“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking”
Mathew 6:7
Though the topic for today is a simple one, it’s a topic for all. It’s disheartening that up till today, many people don’t know how to pray.
When we pray, the first thing to do is venerate God—exalt Him for who He is, what He’s done and yet to do. As a human, if your child keeps coming to you for his needs and doesn’t appreciate you for providing, you naturally will be unhappy with that child because of the traces of the ungrateful attitude being developed in him. The importance of praising and adoring God in our prayers cannot be overstated. Our previous devotionals emphasised the significance of gratitude as well.
Also, before you pray, always remember that the prayer of a sinful man is an abomination to God (Proverbs 15:8). Never cease to seek God’s mercy. Even as Christians, it is not bad if we incessantly plead for the mercy of God upon our lives. Sinners are not the only ones who are in need of God’s mercy; even the saved souls need it more. While we’re still in this wilderness called earth, and God is yet working on us, our prayers shouldn’t be void of pleading for God’s mercy and grace.
In the place of prayer, we must not bear a grudge whatsoever in our minds against anyone. If we have any issue with anyone, we must first resolve the issue before we go to pray (Matthew 5:23-24). This is an effective way to pray.
I need to remind us that prayer is not saying incantations. Beware of people who tell you to pray in certain ways God won’t approve of. Also, always check in your Spirit if you’re not praying amiss. Many times, we ask and do not receive, and we feel God is wicked. But in James 4:3 we are made to understand that, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” And just like our opening text enjoins us, we must curb the use of vain repetitions; instead, have faith when you ask.
Finally, it is always better to find a place where we can pray alone. Prayer is not meant to show off the level of our spirituality. It should be a communication between God and man. “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to…” Matthew 6:6.
Challenge: Do you know how to pray? Have you prayed today?
This is our message for today, and we hope you were blessed. We’d also love to hear from you; please leave a comment below.
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Have a blessed day!
4 Comments
Talking about vain repetition,I need more clarification on this.
Thanks.
Dear Mary, we are gald to read from you. And we are so delighted to respond to your question. When we speak of vain repetition, it means praying without really praying. Although you’re prayer, you’re praying without having faith that your prayers are answered. When we pray, our prayer must be accompanied with complete faith in God. Please understand that saying a praying repeatedly isn’t bad if you haven’t gotten your requested settled. But you should be more upright in faith so that even when you’re praying, you can discern when you’re praying faithless repeated prayers.
I’m blessed with today’s devotional. More Grace & Anointing Sir/Ma.
Dear Deborah,
Amen.
Thank you for the feedback. We are grateful to God that you’re blessed. We hope to see more of your comments in subsequent posts. God bless.