“Think Before You Speak”

Thursday, September 07, 2017

Vain prayer?  How much prayer isn't vain if we realize God knows what’s in our hearts?

Sincerely,
Brief Speaker

Dear Brief Speaker,

There are two major verses that deal with the amount we should pray.  Matt 6:7-8 deals with one extreme.  Jesus says to avoid “vain repetition” because your heavenly Father already knows what you need.  Prayers that are purposefully lengthy instead of heartfelt are useless.  The Catholic practice of ‘praying the rosary’ is a great example of vain repetition.  The same words reiterated by rote over and over again don’t become more effective – God heard you the first time.  When we say the same words over and over without any respect for the fact that we are bringing a real petition before the Creator, we are senseless babblers.

The other extreme is dealt with in Lk 18:1-8.  Lk 18:1 says that we should pray and never grow weary in prayer.  Jesus told a parable of a widow that petitioned a judge until he gave her an answer ­– and He praised the woman for her deliberate and persevering spirit.  God does want to hear from us, and He does want us to continue to bring our concerns to Him.  There is nothing wrong with repeating the same concerns and needs to God in a meaningful way on a regular basis.

In short, God desires thoughtful and regular prayer from His children on the issues that are pressing in their lives, not constant scripted chatter void of meaning and thought.

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