In Matthew 6:7 Jesus said, “When you pray, don’t use vain repetitions like the heathen do, for they think they will be heard for their many words.” There are religions today that teach their adherents that the goal of prayer is to pray a mantra. A mantra is a series of syllables or words that when prayed repeatedly and in rapid succession disengage the normal thought processes to get to some “higher plane” of consciousness. Jesus said, “don’t pray this way.” Instead, Jesus taught that prayer is to be an intimate conversation with God, extolling Him for His goodness and faithfulness to us.
In verse 9 Jesus shows us how to pray, saying, “Our Father”….. Even when praying this prayer, the goal is not how many repetitions you can pray this prayer in x number of minutes. No! The goal is to commune with our Heavenly Father. To say, “My Father, You are in heaven, and holy is Your name. Let Your kingdom be established here on earth as we know it is established in heaven. Your will is what I desire to be accomplished in my life. You are my faithful provider, so thank You for providing my daily bread, and really everything that I have need of today. Thank You for sending Your only Son to die on the cross for my sins, and for offering forgiveness of all my trespasses. As I receive Your forgiveness, I in turn forgive others. In this life, temptations are all around, yet with every temptation I face, You provide a way of escape, delivering me from evil. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen.”
Prayer is simple, personal communion with the creator of the universe. That’s how Jesus taught us to pray.
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