"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." Matthew 6:7 (NIV) The King James Version of The Bible for this verse reads: "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."
These are the words of Jesus which He spoke during His Sermon on The Mount, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew, with respect to how believers should pray.
Jesus said that we should not pray to be seen by men. (Matthew 6:5) It is better for us if we pray in private when we pray. (Matthew 6:6) Jesus said that we are not to use "vain repetitions" when we pray. We should not say the exact same thing each time we pray. Prayer is our means of communicating with The Lord God. We would not take seriously anyone who spoke to us using the exact same words in every conversation. Then why would we speak to God in that manner? Our prayers should be respectful and relevant to our situation, circumstance, or need, or the needs of others. Our prayers should not be merely words which we recite. Let us not be guilty of saying the same thing to The Lord God every time that we pray. Let us be sincere, honest, and truthful when we pray. Let us mean what we say, and let us be careful what we ask for. The effective fervent prayer of the righteous is productive and fruitful. (James 5:6) God hears the prayers of the righteous. (Proverbs 15:29)
No comments:
Post a Comment