What do you think about prayers and hymns that you do not understand their language? For me I think they are really really powerful because somehow the words get to the heart without passing in the understanding... It is beautiful to understand what we pray but sometimes I think it is good to let the guard down.
One of the cornerstones of the Reformation is that prayers in public worship to God should be in the language most common to the people worshiping there. We may think the ornaments and flourishes of strange languages are beautiful, but God delights in the understanding-prayer of a simple, lowly heart. The beauty He looks for is not in grammar & rhetoric, but in a humble soul using words he or she knows. Of course, one of our articles says that private prayer in, say, Greek is perfectly acceptable, if it is of our understanding. Many English university students in the 16th-18th centuries had morning prayer in Latin because they were fluent in it.
I did not mean common prayer times. Thanks for noting this. I meant when we hear Christian prayers in private, not even in our prayer time, of course in our prayer time we need to talk to God!
I wholeheartedly agree with Consular on this one. While worship in foreign languages may seem beautiful, I'd much rather have it in the "common tongue" so that it can speak to the hearts of the worshipers. I do, however, appreciate the majesty behind many foreign hymns and melodies; they were and are the common tongues of others and are meant to praise the Lord. It is great to see every tribe and nation glorifying God.
I lived for a couple of years in Germany, and I remember when I was thee I atended a local German church. Obviously all the prayers and hymns were in German and although I coudl understand the odd word or sentence there most of it was unintellgble to me, and yet it was lovely to participate with German believers in their service. i woudl stand up to pray with the rest of them, although since I couldnt understand I would pray my own prayers, I would say amen with the congregation, standing up to sing even if I wasn't sure wuite what it was I was singing, there was a desire to join in worship with my foreign brothers and sisters. If one listened carefully one could pick up basic human emotions. You can tell a lot through gestures, through the sounds of human emotion. In another language you can still tell if someone is talkin about something happy, or sad, or determinedly, human emotion is the same everywhere. There is even a beauty in hearing another language. Thinking about this, I realised just how many of God's curses contain in them a blessing also. When God cursed Adam and prevented him reaching for the tree of life, itwas a blessing to the world who otherwise in our sins woudl change this world into hell if we had lived forever, also when God came down and punished us as we built the tower of Babel, we've been blessed with beautiful languages, divinely created, all having their unique stengths and weaknesses, and styles of saying things, and when heard we should give thanks to God for the beauty and variety in life. Nevrtheless not fully understanding the prayers of hymns is for me a disadvantage. It's impossible to fully participate or fully appreciate what you are singing/praying aboutif there is no understanding. This question also deals with the issue of speaking in tongues and the limitations of language. Sometimes you just cant find the words to express the desires or thoughts of your heart, they seem so limited or unsuitable. And since our Father knows what in our hearts before we ask Him, so words aren't absolutely necessary. I dont think even wordless prayers bypass the understanding though. Real prayer or worship I believe never bypasses the understanding. I do believe that people can indeed speak in tongues as a supernatural gift, but the bible is clear that it must be interpreted if used. So in 1 Corinthians 14:27 if anyone speaks in tongues to the assembly someone must interpret it, therefore it must be understood for it to benefit the congregation, Again in 1 Corinthians 14:5 prophecy is greater than tongues, unless! it's interpreted.. Also those who speak in tongues shoudl ask for the gift of understanding too according to scripture, so I think this says a lot for the importance of understanding. This is a major difference from some of the eastern religions like buddhism, where the mind is emptied of thoughts, whereas Christian meditation is on God's Word. Ours is a religion where words are important, mediating on God's law day and night, studying His Word (ps1) just a few of my thoughts on the subject
This is a lot of what I think. I've been in other countries and often time I had to just worship in the language there which I thought was a blessing, taught me my human limitations, taught me about my weakness and smallness before the magnificent work of the Lord on all nations and generations. In other terms it humbled me to be able to attend something i so know and so not know... and it brought me so much joy and gave me an idea how much heaven will be really what no eye has seen and no ear has heard!!!