Saying Our Prayers
Now I lay me down to sleep;
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.
I expect many American children of the last century routinely recited this nightly bedtime prayer, as I did. [I have wondered since if referencing the potential imminency of one’s demise is the best thought to put in a child’s head before telling them to go to sleep.]
In my childhood home my brothers and I were taught to “say grace” before meals:
God is great, God is good
And we thank Him for this food.
By His hand we all are fed;
Thank you Lord for daily bread. Amen.
Believe it or not, decades ago in my elementary school years in Massachusetts, teachers began classes each day by reading a Psalm and reciting the Lord’s Prayer. [This was before Madalyn Murray O’Hair got God “kicked out” of public schools in the United States in 1962.[1]]
Liturgical prayers have been a part of worship for millennia. Since at least Medieval times, the missal has been used in Roman church liturgy.[2] The Book of Common Prayer grew out of The First Prayer Book published in 1549 by the Church of England.[3]
But some of Judaism’s most cherished prayers are excerpted from the pages of Tanakh (Old Testament). The prayer most likely to be associated with Judaism is “the Shema,” which begins “Hear O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.”[4] The recitation of Deuteronomy 6:4–9 (with “Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever” inserted after verse 4) is followed by Deuteronomy 11:13–21 and Numbers 15:37–41. From ancient times the Shema has been recited daily by observant Jewish people. It is an integral part of the morning and evening synagogue services.
Of course, biblically literate Gentile believers are familiar with the “Aaronic Benediction.”[5] Through Moses, God instructed Israel’s priests to bless the people thusly:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
Like most Gentiles who grew up in a Christian home, I was unfamiliar with the liturgy of the synagogue. And like many, when I first heard of “The Mourner’s Kaddish,” I was under the impression it was a “prayer for the dead.” In my Protestant heritage, we had no concept of praying for the dead so I was curious what Jewish people would be praying for on behalf of their dearly departed.
I was surprised to discover Kaddish makes no mention of the dead.[6] Rather, it is a prayer for the living to exalt and extol the Creator:
Glorified and sanctified be God’s great name throughout the world which He has created according to His will.
May He establish His kingdom in your lifetime and during your days, and within the life of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon; and say, Amen.
May His great name be blessed forever and to all eternity.
Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honored, adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, beyond all the blessings and hymns, praises and consolations that are ever spoken in the world; and say, Amen.
May there be abundant peace from heaven, and life, for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen.
He who creates peace in His celestial heights, may He create peace for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen.[7]
Observe the wide scope of this prayer. It begins with reference to “the world which He created” and ends requesting the One who creates peace in the heavenlies to grant “abundant peace” – not just for the ones praying but for all Israel. Specifically, prayer is made for God’s kingdom to be established. Who in our generation does not greatly desire the global kingdom of righteousness to become a reality “speedily and in our day?”
A second major theme we see echoed in Kaddish is the greatness of God’s name. Whether read in the original Aramaic[8] or an English translation, an almost-staccato rhythm is found in the litany of paired verbs:
Blessed and praised Glorified and exalted Extolled and honored Adored and lauded
And in recognition that even the multiplying of words will not suffice to give God the glory due His great name, Kaddish acknowledges He is “beyond all the blessings and hymns, praises and consolations that are ever spoken in the world.”
Some have likened Kaddish to Job’s declaration of faith,[9] “Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15). Exalting God’s great name and acknowledging His sovereign rule over the heavens and earth indeed is a testimony of faith at the time of deepest grief, the death of a loved one.
Perhaps as you read the poetic language of Kaddish with its repeated references to God’s name, eternal sovereign rule, and coming kingdom, another familiar prayer is brought to mind:
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 (Matthew 6:9–13).]
The “Lord’s Prayer,” given to the disciples by Jesus in answer to their “please teach us to pray” request, indeed reflects similar themes to those found in the Kaddish. Jesus begins by instructing prayer be addressed to our heavenly Father. While privileged to address the Almighty as “Father,” we are reminded of the reality that He is holy. His very name is to be valued, honored, set on high.
In a day when “OMG” is the texter’s shorthand for the commonly-heard “Oh my God,”[10] sanctifying God’s holy name is not a value for most people. Is it for you and me? Invoking God’s name to curse, or for banal trivialities not at all associated with the majesty of the Creator of the Universe, demeans His reputation and is an affront to His glory.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jesus enjoins us to pray in His name (John 14:13–14) and according to His will (1 John 5:14–15) – for His glory.[11] It is God who declares, “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images” (Isaiah 42:8).
Paul encourages believers to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Whether reciting the words of a liturgical prayer in a formal service, sending up a petition for immediate help, or communing with God in the quietness of our hearts throughout the day, may our prayers be praise-filled, Spirit-directed, and God-glorifying.
In the words with which King David ended Psalm 19, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Written by Wes, Life in Messiah Global Ambassador
How would you describe your prayer life: routine and ritualistic; sporadic; vibrant; non-existent
What have you found to hinder or stimulate your prayerfulness?
To what degree are God’s priorities (the glory and greatness of His name, His sovereign will, His coming kingdom) reflected in your prayers?
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Endnotes:
[1] https://www.historynet.com/scotus-101-prayer-public-schools/.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missal.
[3] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-Common-Prayer.
[4] https://www.jewfaq.org/prayers_shema.
[5] Birkat Kohanim (Hebrew Priestly Blessing) is found in Numbers 6:22–27.
[6] Observant Jewish people do indeed pray “Yizkor” and make charitable contributions on behalf of the dead; see https://www.sefaria.org/Yizkor.1?lang=en.
[7] https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/text-of-the-mourners-kaddish/.
[8] https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/281617/jewish/The-History-Significance-and-Meaning-of-Kaddish.htm. That Kaddish is recorded in Aramaic, the language of the Babylonian captivity, is a strong indicator this prayer likely was developed by the Jewish exiles after Solomon’s Temple was destroyed in 586 BC. See Psalm 137 for another example of exilic poetry.
[9] Ibid.
[10] “Oh my God” is often found on the lips of those witnessing a devastating natural disaster or horrific accident. E.g., it was uttered repeatedly by millions observing the collapse of New York’s Twin Towers on 9/11/01. In such cases, invoking the Almighty surely may be appropriate. But so often “OMG” is the unthinking response of many to even the most trivial of surprises or mundane occurrences in life – the opposite of sanctifying the name we are instructed to NOT take in vain (Exodus 20:7).
[11] For a rich theological banquet, study what God does for the glory of His name in Scripture. Caution: it may impact your prayer life!