When Thou Prayest

Matthew 6:5

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Prayer is one of the most important things a believer must learn how to do. Jesus knew that prayer was vital to the Christian life, and that is why He took much time not only to teach His disciples how to pray, but He also showed them how to pray.

In Matthew 6, Jesus makes the statement, And when thou prayest. Jesus was about to teach His disciples how to pray, and the following verses give several lessons on prayer. For instance, in verse 6, He shows us the privacy of prayer. In verse 7, He teaches the simplicity of prayer. In verse 8, He teaches the supply of prayer. In verse 9, He teaches the demeanor of prayer. In verse 10, He teaches the hope of prayer. In verse 11, He teaches the specificity of prayer. In verse 12, He teaches the forgiveness in prayer. In verse 13, He teaches the deliverance of prayer. Each of these lessons are critical to having a productive prayer life. However, I want to focus on the simplicity and specificity of prayer.

Many try to impress God with their prayers by praying long prayers with intellectual words, but God is not impressed with prayers that are an exhibition of one’s ability to pray. God wants the believer to be as simple as a little child by being specific with their prayers. If more believers would pray as a child asks their parents for needs, they would find that more of their prayers will be answered. Let me share a few thoughts about the simplicity and specificity of prayer.

First, it is not how long you pray that causes a prayer to be answered, but it is the fact that you are praying and God is hearing that allows a prayer to be answered. Too many people feel they must pray for a long time for their prayers to be answered, which results in a prayer filled with vain repetition. You must understand that God heard your prayer the first time, and it is not that you need to repeat that same thing over and over that will get the prayer answered; it is the fact that you give your requests to God and trust that He will answer your prayer. Now, this does not mean that I don't pray daily for the same request; it simply means that I don't repeat the same thing over and over, thinking that this will grab God's attention.

Second, be direct in your prayers to God. It is not the great swelling words that grab God's attention, but the directness in prayer that God desires. Stop trying to impress God with your ability to pray, and simply ask God for your needs; this will get more prayers answered. I have learned that when I am direct with God that my heart is more fervent than if I were to ever try to impress Him with my ability to speak intellectual words. Be very direct with God as you pray, and stop worrying about how much time you're spending in prayer; you will find that you will get more of your prayers answered.

Third, be very specific with God about your needs. One reason most people do not get their prayers answered is because they are very general in their prayers rather than being very specific. Prayer is asking God for a specific need. We fear being specific in our prayers will cause us to fail, but being specific is the way God has taught us to pray. You will find that the more specific you are with your needs, the more your prayers will be answered.