“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 men. I tell you the truth, 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. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:5–8, NIV 1984).
My Musings – Performance prayers are a reward unto themselves. For their intended audience is man not God. Flowery language is not necessary, for even if we do not know how or “what we ought to pray for…the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” (Romans 8:26–27, NIV 1984).
My Advice – Do not worry about saying the wrong thing, the wrong words, the wrong way, or being misunderstood. What we meant to say is what He hears, because He “searches our hearts [and] knows the mind of the Spirit.” So, we can “draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews 10:22, NIV 1984).
