In the past few years I’ve started a love affair with words. I’m fascinated by everything about them — their pronunciation, proper use, and meaning. As I’ve been reading some books penned in the early 1900′s, I’ve actually noticed a degradation trend in the use of words — or perhaps more appropriately — their meaning.
This is especially true of words reserved for religious and sacred use. To prove my point, I looked up the word prayer for the current definition according to Merriam-Webster online. The definition was simply stated:
An address (as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought
; a set order of words used in praying; an earnest request or wish
Then I borrowed an old(er) Merriam-Webster dictionary from my grandfather to view the definition it contained:
The act of obtaining by begging. the act or practice of praying, as to God. an earnest request; entreaty; supplication; a humble and sincere request, as to God… an utterance of praise, thanksgiving, confession. spiritual communion
Modern language has reduced the impact of the word prayer from “an utterance of praise, thanksgiving, confession. spiritual communion” to “an earnest request or wish.
Anybody else feel they are trying to render the textbook definition of prayer impotent?
Prayer is to the skeptic a delusion, a waste of time. To the believer it represents perhaps the most important use of time. Philip Yancey, Prayer: Does it Make A Differenc?
Very interesting! The first definition almost seems lazy, the second beautiful, but I have to admit that after reading both definitions, I related more to the lazy definition than the beautiful. I see an area that needs to change….
You’re absolutely right — the word’s definition has diminished because our view and practice of prayer have diminished.