"Just," not "Jesus," is the most often used word in most Christian prayers.
- We just want to praise You.
- We just thank you for…
- Just make this time together…
- Just bless our worship…
When did this useless word start to get so popular in public prayer? It’s useless because its removal does not change the sentences in which it occurs.
It sometimes seems that the longer a person has been a Christian, the less spontaeous and genuine become their public prayers. In a church where I was a member, a mature man came to Christ. His early prayers were rich in their heartfelt and artless nature; it was a blessing to be present when he prayed. Time passed, and now his prayers are a shopping list of familiar phrases:
- Father, we just… (beginning of most sentences)
- Lead, guide, and direct…
- Forgive us where we fail You.
- Hide our pastor behind the Cross.
- Bless the gift and the giver.
The Creator of the universe and the Savior of our souls deserves reverence when we address Him. Doesn’t He also deserve words from our hearts, rather than just our heads?
Hi, Lane. Glad to see that you have shown up on your blog. Your comment reminds me that people often use cliches or meaningless words like “just” to hide the fact that they really do not know what they are talking about. Then when you ask them what they mean by it they get angry. Somehow they think that they “just know” what the words mean and questioning amounts to insulting them. They use their anger at what they consider disrespect as a means to cut off debate so they can continue pretending. Finding truth requires discussion with people who can look past insults because they consider truth more important.
Here is another 2 cents to add to this topic. When some people people say “just” as in we just want to (insert whatever), they are saying we “simply” want to (___) or we “only” want to (____). In saying “just” in these instances, I do at times, I mean there is one solitary thing that I am trying to accomplish. Whether it be praise, glorify, or another appropriate element of worship. In this case saying “just” carries the meaning of a single intent, and a desire brought to God that He help me/us to “just” do that and not get distracted in something else, possibly less important thing.