Putting the "Oh" Back Into Prayer

Prayer that is unfelt is not prayer. Holy men and women of old prayed with passion because of what they felt. They prayed what they felt and felt what they prayed. They knew nothing of dispassionate praying. Felt prayers were the habit of the soul.

Thirty-seven times is this little word "oh" recorded in Scripture. In the large majority of occurrences it is used in prayers of intercession and doxologies of praise. The following is a sampling of its usages.

The "Oh" of Grief.

Moses had been on the mountain with God. There the prophet had seen and heard revelations from the Holy One. His spirit was consumed with God. He was awed with God’s majesty, holiness and wisdom. But God suddenly breaks through the blissful communion and informs Moses that all is not well down below. The people had sinned; they had fashioned an idol.

Moses, with his attendant Joshua, descends Sinai. Upon observing the wickedness of Israel, he returns the next day to God with this plaintive plea: "Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold! "(Exodus 32:31).

As with Moses, if we are walking close with God, there should be a frequent "oh" bursting forth in our prayers as we see idolatry running rampant among the people of God. If we are grieved by what we see we will talk to God about it.

The "Oh" of a Thirsty Spirit.

It is not unusual for this emotion-filled "oh" to precede soul-aspirations--longings and yearnings of the heart for more of God. The hymn writers utilized it often.

Oh. to be like Thee! blessed Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer.

Again:

Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend.

Again:

Oh, for a closer walk with Thee!
Near to Thy side I ever would be.

Once more:

Oh, that in me the sacred fire
Might now begin to glow;
Bum up the dross of base desire,
And make the mountains flow!

2 Samuel 23: 15 reads: "David longed for water and said. 'Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water near the gate of Bethlehem!'" What this embattled warrior felt physically at that moment is the constant cry of God's thirsty-spirited people: "Oh, that God would give me a fresh drink of His Spirit from the Man at His right hand!"

The "Oh" of Compassion.

Jeremiah has been called the weeping prophet--and for good reason. For this man of God felt for his own people when he saw them wandering from their God. His heart was pained; the tears flowed. The language of his lips communicated the pathos of his soul: “Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for. . . my people" (Jeremiah 9: 1).

A caring soul cannot pray dispassionately upon witnessing the rebellion, indifference, complacency, and casualness among the saved, let alone the unsaved. If we only feel anger, we don't really care. It is only as we begin to feel compassion that we can pray with an "Oh."

The "Oh" in Quest of Fruit.

It may on the surface appear to be selfish . . . but it's not. It is the desire of God for His people to be productive workmen in His vineyard. Jesus said to His followers. "I chose you . . . to go and bring forth fruit--fruit that will last" (John 15: 16).

This aspiration for personal productivity was articulated in prayer by an Old Testament character by the name of Jabez: "Oh. that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!" (1 Chronicles 4:10).

Do you long for fruitfulness? Let your requests be filled with "Oh's." Then God will give you the degree and quality of lasting fruit that He sovereignly chooses--"fruit that will last."

The "Oh" of Worship.

No better word in human language can adequately introduce expressions of adoration, praise and thanksgiving toward God. This is why Moses sang. "Oh, praise the greatness of our God" (Deuteronomy 32:3); why David exclaimed, "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long" (Psalm 119:97); why Paul exulted, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out" (Romans 11:33).

There is no formula for correct praying. We cannot bring passion to our prayers simply by using passionate words. What is the need? To so walk with God in holiness, righteousness and humility; to live in the Word and have the Word live in us; to be filled with and walk in the Spirit--then when we go to our knees, the habit of our soul will be to pray with feeling. And to pray with feeling is to have our prayers frequently sprinkled with "Oh's." Lord, teach me to pray.