7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’”

I was raised in a tradition that emphasized repeating memorized prayers, one of which has been called “the Lord’s Prayer.” Beads were used to keep track of how many were said. The more I repeated, the more I would be heard by God and would then add to my merit of righteousness—or so I was given to believe. During a visit to Tibet some years ago, the memory of this came back at the sight of “prayer wheels” which were quite conspicuous everywhere. Each wheel was a drum containing a written out prayer, and each time the wheel was spun, the belief was that the prayer ascended to the gods. Older women, in particular, would keep those things spinning for hours on end.

Jesus undercut such practices as being worthless. A young child wants something, so he repeats his whiny request ad infinitum, ad nauseam. It seems a peculiar property of human nature is to believe repetition equals effectiveness. Prayer has nothing to do with coercing God about our needs as though He were a reluctant parent. He already knows our needs! Prayer has a different purpose.

A few simple observations are in order: 1) Jesus’ teaching is better called the “Disciple’s Prayer,” because the Lord had no need of saying this prayer Himself—He had no debts of His own that needed forgiveness. 2) This was not intended as a religious practice for rote repetition. He specifically was teaching against such false practices. He did not say, “Repeat after me.” 3) This was more of a sample prayer or an outline for prayer. He instructed, “Pray in this way.” I don’t suppose it is wrong to repeat the prayer, per se, as a prompter for our prayer life, but because of its traditional abuse as a religious practice that somehow merits grace, we would do well to take Jesus’ warning seriously.

The first movement of godly prayer concerns God Himself. We lift our thoughts from the mundane of this world to the abode of Him who is over all and sees all. What better place to focus when being pressed in with the troubles of this world. He is our Father, not a benevolent overlord—He is holy and His program and His desire are to be at the forefront of our lives. So we begin our communiqué with God focusing on Him and His desires.

Lord, as Your Son prayed, “Let not my will be done, but Yours.” Today, I submit my plans to Your guidance and direction. Show me what You want me to do.