Would you ever begin a prayer, out loud, in front of your friends, knowing that halfway through you were going to get the words wrong? “Absolutely not!” is probably the reaction of most of us. The mere thought is enough to make our stomachs tighten and our cheeks warm. Public embarrassment is something most of us would rather avoid.
And yet, recently, I have been praying with people who routinely get their lines wrong in prayer and think little of it. The prayer begins. They recite the first line with conviction and confidence, and then either their pronunciation becomes somewhat questionable, or they stutter and look upwards as if searching for words in the attic of their memory. You might think being caught up in this situation would leave me feeling quite awkward, but instead it floods my heart with wonder and a privileged sense that I am witnessing something extremely precious to God.
