To pray means to talk to God. The definition of prayer is this – to utter or address a prayer or prayers to God, a god, or another object of worship. So when a person prays, it should be directed to God.
Jesus was asked on how to pray, and He said this in Matthew 6:5-13
5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen
And Jesus also said,
You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.(John 14:14)
Jesus said, when you pray, not “if”. Jesus considered prayer time to be a normal daily activity. It is like eating and sleeping. A necessity if you will. That is why in verse 6, He said, “When you pray” and not if you pray. And in verse 6, He explains how to pray, namely:
1. Go into a room
2. Shut the door
3. Pray to the Father (and in Jesus’ name ONLY), for the Father sees you.
4. Talk to Him for He knows what your needs are. (God knows what you need before you ask of Him)
Jesus in all his teachings, except for parables, was very direct and made his point quickly. It’s that simple.
If Jesus said to pray directly to the Father, and He is the Son of God, then why do most people pray in a manner that is contrary to what He said, if the Father clearly knows what we ask.Unfortunately, Man and the love of tradition was able to complicate prayer into lengthy rituals.
For example, if a husband and wife have a close intimate relationship, the the husband can easily approach the wife any time he wants to. And he does not need to tell other members of his household or relatives to relay any information. It is direct and straight to the point. But if the husband goes to the his wife’s brother or siblings just to relay something he wants, doesn’t that make things harder.
And it is the same with God. If God is the focus of the relationship, then it should only be Him
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