Matthew 6:7-8 - Pray Not in Vain Repetition.
Matthew 6:7-8 (NKJV) And when you pray, do
not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For
they think that they will be heard for their many
words. 8 Therefore do not be like them. For your
Father knows the things you have need of before you
ask Him.
Matthew 6:7-8 (NIV) And when you pray, do
not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think
they will be heard because of their many words. 8
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what
you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:7-8 (AMP) And when you pray, do
not heap up phrases (multiply words, repeating
the same ones over and over) as the Gentiles do,
for they think they will be heard for their much
speaking. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows
what you need before you ask Him.
Matthew 6:7-8 (MSG) "The world is full of
so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant.
They're full of formulas and programs and advice,
peddling techniques for getting what you want from
God. 8 Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your
Father you are dealing with, and he knows better
than you what you need.
WORD STUDY
Use Not Vain Repetitions: The Greek word for
this phrase means "to speak without giving
thought to what is spoken. [Teachers SS Quarterly;
3/2/93]
It is not all repetition in prayer that is
here condemned, but vain repetitions. [Matthew
Henry]
INTRODUCTION
Repeating the same words over and over like
a magic incantation is no way to ensure that
God will hear your prayer. It's not wrong to
come to God many times with the same requests -
Jesus encourages persistent prayer. But he
condemns the shallow repetition of words that are not
offered with a sincere heart. We can never pray too
much if our prayers are honest and sincere.
Before you start to pray, make sure you mean what
you say. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
After raising five children to adulthood,
my husband and I now have the privilege of
raising one of our grandsons. As a preschooler, just
like his aunts and uncles before him, Kai's
conversations with me were full of adoration and
affection. "Look what I made for you, Grandma!" "When I
grow up, can I marry you?" "I love you T-H-I-S
much," Kai would say with his arms open as wide as
he could stretch them.
Now that he's a middle schooler, those
words of adulation are, more often than not,
replaced with phrases like, "Can you drive me to "
or "Can you buy me..." And while I love him
just as much in these more-demanding days as I
did when he was an expressively affectionate
preschooler, I do miss the way he trusted me so
completely to meet his needs that he seldom felt it
necessary to ask.
In the early days of Jesus's life, the
magi sought out the Christ child to worship Him
and bring Him precious gifts. In His final
earthly days, the crowds sought Him out, not for
what they could do for Him, but rather for what
miracle they might witness or receive.
Like that affectionate preschooler, I
want to come to Jesus with words of worship and
adoration, trusting Him so completely to meet my needs
that I don't ask for anything. Instead, I want to
offer Jesus what He wants most - my heart. Susan
Downs
Faith Step: Spend some quality time today
in prayer with Jesus. Rather than bringing a
list of needs and wants, give Him your heart as
you express your love and adoration to Him.
[Mornings With Jesus 2024 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
COMMENTARY
The heathen looked upon their prayers as
having in themselves merit to atone for sin. Hence
the longer the prayer the greater the merit. If
they could become holy by their own efforts they
would have something in themselves in which to
rejoice, some ground for boasting. This idea of
prayer is an outworking of the principle of
self-expiation which lies at the foundation of all systems
of false religion. The Pharisees had adopted
this pagan idea of prayer, and it is by no means
extinct in our day, even among those who profess to
be Christians. The repetition of set, customary
phrases, when the heart feels no need of God, is of
the same character as the vain repetitions
of the heathen.
Prayer is not an expiation for sin; it
has no virtue or merit of itself. All the
flowery words at our command are not equivalent to
one holy desire. The most eloquent prayers are
but idle words if they do not express the true
sentiments of the heart. But the prayer that comes from
an earnest heart, when the simple wants of the
soul are expressed, as we would ask an earthly
friend for a favor, expecting it to be granted -
this is the prayer of faith. God does not desire
our ceremonial compliments, but the unspoken cry
of the heart broken and subdued with a sense of
its sin and utter weakness finds its way to the
Father of all mercy. MB 86-87
Frequently, when we pray, we tell God the
first and last name of the person we are praying
for. The Lord already knows, just as He knows
all the details of the problem. God is
omniscient: He already knows everyone and everything.
What God wants from us is our acknowledgment that
we understand our need, and the awareness that
we are totally dependent on Him for everything.
Since He already knows, what do we really need to
say to Him? Let's choose to keep our words few
and specific before our Lord. Then we will be
effectual and fervent and our prayers will prevail!
[In His Time; Walk With Wisdom]
Keep Your Prayers Simple
Longer is not stronger when it comes to
prayer.
God is much more interested in humble and
authentic prayers than a long-winded sermon in prayer.
Just get to the point!
Jesus had a lot to say in the Sermon on
the Mount about praying simply, without trying
to sound super spiritual:
"And when you pray, do not be like the
hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by
others. Truly I tell you, they have received their
reward in full. But when you pray, go into your
room, close the door and pray to your Father, who
is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is
done in secret, will reward you. And when you
pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for
they think they will be heard because of their
many words for your Father knows what you
need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:5-8 NIV).
You dont have to convince God of what
you need. He already knows! Just come to him as
simply, honestly, and humbly as you can, and talk
about what you need.
Don't use prayer to show off. Im sure
youve seen people do that. But that doesnt mean
they get any credit for that kind of prayer. God
doesn't want to hear that kind of prayer.
Instead, be sincere. Don't spout off
clichs. Dont add in fillers because youre
afraid your prayers are too short.
Talk to God like you would to a loved one
or a good friend. Say, "God, nice day. Thanks
for making this one. Talk to you in another
three seconds." Prayer is an ongoing conversation.
You can just pick up where you left off in
another minute and keep the conversation open.
Adding words to your prayer doesn't make
it any stronger. Keep it simple, with a sincere
heart and sure faith. [Daily Devotional by Rick
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Some people repeat the prayer known as
the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) over and
over, as if it were an incantation that will give
them whatever they ask. While Jesus does
encourage us to be persistent in our prayers, we must
remember that shallow repetition without sincerity
will get us nowhere.
Jesus provides us with simple prayer as a
model for our own prayers. This is why he said,
"Pray like this" (Matthew 6:9). His example prayer
puts the focus on God first and our own needs
second. We begin by honoring God's name anticipating
his coming Kingdom. Then we ask that his will be
done; that is, no matter what our following
requests may be we recognize that his will supercedes
our own desires because he knows what is best
for us. Next we make our requests known to God,
acknowledging him as our provider. We know he will never
tempt us, but we must pray for strength not to
give in to temptation and to be delivered from
evil influences.
While repetition of the Lord's Prayer can
be very meaningful, it is important to use it
as a model prayer in which you praise him, pray
for his continued work in the world, and pray
for your daily needs, both physical and
spiritual. [The One Year Bible for New Believers]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Matthew 6:9-13: The Lord's Model Prayer.
Devotional summary pending.
John 17: The Lord Praying. Devotional
pending.
James 5:16 - What A Great Way To Pray For
One Another.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200417-0907.html
Ecclesiastes 5:2 (NASB) Do not be hasty in
word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter
in the presence of God. For God is in heaven
and you are on the earth; therefore let your
words be few. Devotional pending.
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
