Praying Unto God
“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”
Matthew 6:6 (NLT)
As you all know, I grew up in the church. On Sunday mornings during the devotion, the deacons would sing and pray to invite the spirit in. You had some deacons that prayed so long you almost fell asleep. I know I have. LOL! Anyway, if you listened to the prayer, you would notice that they sometimes said the same things over and over again. At this point, are they praying sincerely or because they think that is what they are supposed to do?
We don’t really know their thought process when they are praying. Some individuals may believe that a long prayer is what’s needed in order for God to hear them. They may be praying long and hard because they think that is what the people want. God gave us a template for prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV) called the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer is not long, but effective if said with a sincere heart.
I don’t pray in front of others very often. I will if asked even if I may feel hesitant because it is out of my comfort zone. I do talk to God during my day though. There are times where I don’t have a particular structure for my prayers. It maybe to say thank you or alright God, they are trying my gangsta. Please know that I am not gangsta for real. They are just trying my patience.
As you pray, it should comfort you whether you are thanking him or crying out for help that he hears you. However, you decide to pray whether in private or in public, let it be real. Don’t pray unto people because you think that is what they want to hear. Pray unto God. It says in the verse above that he will reward you. He sees you!