Jesus gave four instructions to guide us in our praying (Matthew 6:5-15).

We must pray in secret before we pray in public. If we pray in public, we should be in the habit of praying in private.

We must pray sincerely. The fact that a request is repeated does not make it a “vain repetition,” for both Jesus and Paul repeated their petitions. A request becomes a “vain repetition” if it is only a babbling of words without a sincere heart desire to seek
and do God’s will.

My friend Dr. Robert A. Cook has often said, “All of us have one routine prayer in our systems; and once we get rid of it, then we can really start to pray!”

We must pray in God’s will. The purpose of prayer is to glorify God’s name, and to ask for help to accomplish His will on earth. The Lord’s Prayer begins with God’s interests, not ours: God’s name, God’s kingdom, and God’s will.

We must pray, having a forgiving spirit toward others. He was not teaching that believers earned God’s forgiveness by forgiving others, for this would be contrary to God’s free grace and mercy. However, if we have truly experienced God’s forgiveness, then we will have a readiness to forgive others.

For today: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26, NIV).

Also read: Matthew 6:5-15.

Action assignment: Go back and review the above four instructions concerning prayer. Note them in your Bible as a reminder. Ask God to give you a greater understanding of prayer.