Pray What We Mean

“In praying, don’t use vain repetitions as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him.” 
—Matthew 6:7-8

Do our prayers have meaningless repetition? Do we babble to God? Reflecting on these words of Jesus may cause us to think of the Old Testament “sacrifice showdown” on Mount Carmel between the prophet Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal, in which Elijah challenged the prophets to prove that Baal was the true god (1 Kings 18:20-40). All morning the prophets of Baal prayed and danced, calling out for Baal, again and again, to consume the sacrifice they had prepared for him. When that didn’t work, they prayed louder, they danced wilder, and they ritually cut themselves, but still nothing happened. Finally, when it was Elijah’s turn, he looked heavenward and addressed God simply and confidently. So that the surrounding crowd could hear, Elijah reminded God aloud that He, not Elijah, was the one who had ordered this challenge so that God’s power would be demonstrated to the people. Elijah then asked God to consume the sacrifice that was prepared on the altar. Immediately, God sent fire from heaven. And though Elijah had completely soaked the sacrifice and the altar with water, and had filled the surrounding trench with water, both were completely consumed and the water in the trench was vaporized. This is indeed a glorious story. But while it does remind us of the meaningless repetition that pagan worshipers can use, there is more in Jesus’ words than this.

Do we pray with meaning? Are we truly focused when we pray? How often have we asked the Lord to “be with” us or someone else during a time of crisis? If we feel especially moved, we might even ask the Lord to “be with” someone “in a special way,” as if that is more specific and powerful than just “being with” someone.

We should remember that God is always with us. Matthew 28:20 tells us that Jesus is with us always. Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5 tell us that God will never leave us or forget us. John 14:18 tells us that Jesus will not leave us as orphans but will come to us. In Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 8:8 we read that one of the names for the child who would be born—the child being Jesus—is Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” If we are members of God's family, God is always with us. We don’t need to ask for his presence, but perhaps we should pray for God to make us more mindful of His presence.

In this one example we see how we can, without thinking, trade meaning for meaningless repetition and clichés. The Creator of the Universe desires a relationship with us, but when He has our attention, we seem no better than the prophets of Baal. In our own way, we may dance around and mindlessly babble in the presence of God, not really communing with Him or sharing with Him what is important to us. Of course, God already knows. But He wants a relationship with us in which we are comfortable enough to actually tell Him.

Let us talk to God simply and clearly, not using someone else’s words, but our own. And let us pray with meaning.

-