Matthew 6: 7-8 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

What is it about prayer that bothers people? Everyone wants a set equation, a recipe for what makes a good prayer. Most people have ended up following the same idea that other cultures had about prayer, and that is that the more times you say something, the louder it is, the more noise, the more effective. This is manifestly not true. In the biblical examples of prayer, it is always a solitary thing. When Elijah prayed for God to consume the sacrifice, Unlike the prophets of Baal, Elijah prayed quietly, without ritual or noises or drums or cutting himself or anything. (1 Kings 18) Jesus would go off by himself to pray, Daniel placed himself before his window three times a day, Jeremiah was in prison and chained, but still prayed, Joseph was the same, even Hannah, mother of Samuel went and prayed earnestly in the temple. But why am I picking names, its only every person in the Bible who followed the Creator who learned to commune with God privately.

Prayer is more than just repeating phrases and words. Its more than just praising God's name and magnifying his puissance and omnipotence and going on and on and on about God's qualities. He does not need to be reminded of who He is...but sometimes we need to remind ourselves. We continue to pray for something and we repeatedly pray for it. Sometimes its effective because God wants us to persevere, but a lot of times, it just becomes empty repetition. We just end up with some incantation thinking that when we get the right mixture, God will positively answer us like Aladdin's Genie, giving us what we want when we want it. How arrogant we are when we do this! Sadly we do this without even thinking about it! We all do this. You do it, I do it, the choir leader does it. We all need to ground ourself in Christ further. Prayer is a conversation between us and God – or more correctly, between God and I, or God and you. Its a chat between the best of friends, its a talk between a child and Father. Its getting our will aligned and changed to God's will. It is drinking from the well of eternal life. It is partaking in the crucification of Christ, it is partaking of the blessing of His resurrection. Its all this and more!

So what about unanswered prayer – or answered prays for that matter? He knows before we ask what we need, why then do we ask? He wants us to ask Him! I remember when my family was out Christmas shopping. One of my younger brother's decided he really liked this one item at the store. We knew he liked it, and so Mom and Dad had gotten one for him. He, not really thinking about it decided that no one would possible get it for him, so he bought one for himself. Imagine his chagrin when he found a couple weeks later that if he had waited he would have gotten one! God knows what we want or need, and we will get it in His time, not ours. Sometimes the best thing is that we not get what we ask for or think we need. Unanswered prayers are often times more of a grace and mercy for us than answered prayers.

How then do we pray? In all earnestness, in all humility and acceptance of God's will, knowledge, power, and love for us. We pray centered in the love of God, convinced and convicted of His position in our lives. With God with us, who else do we need?

Savior, again to thy dear name we raise
with one accord our parting hymn of praise;
guard thou the lips from sin, the hearts from shame,
that in this house have called upon thy name.