Pablo Cachon | Clovis, California
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Repeat Your Prayers. Right? Or Wrong?
In our series on prayer, we looked at Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer last week and Matthew’s version this past Sunday. Studying those two texts back to back raises an interesting question. Are we supposed to repeat our prayers or not? Does the Bible commend repetitious praying or does it condemn it? Here are the key verses from each text that raise the question. Luke 11:9 Ask (continually), and it will be give to you; seek (continually), and you will find; knock (continually), and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 6:7 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.
In Luke 11, all 3 commands are in the present tense, indicating an ongoing action; repetition. In Matthew 6, “heaping up empty phrases” is generally understood to be some kind of repetition. So again, to repeat our prayers or not to repeat our prayers is the question.
The context, of course, resolves this seeming contradiction and provides the answer. Repetition is actually not the issue in either of the texts, but rather it is the heart or the understanding that issues forth in repetition that is commended/commanded in Luke 11 and condemned/rejected in Matthew 6.
In Luke 11, repetition in prayer is rooted in faith in the character of God, namely that He is good and gives good gifts to His children (vv11-13) and the promises of God, namely that He answers those who persistently seek Him as the answer for their desperate or needy situation (vv5-10). In other words, faith in God is what is driving the repetition, the asking, seeking, and knocking. That kind of repetition pleases God, and He is pleased to answer and reward the persistent, persevering prayers of believers.
In Matthew 6, repetition in prayer is rooted in a very different source. The passage says “they think they will be heard for their many words.” In other words, prayer, or the saying of words, is viewed as the answer, or the way to get an answer, or the source of power, or the surety of an answer. Faith in God is not the focus, but rather prayer shrinks into a magical formula. God is not the source. He is merely the One who reacts to the repeated prayer and grants its every wish.
Repetition, then, is not the issue. Repetition in Luke that is clinging to faith in God and in His Word pleases God. Repetition in Matthew that views God as in service to prayer repulses God. It’s the heart behind it that makes the difference.
So the answer is “yes” and “no.” Yes, repeated prayers please God when we are continually coming to Him as our source for everything we need in life and salvation. No, repeated prayers are sinful if we are simply mouthing words as if just going through the motions is all that God requires! Prayer that pleases God involves a heart check. It’s not wrong to keep asking, seeking, and knocking if we are resting in God and not in the asking, seeking, and knocking!
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