mat 06v07 USE NOT VAIN REPETIONS
"USE NOT VAIN
REPETIONS” Matthew 6:7
Our Lord does not forbid the use of repetition prayer. In
fact, he teaches us that a man whose heart is heady and burdened ought to use
importunity in pleading with God. (Lk. 11:8-10). 'That which is forbidden is
the use of "Vain Repetition" - The use of words without meaning.
DO you find yourself, when you
are praying, either in public or in private, using the same words and phrases?
Asking for the same things? Saying the same things? Praying without really
thinking about what you are saying? I am afraid that many people might just as
well use a tape recorder as their tongues when they pray. Others use pretty
words and phrases that impress men. They pray so well, and in such affecting
tones, when they are praying in public. These are the vain repetitions our Lord
warns us to avoid. Such praying is an abomination before God!
Dare I approach the Lord of heaven without sincerity,
earnestness, and thoughtfulness! Dare I
speak to God without carefulness!
Dear friends, let us take care that we do not pray out of habit, or ritual, or
because it is time to pray. It would be better not to pray at all. Read the
prayers of Moses, Elijah, David, Daniel, and Paul. By their examples, we should
learn something about prayer. True prayer arises from a sense of need. It is
the voice of a sincere heart crying out to the Lord. We do not know how to pray
as we ought by nature. The Spirit of God in a man's heart teaches him how to pray. He leads, guides, and directs the
children of God in prayer.
Pray with adoration and
thanksgiving, worshipping God and giving thanks to him. Pray in faith trusting
the merits of Christ's righteousness and shed blood, and resting in the
promises of God. Pray with intercession, seeking God's blessing upon his
people. Pray in submission, submitting your will to God's will, preferring his
will to your own. And pray with sincerity, saying neither more nor less than
you truly feel in your heart. Above all, seek the glory of God. When the glory
of God in Christ is the motive of our prayers, we have begun to pray - But not
until then.