I am not afraid to pray in public but I am not eloquent. One of our former church members, Kay Holt (Carol Bedell’s mother), prayed beautifully. It was a joy to be praying alongside her. Yet God hears our prayers, simple and awkward as they may be. Recently, I was asked to pray, and in the middle of my prayer, I could not recall the name of the person I wanted to pray for. After an awkward pause it came to me. That was embarrassing but God knew my heart.
One of my very favorite verses comes to mind as I think about this:
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
Romans 8:26-27
I conclude that eloquence is not needed. What is needed is a pure heart focused on God.