"Praying in the Shower"

Now I want you to think, be honest and answer truthfully to what I am about to ask you. No I don't want to know if you are going to cheat on your taxes, (even though one is tempted to these days!). No what I am going to ask you is something that some people may not be so eager to admit they do. Do you pray in the shower? Now before you start rolling on the floor laughing until you turn blue - hear me out on this one. Let us first define what prayer is and then move on to how the scripture says we should pray.

First the scriptures say that one's complete attention should be upon the Lord and focused on him during prayer. We are to "pray without ceasing" as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 15:17. This constant petitioning means when we are distracted during prayer, this breaks the flow of our communication with God. Secondly Jesus in Matthew 6:6 said "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." So we get a sense here we should:

1. Concentrate on the Lord without distraction.
2. Often this is accomplished by praying in a quite place.

Let me please ask once more that you refrain from laughing or blushing too much on this point. I believe there is some scriptural precedent for one being "open and bare" while talking to the Lord. First of all God sees you anyway. Think of Adam and Eve in the garden after they had sinned and God approached them about what they had done. In embarrassment they clothed themselves with little bushes. Did this really help? I mean come on, despite the fact they were trying to hide their nakedness from God who can see everything, (I mean I probably could have seen through that!) this was quite a foolish attempt at keeping their dignity. I think the writer of Hebrews said it best in Hebrews 4:13 "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." So after hearing this, is it really that big a deal to pray naked before God?

To gain further understanding on how praying in the shower is beneficial lets analyze what one does in the shower.

1. Wash
2. Rinse
3. Repeat
4. Stand still, let the water fall down your back and drool (Well maybe I'm the only one who drools in the shower)

Now you may be asking how is this helpful aside from the fact that God can see through your clothes like superman? Again speaking for myself, a person who often takes "marathon" showers, I find it a rather quite place and my mind is usually uninhibited by the cares of the world, two of the necessary ingredients for a good prayer environment. But of course, to top it off you're also in the au naturale! I also believe this helps to "strip" any pretention and self-worthiness you may have as you approach God with your prayers. Think about it; imagine going to make a speech in front of a large crowd. Are you going to stroll out there like you own the world in a fine business suit or in your birthday suit? If you answered in your birthday suit I think your going to need to pay a visit to my good friends in the white coats. No, you feel rather helpless and in need of clothing. So in this manner you pray with this same feeling of helplessness, shoving it all out there so to speak.

In closing, if one is to truly come before God with a "broken and contrite heart" as it says in Psalms 51:17, what better way to do so than in the most vulnerable state that you find yourself naked in the shower. Unlike us, during prayer, God doesn't obsess over our sagging skin. I am not saying absolutely that everyone needs to be praying in the shower or that people's minds can't wander in there either. The point of this article was to show how I benefit from it. Just find a quiet place where you know you will be free from distraction. Remember that He hears our prayers and values the humble and lowly spirit of the one who seeks to come before Him with no pretentions. But next time your in the shower give it a shot, you might find that it's a great place to pray. And that my friends is the "naked truth".

- Jordan McGehee