Talking with God
By Keneesha Saunders-Liddie
But when you pray use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do, for they think they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be ye not therefore like unto them for your father know what things ye have need of, before you ask him. - Matthew 6:7-8
When I was a child, I was very naïve. Every time I sinned, I thought that I had to be saved all over again. There came a time where vain repetitions were all I did. It was during my family’s regular morning devotion where after I prayed and devotions were over my dad pulled me aside.
Why do you keep praying the same thing over and over again? He asked
As a little child, I honestly didn’t know how to answer the question, so I just shrugged my shoulders.
That’s when he proceeded to tell me that prayer is simply having a conversation with God. As I grew older I realized that I did it to please my parents and it was just so much easier to say the same thing over and over until I rededicated my life to God.
Prayer doesn’t come easy for me because I’m not a very talkative person. So, I have to keep working to communicate with God. What really changed my prayer life from repetition was this thought.
When you get into a relationship and it's new and exciting would you have the same conversation or the same answers to everything that you talk about? Your date will quickly realize that something is wrong with you. He or she may not even be interested in you anymore because they may say you have no depth to you.
We can’t expect someone to enjoy spending time and conversing with us if we are going to keep repeating the same lines over and over again.
Jesus wants our undivided attention but along with that, he wants our sincerity and genuine prayers. Jesus is not looking for the beauty in your prayers. He is looking for a heart of love, someone who wants to know him and be drawn closer to him.
God knows who you are and he simply requires conversation with you. Have you ever had a professor or friend who constantly quoted philosophy or use huge words to express themselves? All they make you want to do is walk with a dictionary or the World Wide Web whenever you’re going to be around them.
Instead of that hassle you probably just avoid them altogether. When you’re communicating and having fun you really don’t want to spend the time trying to figure out the meaning of a word based on the context it was used in.
Your Father, God already knows what you need even before you ask him. Imagine that, here you are pouring out titles and extravagance because you are approaching the King of Kings but all he wants is for you to simply make your requests known. How can he solve your problems if you don’t tell him about them?
Some of us, like to use so many titles that God may have to piece our sentences together by eliminating all the titles and formalities.
Only the heathen use vain repetition and flattery, it’s really all they have because they lack the relationship that you and I have with Jesus. This is why God has asked us to pray without ceasing and after these verses that God gave us an example to follow which we refer to as the Lord’s Prayer.
First, he wants us to start with adoration, exaltation and acknowledgement of who he is. Then, he wants us to confess our sins and cleanse our hearts before taking our requests to him. He wants us to tell him all our problems, express our gratitude and thanks, and ask that all our requests go through the name of his Son, Jesus.
How is it with you my friend? Are you using flattery to get you into good fellowship with God? Don’t do as the heathen does. Let’s not be like the republican but like the man who bowed his head and offered the simple words with a heart of surrender, Lord be merciful to me a sinner.
Keneesha is a wife, mom and writer. She is an avid reader of wholesome romance novels and a lover of writing. She is hoping to one day add author to her list of accomplishments. As a pastor’s kid she fell in love with the way Jesus loved her at an early age and want to encourage others to live for him through her words. You can find more musings from her https://www.womenlovinggodsway.com.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
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