We were standin’ in line at the church potluck. You know the kind.. folding tables with mismatched tablecloths, and a smell in the room that could make a grown man cry.
I was hangin’ back near the deviled eggs, strategizin’ my plate like a man about to make important decisions, when Pastor Bo’s voice rose up over the clatter of casserole lids.
“Brother Emmett, why don’t you bless the food for us?”
I turned slow, hopin’ maybe there was another Emmett standin’ behind me.
No such luck.
The whole room went quiet.
Brenda shot me that be serious look she keeps reserved for special occasions like this…
I took off my hat,
“Lord,” I started, “thank You for this… um… these potato things… and the casserole creations… and Miss Darla’s banana puddin’, which I already snuck a bite of, but I’m still real grateful for.”
Brenda sighed.
I kept goin’.. mostly because I didn’t know how to stop. By the time I was finished I’d thanked God for the food, the church, the farmers, the folding chairs… and at one point I think I thanked Him for napkins.
After I sat down fast. Too fast, I almost missed the bench.
Pastor Bo walked by, gave me a pat on the back.
“Wasn’t bad. You managed to name half the dishes.”
“Well, figured it’d be rude not to.”
Levi said it was the longest grace he’d ever heard.
Bobbi Jo said I talked more in that prayer than I did on the ride to church.
I said to ‘em both, “Sometimes when you don’t know what to say, you just say thank You a bunch and hope the Lord don’t mind repetition.”
Truth is, I was nervous. Not ‘cause I was scared to talk to God but ‘cause I didn’t wanna mess it up in front of people.
But you know what? The food still got blessed. And the Lord didn’t seem put off by my poor delivery.
Deciphering Emmett
Prayer is a matter of the heart. In Matthew 6:5–6, Jesus warned His disciples about the hypocrites who turned it into a public performance, praying loudly on the street so everyone would see how spiritual they were. They wanted an audience, and an audience was the only reward they got. Jesus pointed His followers the other way, to a quiet room with the door shut.
Then He gave them the pattern in Matthew 6:9–13,
“Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]”
He was showing them that prayer wasn’t focused on themselves but followed a different pattern altogether. Prayer should start with God’s name lifted, turn to our real needs, as they align with His will, and end by trusting Him with the rest. The strength of prayer like that is the grace of the Father who hears it, not the faith of the one who prays it.
A lot of believers stay quiet when it’s their turn to pray out loud, afraid they’ll stumble over the words. Somewhere along the line, they picked up the idea that God responds only when the words sound holy. Romans 8:26 says the Spirit Himself steps in and helps us when we don’t even know what to pray. Broken words still reach the throne of grace just the same, because the Spirit carries them there, not because God is grading your grammar.
When Emmett prayed, he was grateful, and he meant every word. Heaven welcomes a prayer like that with joy, because it’s real.
So the next time someone asks you to pray, and you feel your chest tighten, remember who’s listening. You’re talking to your Father, and He already knows what you need before you speak a word of it.
Even a quiet “thank You for the napkins” is worship. What God welcomes is a grateful heart, not an impressive one.
In His Service,
I talk about Jesus and the Bible a lot. Sometimes on the radio, sometimes to people who willingly show up to listen. Occasionally, I write things down.
Before You Go
Word of mouth predates every distribution platform ever built and still outperforms them. When someone sends you an article, you’re more likely to take it seriously because you trust the person who sent it. So, you’re not starting from scratch, you already have a reason to give it your attention.
Most of the people who read this got here that way. Passing something along like that is still the most helpful thing you can do.
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