For much of my life, I overlooked two crucial verses in the Bible about prayer. While I focused on the famous verses that follow, the deeper lesson was hidden from me.
Many of us can recite “The Lord’s Prayer” by heart, especially in the King James Version: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name . . .” (Matthew 6:9–13). However, before Jesus gives us this model prayer, He provides essential teaching in the preceding verses that are often overshadowed by the more well-known passage.
Two thousand years of tradition and repetition have perhaps obscured the deeper meaning in Jesus’ words. Ironically, the same mindless repetition that Jesus warns against has caused many to miss the significance of His instruction:
“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. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:7–8)
12
Overcoming Our Human Instincts
As humans, we can understand why Jesus had to steer us away from “heaping up empty phrases.” This tendency to babble in prayer is part of our fallen nature. Without God’s revelation, we might instinctively think that long, repetitive prayers will get the divine's attention. The prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel are a prime example; they spent hours calling on their god, even resorting to self-harm, hoping to be heard (1 Kings 18:26-28).
Unfortunately, we can easily turn “The Lord’s Prayer” into the very kind of empty repetition that Jesus warned against. We may recite it thoughtlessly, believing that the mere act of saying the words will accomplish something spiritual, rather than focusing on the deeper meaning of the prayer itself.
1
The Simplicity of Jesus’ Prayer
One remarkable aspect of Jesus’ model prayer in Matthew 6:9–13 (and its parallel in Luke 11:2–4) is its simplicity and brevity. Jesus does not engage in “heaping up empty phrases.” He doesn’t assume that God will hear Him because of the quantity of words.
In our English translations, Jesus’ prayer is only about fifty words and consists of just four sentences. When was the last time you heard a public prayer that was so straightforward, unpretentious, and direct? This simplicity comes straight from our Savior’s mouth.
Perhaps it’s the old English phrasing of “arts,” “thys,” and “trespasses” that might give the impression that Jesus’ simple prayer could be some kind of magical incantation, to be repeated like a mantra or a ritual. Even though memorizing a contemporary version might help, the real issue is deeper. We may not fully gr
12
Embracing Freedom in Prayer
The freedom to avoid mindless repetition and lengthy prayers is a glorious liberty for those who are children of God. Notice that Jesus says “when you pray,” not “if.” This indicates that prayer is an expected and regular part of a believer’s life. Yet, we approach a God who has already initiated a relationship with us. We are not introducing ourselves for the first time or reintroducing ourselves out of fear that God has forgotten us.
Prayer, therefore, is not about trying to catch God’s attention. Instead, it is a response to a God who has already spoken to us, who has called us, and who has claimed us as His own before we even thought to seek Him. In Christ, we are known, loved, cherished, and secure. We are not mere strangers approaching a distant dignitary but children coming to “our Father.”
12
Reverent Yet Simple
This freedom to pray simply does not mean we approach God with any less reverence. He is our Father in heaven, and if children should respect their earthly fathers, how much more should we respect our heavenly Father? Simple language does not equate to irreverence or flippancy.
Moreover, simple prayer does not mean superficial prayer. Jesus’ prayer is both simple and profound. Instead of beginning with our daily needs, Jesus starts with the hallowing of God’s name and the coming of God’s kingdom. These are not the desires of the natural human heart but the expressions of a heart transformed by God.
Without the new birth, our prayers might be pretentious and focused on worldly desires. But with the new birth, we pray with simplicity and profundity, with hearts focused on God and His honor rather than merely on earthly concerns.
1
A God Who Knows and Cares
Jesus not only warns against empty phrases and lengthy prayers but also explains why: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). This divine foreknowledge is not a reason to stay silent. On the contrary, it is an encouragement to pray simply and directly because God, as our Father, already knows our needs and desires to meet them.
How we pray reveals much about how we view God. Do we believe we already have His attention, or do we feel we must earn it? Do we assume He is reluctant to meet our needs, or do we trust that He is eager to provide? Is God distant or near? Is He sovereign and good? Is He just and merciful?
1
Asking with Confidence
When Christians pray, we do so as people who have been freed from the need to pray like the world. We pray as those who have first heard from God in His Word, who have received His grace through Jesus Christ, and who do not need to earn His favor through repetition, posturing, or pretense.
Instead, we can ask simply, like children speaking to their father. We can ask profoundly, with hearts set on God and His kingdom. And we can ask with humble confidence, knowing that our Father already knows our needs, understands them even better than we do, and is more committed than we are to meeting them in the most profound and lasting ways.
12
Conclusion: The Beauty of Simple Prayers
The lesson Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:7–8 is one of profound simplicity. In a world that often values long-winded speeches and elaborate rituals, Jesus calls us to something different. He invites us to pray with the confidence that our Father in heaven already knows our needs and is ready to provide for them.
This is not a call to pray less or to treat prayer lightly but an invitation to engage in prayer that is sincere, direct, and rooted in a deep relationship with God. In our prayers, let us remember that we are speaking to a loving Father who delights in hearing from His children and who is eager to meet our needs, often in ways that exceed our understanding.
By embracing the simplicity and sincerity that Jesus models, we can experience the freedom and joy that comes from praying as true children of God. In doing so, we align our hearts with His, seeking not only our needs but also the fulfillment of His purposes in our lives and in the world.
12
