As a child, my bedtime prayer was one of the most significant creations of the day. Due to our Crazy Choir Director, I had some pretty wild ideas about prayer construction. The formula was:
Introduction: As I Lay Me Down to Sleep. I knew 2 versions, and I had to say both because I wasn't sure which one was "right."
Blessings: All recipients must be named individually. At minimum, the list of blessings must include all immediate family members.
The Big Picture: This is where to add in requests for orphans, the poor, world peace, etc.
The Specifics: Requests about spelling tests, a crush giving me a Valentine, please don't let us have a fire that burns the house down, etc.
Conclusion: "In Jesus' Name, Amen." This was like the stamp of prayers. They would not reach God if this phrase was not used.
You have no idea how many times I would say my prayer and end it with, "Amen." Then I would realize that I had forgotten to say, "In Jesus' Name." So I had to start all over from the beginning. Sometimes I would add in, "And please include anything I forgot to say in this prayer, that I said in my other prayer."
It was also very important to pray every night, because I thought that prayers expired after 24 hours unless renewed. So you'd better ask God for his love to guard you through the night EVERY night, or probably a burglar will steal all your pants.
All prayer requests had to be made from memory. Writing them down was cheating.
So true that prayers don't reach God unless you end with "in Jesus' name, amen."
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