There have been occasions in which someone prayed for so long that I couldn’t keep focus. I often would find myself detached in my own thoughts unrelated to prayer. Heck, I remember even dozing at times.

Although the prayer’s length was a factor, my becoming distracted and/or sleepy had more to do with the praying person dredging up life’s minutiae; the insistence of rambling, disconnected thoughts as they occurred; the explanation and description of problems; and a desperate attempt to include all known relatives, friends, and associates.

Sometimes, testimonies have the same result. That’s because the speaker insists on describing every detail instead of simply focusing on the highlights and gist of the story.

My being an average kind of person, I suspect that there are thousands, if not millions, of Christians who have experienced the same kind of ordeal; desiring for the prayer or testimony to come to an end. Not very spiritual, is it?

Apparently, this kind of praying/testifying isn’t something new. It was going on during the times in which my favorite Christian writer lived. Ellen G. White, prophetess, 1827—1915, was moved to write the following in one of her books Testimonies for the Church, Volume 2.

“All should feel it a Christian duty to pray short. Tell the Lord just what you want, without going all over the world. In private prayer all have the privilege of praying as long as they desire and of being as explicit as they please. They can pray for all their relatives and friends. The closet is the place to tell all their private difficulties, and trials, and temptations. A common meeting to worship God is not the place to open the privacies of the heart.

What is the object of assembling together? Is it to inform God, to instruct Him by telling Him all we know in prayer? We meet together to edify one another by an interchange of thoughts and feelings, to gather strength, and light, and courage by becoming acquainted with one another’s hopes and aspirations; and by our earnest, heartfelt prayers, offered up in faith, we receive refreshment and vigor from the Source of our strength. These meetings should be most precious seasons and should be made interesting to all who have any relish for religious things.

There are some, I fear, who do not take their troubles to God in private prayer, but reserve them for the prayer meeting, and there do up their praying for several days. Such may be named conference and prayer meeting killers. They emit no light; they edify no one. Their cold, frozen prayers and long, backslidden testimonies cast a shadow. All are glad when they get through, and it is almost impossible to throw off the chill and darkness which their prayers and exhortations bring into the meeting.

From the light which I have received, our meetings should be spiritual and social, and not too long. Reserve, pride, vanity, and fear of man should be left at home. Little differences and prejudices should not be taken with us to these meetings. As in a united family, simplicity, meekness, confidence, and love should exist in the hearts of brethren and sisters who meet to be refreshed and invigorated by bringing their lights together.”