How Do You Pray? (Part 2)

Jesus warned the disciples to avoid two kinds of wrong praying. He first addressed the Jewish hypocrites who prayed not so much to be heard by Yahweh as to impress those who watched them pray (Matthew 6:5, 6). We covered that kind of praying last week. The second kind of praying to avoid was that of the Gentile pagans. These sought to get their gods’ attention by prayers uttered with many and oft-repeated empty phrases (Matthew 6:7, 8).

The fact that Jesus mentioned Gentiles in the Sermon on the Mount strongly argues that the kingdom of God was not exclusively for the Jews as is taught in dispensational theology. By introducing this warning, the Lord was not simply telling Jewish kingdom citizens not to pray like pagans. Gentiles would also be equal citizens in the kingdom, and they would likely be tempted to retain pagan practices in their Christian praying, which they were warned not to do.

Tragically, the prayer life of many Christians is more like that of the pagans than true followers of Jesus. They associate prayer with repeating certain phrases again and again without necessarily understanding. Pagan prayers are mantras (chants) offered by pagans with the hope that repeated phases would change their circumstances. Prayer wheels and prayers written on papers left on altars or sacred sites are thought to help attract the attention of the deity to one’s request. Pagans also believe their gods can be bullied into acting for them if pestered sufficiently.

True prayer is simply talking to God the Father in the authority of Jesus by the aid of the Spirit. Sadly, however, professing Christians often pray using paganesque mantras such as “Hail Marys” and such which are an abomination to God. Such mindless repetition often characterizes the saying of “grace” at meals, rattling off a few memorized words in a mere formal act. No real awareness is given to the fact that such thoughtless prayers are disrespectful of the King of the universe. Neither is such impertinent praying confined to mealtime. Mantras are often used in church to open or close the service or in prayer meetings.

The Lord’s Prayer, as recorded in verses 9–13, is abused in pagan fashion, being memorized and recited without the least conscious awareness of what is spoken, or of the Lord being addressed. We are not suggesting that one shouldn’t memorize the Lord’s Prayer but that it must not be prayed as a mere recitation of empty words.

Jesus argued that prayer does not inform the Father of one’s needs because the Father knows what is needed before He is asked. Rather, praying is seeking the Lord Himself and His will in a manner of humble surrender and submission, recognizing one’s utter poverty and dependence on God, who out of goodness and care provides abundantly.