In many early religions, the repetition of a prayer was thought to increase God’s likelihood of coming across with the goods. It’s sort of like when you’re standing at the elevator door waiting for it to come --punching the button three or four extra times helps it to get there faster. It could be that the elevator forgot or is taking a nap, so you have to remind it. It seems that elevators and God must be “prodded along” and reminded often if you expect to get anything out of them. Anyone with a smidgen of common sense can see that if you ask God for something a hundred times, he’ll just have to give in to you.
Some religious orders prescribed the exact number of times a prayer should be prayed. For example, in the year 1119 the Knights Templars, while fighting the Crusades, were not able to attend religious services; so, they were required to pray the Lord’s Prayer 57 times a day. If a fellow knight was killed in battle, the number would jump to 100 times a day for the next week. To keep track of all these prayers, people counted on their fingers. When the number got too high, they tied a series of knots in a string and simply moved from knot to knot until they finished their prayers. In some cultures, people used a string of fruit pits, dried berries, or pieces of bone. The Pacific Islanders used sharks’ teeth. Early monks used cowhide cords with knots in them. Not to be outdone, the wealthy would string together precious stones, or even gold nuggets. Europeans came to refer to an individual berry or pit as a “prayer.” Our modern day word beg came from the word “bead” or bede. As people made the same request again and again --counting them out on their prayer beads, they were said to be “beading,” or begging as we have it today.
Anglo-Saxon gentlewoman Lady Godiva, remembered for a tax-protesting ride in her birthday suit through Coventry, England, left to a monastery: “one circlet of gems which she had threaded on a string, in order that by fingering them one by one, as she successively recited her prayers, she might not fall short of the exact number.” You wouldn’t want to short-change God.
Actually, repetition is not of great value in prayer. Jesus said, “When you pray, use no vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matthew 6:7). In addition, Jesus recommended private prayer over public prayer. “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:5, 6).
Today, people organize public prayer demonstrations and invite the press to cover them. You’d think it would be enough for God to cover them. There are many reasons for praying in public, including: making your views and positions known to others, letting people know what a concerned person you are, and appearing religious before others. In every pubic prayer there is something to be gained other than the ear of God. Public prayer has a very small chance of being true prayer, while private prayer has a very small chance of being false prayer. Only those who believe in prayer will pray when only God is there to listen.
The kind of prayer that has a healing benefit is private prayer. Every public prayer is partly performance --anything we do in public is a performance. When singer Celine Dion was asked why she thinks a singer can become an actress, she replied, “A singer is an actress. What do you think, that I sing those songs again and again and it’s not an act?” Any passion that can be brought forth at will, is obviously an act. Thank you, Celine, for your candid honesty! In private prayer, you don’t even need words. With private prayer you can be sure that God will hear the first time. With private prayer, no one will wonder what you’re up to. With private prayer there is no act; you can be yourself. With private prayer, it’s just you and God. Trouble is, for some folk, God is not a big enough audience --and he’s not registered to vote.