“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Matthew 6:5-8 (NASB)
As believers, we are all called to pray. As Jesus was speaking, He was not only talking to the religious elite of that time, He was talking to everyone. There is an expectation that believers will pray. But our prayers aren’t meant to always be in public, although there is a place for that. Sometimes our prayers should be in secret, and the Bible tells us that God will answer them openly. In addition, our prayers don’t always have to contain a lot of words. As you can see, God gives us helpful guidelines for when we pray.
Prayer:
God, thank you for guidelines on how to pray. Continue to teach me how to pray and help me to remember what you taught me. Thank you for knowing what I need before I ask. In Jesus’ name. Amen