thoughts about prayer-1

I have been thinking a lot about prayer and why we pray. This post is the first of a few I will do (to save you the pain of reading through reeaally loooong one)

SO

Do we mean what we say when we pray?

What provoked me was a couple of practical things at home (and those who know me will probably know what I am referring too, BUT I am not "getting at anyone", I am just provoked into thinking about things)

First thing was quite a while ago. We were moving around rooms and furniture in our community house and working out what to get rid of. Which is fine. Except we also pray regularly for more people to join us, and we would really like a young married couple in our house, who would likely bring kids along, and some of the changes we were making would actually make it harder for them to move in.
If we really had faith for the new couple, would we have their room ready for them???

Next scenario is: Grace before dinner.
I admit I do not say grace before my breakfast or before lunch at work, but when we gather together in the evenings we do always say grace. This is more than the "For-what-we-are-about-to-receive-may-the-Lord-make-us-truly-thankful" that we used to rattle off at school. We share some inspiration, sing a song, pray about things that are important at the moment and do a bit more than just thank God for the dinner 'cos we are hungry and want to get on with it.
On Saturday we said grace, started to dish up the dinner, and were met by shouting and slamming of doors as someone expressed their disapproval of what had been served.
But we had all just thanked God for it. Did we not mean that?
I cannot point the finger here 'cos though I have not slammed doors at the sight of leftovers, I have been known to mutter through clenched teeth that "tinned tomatoes are wrong and kippers are part of the fall" as I ploughed my way through my dinner.

I don't actually think that furniture and dinners are the big issues here. What gets my attention is the realisation that we can so easily pray one thing and then behave differently. Is there the risk that we get used to being insincere?

It makes me look a bit harder at myself, and check up wether I am "going through the motions" or trying to "say the right thing".

The challenge to me is to make sure I am sincere before I pray/worship/speak.... and to get sorted quick if I am not!