I recall when I was very young (a long, long time ago) attending the Primitive Baptist Church with my grandfather. I was not too aware of all that was going on in the service, but one thing caught my attention. At the end of the service, the pastor, who was still sweating profusely from his sermon delivery, invited anyone who wanted too, to come to the altar. I noticed a young man not much older than me (at the time) come forward and begin praying. He began thrashing back and forth, and it was obvious he was not concerned about anyone watching him pray. My grandfather was talking to a man after the service, and I was standing next to him when the young man came near. He was the son of the man we were talking too. His father put his arm around him and said, "Good prayin' son, good prayin'."

What constitutes a "good" prayer? When we are demonstrative? When we are eloquent? When we speak long and loud? I have been next to people in prayer circles who were too shy to pray publicly. If demonstrative actions are the criteria, are they capable of a "good" prayer?

In the years I have been around Christian people, I have noticed what I now consider "good" praying. I remember praying with a teenage girl who found out she was pregnant, dealing with that guilt, and then lost the baby in miscarriage, dealing with that grief. We were praying together, and she said very little. The only demonstration she had was the tears rolling down her cheeks. Her heart was simultaneously broken and being healed. She was laid bare before God. That was a "good" prayer.

I try to remember that girl every time I pray. I really don't think God wants a show from me. I don't think He is going to be impressed with any eloquent words I could possibly utter. I think He just wants me to be open to Him. Our spirits unite. And I am able to listen, and He is able to speak. And that prayer makes me feel "good."