“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. Mt. 6:5 When an article is written or a sermon on prayer is presented, it can result in someone being offended or being intimidated in to not leading a public prayer. It is my hope and prayer that this article will do neither…in fact, my hope is that it will encourage all of us to better serve God and improve our prayers unto God. However, it is clear from the bible that God has a standard for those who would come to Him in prayer….a high standard at that. The following are a few thoughts from God’s word about His expectations toward our prayers: Prayers are directed to God….not men – Mt. 6:9 Public prayers can be a temptation for us to impress men. A time to show others our “spirituality” - Mt. 6:5 To try and impress the preacher by repeating or summarizing his sermon in our prayers – Mk. 12:38-40 A time to impress men with our long and detailed prayers. Mk 12:40 Prayers Are Petitions To God…not men Public prayers should not be considered a preaching opportunity or a time for filibustering – Mt. 6:7; Mk 12:40 Note: Just because someone leads a long prayer, makes mention of a portion of a sermon, and/or mention details in their prayers does not necessarily mean their prayer was in vain or wrong. Are we praying to God or Men? That is what determines when a prayer is right or wrong. We can not judge someone else’s heart. Each individual must know their own heart and motivations. God wants us to pray for one another publicly and in private and we should not be intimidated to do so. Jas 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. If we pray to God (not men) we will have no difficulty pleasing Him in our private or public prayers. All God requires is a pure heart. II Tim 2:22; ITim 1:5; Ps 66:16-20 Prayer is a tremendous privilege and responsibility given to Christians. John Smith

	Created on Febuary 16, 2003		Page last updated