prayer of Manasseh. A reference to the prayer, but not the prayer itself, is made in 2 Chronicles 33:18-9. The prayer is deemed to be Apocryphal by the Jews and Christians alike and is used by some Christian Churches today. These are the words that touched my heart the most because they were uttered from the very depth of Manasseh’s heart:
“O Lord, God of our fathers…unending and immeasurable are your promised mercies….O Lord I am justly afflicted because I did evil things before you….And now behold I AM BENDING THE KNEES OF MY HEART…”
Have you ever heard a prayer of repentance as touching as this??? How endearing do you think this was to God?
Manasseh’s prayer is today considered as one that pays tribute to the merciful heart of God. Praying to God acknowledging His providence, mercy, grace, kindness, love and all the perfect attributes He possesses will bring us nearer to His throne because of the humility which will grow in our hearts and which will endear us to the God of heaven. Therein we will find God’s listening ear, His mercy and deliverance and most importantly we will bring joy to His heart and be a delight to Him forever.
I long to praise Thee
With magnitude of words I cannot find
That tell the glory that is Thine.
As I can do so little this desire to meet,
I place my loyal love at Thy holy feet.
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