Mensa Otabil - Don't Pray Like the Heathen
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Well, this week we’ve been talking about prayer because from next week we’re starting our 40 days of power on Thursday the 23rd. So I’ve taken this time to teach on prayer based on the Lord’s Prayer. Now I just want to go back a little bit in Matthew chapter 6 to get some instructions Jesus gave about prayer, and that will conclude my teaching on prayer for this week. In Matthew chapter 6, verses 7 and 8, it states, «And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathens do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them, for your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.»
Jesus is giving instructions about prayer, and this is what He tells His disciples: that they shouldn’t use meaningless repetitions in prayer. Too often, people measure prayer by its fluency, by its verbosity, by the intensity of the voice, and all of that. Somehow, we think all these elements give us power in prayer, but if we learn from Jesus, it doesn’t seem that there is much power in some of those instruments we use in prayer. So He says not to use meaningless repetitions.
Now, why did Jesus say that? In the days of Jesus, some of the rabbis taught that certain words were very powerful in prayer and that when you prayed, you had to repeat those words over and over. It was a practice then where people would pick one word or phrase and say it repeatedly in prayer, and that’s what Jesus calls vain repetitions. In fact, when I was growing up, there were people who felt that certain words were very powerful in prayer and that when you prayed, you had to repeat those words. I’m sure they got this practice from the rabbis of Jesus' time. It is similar to what happened between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel when they prayed for a very long time saying the same words: «O Baal, hear us!» Oh, and sometimes we pray, «O God, hear us» or «Yahweh, hear us,» or whatever word we think is powerful, and we repeat it over and over. Jesus says not to do that. We shouldn’t just use vain repetitions.
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pray over the same thing many times. Jesus Christ Himself prayed the same prayer many times, and in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed the same thing repeatedly, but that’s not vain repetition. That is praying with a topic many times, or petitioning God repeatedly, being persistent in prayer. What Jesus means here is not to pick one word or two words and hammer them over and over, thinking that if we repeat them strongly enough, God will hear us. So, we don’t use vain repetitions in prayer.
Then, He says that when you pray, you have to trust that God knows your needs and that He cares for you. You see, if you are praying and you think God is against you and doesn’t even want to give you what you want, then you’re going to try to force God’s hand. But we don’t force God’s hand; we believe that God is always predisposed to blessing us, towards healing us, and granting us freedom. So when we come to Him asking for those things, they are things He already wants us to have. He wants us to have the abundant life; He wants us to have victory in life; He wants us to enjoy dignity in life. He wants it to be well with us. It’s not just us wanting it-God wants it too.
In prayer, as we learn from the Lord’s Prayer, we’re saying, «God, You already want me to have this, so I’m asking for it. You already want to bless me, so I say, 'Bless me.' You already want to heal me, so I say, 'Heal me.'» He says that when you pray, that’s the premise: you come with the understanding that God already wants to bless you. Based on that assurance and confidence, you make your requests known to the Lord. I trust that as we start praying, some of these concepts will help you pray more effectively. Let’s pray together. Say with me: Heavenly Father, You are a good and faithful God. I trust You to meet all of my needs. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen.