Karen:   This is Karen Mains, and I am wondering if any of you have an Instagram account. If you do, you are one of a billion monthly users.

David:   Oh, my goodness.

Karen:   We’re going to talk today about Instagram prayers.

Intro:      Welcome to the Before We Go Podcast featuring Dr. David Mains and his wife, noted author Karen Mains. Here’s David and Karen Mains.

Karen:   Instagram is an app that can be used to share photos and basically short messages. I don’t think people use it to write essays. It’s more of a maybe a Facebook way of working.

David:   You keep talking. I know nothing about Instagram.

Karen:   So, as I said before, there are a billion monthly users around the world and six months after it’s released on iPhone, Instagram had already earned five million users. So, it’s a very popular communication app that people use today to share photos and little messages and pictures of themselves.

David:   Wow.

Karen:   So, we’re going to talk today about Instagram prayers. What are Instagram prayers?

David:   I know what concise prayers are.

Karen:   Okay, let’s go with concise prayers. Are we talking about short prayers?

David:   Yeah, short.

Karen:   Okay, short prayers.

David:   Short written prayers.

Karen:   Okay.

David:   So, we’ll add that to it. And what I’m saying is they enhance the practice of communion with God throughout the day. This podcast is about a topic that is a work in progress in terms of myself. I’m learning about it. I’m kind of tickled because I’m enjoying what is going on. But I’m not an expert in this area. And I’m talking again about short written prayers.

Karen:   Okay.

David:   Concise. I don’t know if there are any rules or not, but in my mind, I’m thinking four or five, six sentences at the most.

Karen:   Okay, well, tell us about this short, concise, new prayer method that you’re evolving and learning about.

David:   You know, Karen, I think it began because of a concern I have for the country. I share this with many, many people. I’m not trying to give away any kind of a political position. I’m just saying that it bothers me that the leaders of our country can’t even converse civilly with one another. It’s like two camps and it’s becoming more like that across the country. And I know what it’s like when you can’t talk to somebody and you’re trying to work on a joint project and you don’t treat them civilly. You don’t treat them with respect. And so, with a concern for the nation, I began to say, “I’m not sure my prayers are adequate in terms of what I’m saying to the Lord.”

Karen:   And it would be terrible to think that maybe our prayers are becoming that way too. “Lord, do get after or remove or show them or.”

David:   I don’t go that direction at all.

Karen:   But I think that discourse seeps into our Christian practices, into our conversation. I mean, there are families who gathered for the last holidays and with trepidation, because the moment you have a political conversation that starts, you have divided families on different sides, feeling strongly and they, they ruined our family holiday or they’re just things they can’t talk about.

David:   That’s not where I’m coming from.

Karen:   Okay.

David:   I’m coming from a great heartbreak for the land.

Karen:   Okay.

David:   It bothers me because I know what it can lead to, you know. And I cherish America. I feel very keenly about it. So, I began to write simple prayers. They weren’t profound prayers at all.

Karen:   Kind of from the heart.

David:   Yeah. And, and there was always this element of a concern for the nation. I’ll give you an example. I have many of these and if it gets boring reading them, you have to stop me.

Karen:   Okay.

David:   The first prayer I wrote was a simple prayer before a meal. I did this because I have a dear friend. We’ve been meeting for over three decades, breakfast once a month. I like him a lot because he’s got a very good mind and we take turns praying. I just was in a position where I couldn’t get into words what I wanted to say that morning. So, I came home, and I thought I’m going to write a prayer up and this is how it turned out. It’s not for you. So don’t judge it whether it’s how you would say it. This is how I say it. “Thank you once again Lord for food on my table. In this land of the free I have eaten many meals in a setting of peace and safety. Thank you for this remarkable privilege. I ask you to continue to protect this nation from external enemies and also from any internal ones. Guide our leaders in the difficult decisions they make. Amen.”

Karen:   It’s lovely.

David:   It’s a very short prayer. Next time we meet I’ll probably pray that. He’ll close his eyes and I’ll tell you.

Karen:   When you meet with your friend.

David:   Yeah, but I’m not wanting him to respond anyway. I’m wanting to be able to express what I feel so deeply, and I can’t just do it spontaneously. So that was the first prayer I wrote. Again, that was probably five sentences, my guess is.

Karen:   Your Instagram prayer without a photo. Maybe God knows what you look like. You don’t have to send him a photo.

David:   Maybe I’m not as ancient as I think I am. But that started the process of me writing these prayers and I felt very very good about them, and it’s been a good exercise. I would say I have a routine prayer life. I pray twice a day for an extended period.

Karen:   Well, I think it would be good. I would say that you have a phenomenal prayer life because I live with you, and I observe how often I interrupt you with your prayer. So, you keep a list of all the people you’re praying for, and I know that you pray for those people daily. And that’s your routine.

David:   There’s that passage in  1 Thessalonians 5, “Pray without ceasing.” The NIV translates it “Pray continually.” And I do that through the day. But sometimes I feel like I’m just kind of my mind just jumps there and then it jumps back again and it’s not nearly as satisfying. And I find I need something in between those extended prayer times and the pray without ceasing type of thing. And that’s exactly what I’m talking about. To bridge the extended periods of time with those kind of bullet prayers or Instagram prayers, if I use your analogy, with something that’s a little bit in between moving more toward the Instagram side than the extended prayer times. I write these out. I, as a rule for myself, the longest one I’ve written has six sentences and I try to hold it to four or five sentences.

Karen:   And so the idea is that you will pray these each day.

David:   I don’t have to think them through every time.

Karen:   Okay.

David:   And the prayer before a meal, I’ll get tired of that after a while, and I’ll set it aside and I’ll write a new one. This is a prayer for the start of another day. And it has that sense of a concern for the country as well. “I believe every day is a gift from you, Lord. Help me to treat this day as such. Thank you that I live in a country like America where personal freedom is valued. When this day comes to an end, I want to be able to say to you that I lived it well. Amen.” It’s coming back to that great appreciation for what this country has meant to me. And I want the Lord to know that and know that I care deeply about it. And I would long for my children and my grandchildren to know this country the way I experienced it during my lifetime. So, these prayers, again, I’m writing the prayers because I shared, I remember recently I shared one with you and you didn’t like it, but I’m not writing these prayers for you.

Karen:   Wasn’t about me… the prayer.

David:   It was about going to the grocery, prayer before going to the grocery store.

Karen:   I said, why don’t you let me do that one? Because I’m the one who buys the groceries.

David:   Yeah, but you can go to your own, write your own prayer. That’s fine. This is a prayer about getting ready for church.

Karen:   Often it’s the maddest time in every family. I mean that as far as dizziness and craziness is to get dressed, get off, you know, put the food away. If you have a family, kids in the car. So, we lose in that moment, kind of getting ourselves into a point where we can receive God’s holy word to us.

David:   That’s well said. See if I capture that.

Karen:   Okay.

David:   Okay. This is for me again, and I’m just giving illustrations. If somebody says, could I have that prayer? I’d send it to them, but I’d say this is my prayer. You’d have to say, “God, I’m praying David’s prayer.” And you write your own prayer, and you’ll find that it’s very helpful. “Thank you for the marvelous privilege of living in the country where I have the freedom to worship as I please. I realize this is not the case for people in any number of nations around the world. I am most grateful for the congregation with which I have chosen to identify. I want to participate today with the awareness that you, God, will be in attendance with us. That truth alone filled me with anticipation. Amen”

Karen:   So, each one of these prayers in some way recognizes the good fortune that is given to us living in a country where we have had freedom, where there have been bad times in our American history and contentious times before. This isn’t the first time we’ve had this contention. So, you’re reminding yourself of those things that are good each time you do whatever that activity is you’ve written this prayer for. It’s great, honey. Lovely.

David:   I don’t like, Karen, the finger pointing accusations that have become so much a part of this country. I don’t care who one voted for. I don’t like people being run down by others’ words. I like to think of myself apart from that. As a follower of Jesus and a part of his kingdom.

Karen:   Do you have a prayer for the newscasters?

David:   I have that written down to do.

Karen:   Do you?

David:   I have a lot of prayers that I haven’t gotten to. I don’t have it that I’m praying for the media, but I have one that I’m kind of toying with about when I turn on the news. Have you written any?

Karen:   I did write one. It was “Lord, uncover the errors of wicked. Reveal the lies of the liar. Help me to be a person who does not have wickedness in my heart or a person who lies but seeks the truth and loves to be a truth teller.” So, what we’re suggesting, I believe, and it’s great to sort of get that in your head as far as, we’re not crafting art or poetry here.

David:   Therefore… It’s quite awkward even reading it.

Karen: Then I would suggest taking some of those things that have come out of your heart that meet the need you have in your soul as you read them and slip them into the baking cupboard door on the inside or the outside so that when I open it up, I’m reminded or little prayer cards at each place setting. Or have a card where people write out their own prayers before the meal. And then we read them around the table. That would be a lovely thing to do.

David:   It’s a great idea.

Karen:   So just so that they don’t get lost, a prayer beside the bed that we pray before we go to sleep.

David:   I’m not satisfied with it so I don’t want to even read it out loud yet, but I’ve been working on a prayer about the return of our Lord and that’s very meaningful.

Karen:   I can tell you’re getting a little choked up.

David:   I’ve struggled with it because it’s huge in my mind. I remind the Lord, I think it’s going to be the greatest day in the history of the world. I may be alive, I don’t know what we need, but I mean when Jesus comes back again, that’s absolutely phenomenal. And if it doesn’t happen in my lifetime, I still am going to get a chance to be a part of the excitement of it all.

Karen:   You’ll be one of the witnesses, right?

David:   I will be, that’s correct. But it’s almost like I can’t get it into five sentences.

Karen:   Too overwhelming. Extraordinary.

David:   While you were talking about my going to the grocery prayer, I wanted to go back and see what I wrote, so I had that prayer for shopping for groceries.

Karen:   Okay.

David:   And you don’t judge it.

Karen:   I’m going to keep my mouth shut.

David:   Because you tended to be nasty about it, that I don’t shop for the right things. I’ve just seen what my prayer was. “We live in an amazing country, Lord. Our problem is not one of food shortages, but instead it’s one of incredible abundance. As I shop, help me maintain a mindset of gratitude for the life I live. Grant wisdom to our nation’s leaders and thank you for blessing this land that I love. Amen.” There’s not a thing in there about treats.

Karen:   I think that was the post-conversation. It’s a beautiful prayer.

David:   What I’m saying to people is that concise written prayers help us to experience this presence of the Lord. And again, you write a prayer, and you use it, and that’s not exactly how I want it, so you change it. But it’s just where you happen to be in that time. And it’s the difference between the extended times when you can talk to the Lord, you don’t have to worry about being concise in those times when your mind just quickly goes to someone’s name, and you name that name and bring that person before the Lord. It’s possible, some of those people you bring before the Lord that you write a prayer for that person and say, “Lord, here’s a little bit more of what I feel about that individual.” No laws, no rules, anything. It’s just a suggestion.

Karen:   An experiment. An experiment in form. Yeah, a work in progress. That’s great.

David:   Yeah. So, I think I’m done. I don’t have anything more I want to share. Did I pass the Instagram part of it?

Karen:   Do you know more about what Instagram is? I have to take you to the computer and show you.

David:   People know more about short written prayers. Know more than I know about Instagram. I have failed totally in what we’ve been talking about.

Karen:   I think you’ve done a pretty good job.

David:   I hope so. Yeah, the Lord be with you, friend.

Outgo: You’ve been listening to the Before We Go Podcast and if you would like to write to us please send us an email at the following address hosts@beforewego.show that’s all lowercase letters hosts@beforewego.show. If you’ve enjoyed this podcast please remember to rate review and share on whatever platform you listen. This podcast is copyright 2025 by Mainstay Ministries Post Office Box 30 Wheaton, Illinois 60187