Here's a question I've been pondering: in the church/Christian circles there's a common phrase we use (part of the "Christianese" vernacular) that doesn't make sense to me. When we want someone to pray for us we drop it in: "we'd really covet your prayers on this".*
I am completely stumped on this one. Coveting is a sin, right (I think it even made the top ten)? "To feel inordinate desire for what belongs to another" is Merriam-Webster's definition of covet. But feeling an intense desire to have other peoples' prayer is the one exception to the "thou shalt not covet" commandment?
I am really curious as to the origin on this phrase. My exhaustive study (consisting of a google search "where did 'covet your prayers' come from") proved inconclusive. I typed the phrase "covet your prayers" into Biblegateway.com and also got zero results.
Can anyone help me figure out:
a) Why we use this phrase
b) Where did it come from
(*I'm not trying to minimize anybody's personal/public request for prayer. It is just this phrasing that I've always been curious about.)
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2 comments:
I have always wondered the same thing! Along with this, another phrase that bothers me is to "take pride in yourself." Well, the last time I checked, pride wasn't a good thing. 1/3 of heaven was banned over it.
Maybe it's sort of a new thing, I mean I've never seen that phrase in the Bible so it might be an expression, like to say "I really want you to pray for me." Now I'm stumped!
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