“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”

Matthew‬ ‭6:5-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

One of the best ways to learn about something, is to learn what something is not. In fact, we do it all the time, whether we are aware of it or not. Take for example one of the most basic concepts in math: addition. When you learned addition, you learned that it was combining two or more numbers together to find the sum of those numbers. But whether you realized it or not, you also learned that addition is not subtraction. It’s also not multiplication or division. Even if there may be similarities between some of those concepts you learned those distinctions.

Jesus teaches us about prayer by starting with what not to do. He teaches us the distinction between real, godly prayer and counterfeit prayer. This is the what NOT to do in praying. Jesus gives two things not to do – and tags them with what we should do instead:

  • Don’t pray hypocritically.
  • Don’t treat God like a genie.

Don’t Pray Hypocritically

What NOT to do: First, don’t pray like the hypocrites. So… what do the hypocrites do? Jesus tells us: standing in the synagogues and on the street corners “that they may be seen by men”. That is a description of people who outwardly pray to God, but inwardly are hoping that people praise them for their public displays of “godly” affection. These hypocrites want people to look at them and say, “Wow, they are so holy and successful!” They are seeking the approval of men for their prayers, not God. Jesus isn’t saying we shouldn’t pray in public; He’s saying that we should pray with the intent of bringing praise to God, not us.

Some of you may read this and think you’re not guilty of this hypocritical behavior because you’re not actively seeking a street corner to pray on or an audience to pray in front of. But have you ever noticed that when you’re asked to pray publicly (maybe to close a service or to pray over food) your prayers tend to be more pristine or polished than when you pray by yourself? While praying publicly, we tend to think that we need to say the right words to that we don’t come across as theologically ignorant to the people around us. But who are we trying to please, God or man?

Instead: Make your prayer private and intimate. Prayer is our one-on-one communication with the Father. When we go to our private place it allows us to focus on our talking with God. It helps to create a physical environment where there are no distractions and helps us to create a mental environment where we can focus on the Father. This does not prohibit public prayer, but the intent and audience of your prayers matter.

Don’t Treat God Like a “Genie”

What NOT to do: Second, don’t pray with vain repetitions. In other words, your many words and repetitions don’t impress God nor do they convince Him to grant your requests. That kind of prayer is empty and useless. Prayer is not a magical spell or chant wherein we say the magic words and God responds with, “You said the right words in the right order, your wish is My command.” No. God is not concerned with the length of our prayers or how many syllables each word has or the number of times we address Him by one of His proper names. God is concerned with your heart.

Prayer has become habitual and ritualistic in the sense that we pray simply as a means of routine. It’s easy to get into a routine and follow a formula every time we pray. That’s not to say that opening or closing or speaking similarly each time is wrong, but we should be aware of what we are saying and why we say our words when we pray. Remember that prayer is communication with the Almighty God. It is not mindless meditation.

Instead: Jesus is telling us that when we pray, our prayers should be God-directed and purposeful, not man-pleasing and ritualistic. Need some inspiration? Look to the Psalms.