Pray Always But Don't Babble

What does Jesus mean by not heaping up meaningless phrases?

The key to persevering prayer is to keep praying.
Persistence in petitions pleases the Lord.

I recently shared this on social media, and someone commented that Jesus said not to use vain repetitions, referring to Matthew 6. This is true. In Matthew 6:7, Jesus told His disciples do not babble like pagans who use many words, thinking they will be heard.

So what does Jesus mean by this babbling on, vain repetitions?

Let's explore.

How The UnGodly Pray

Pagans—those who didn’t follow the God of the Bible, prayed long and loud, believing their gods would hear them because of their many words. An example is the 450 prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18, who called on their gods loudly and repeatedly, but it was no use.

Pagans often use mantras or repeated phrases like Great is Diana of the Ephesians or I am one with the force and the force is with me. This includes spells used by witches or affirmations like I am powerful, confident, and successful. These are examples of babbling with empty phrases.

Jesus speaks against this kind of mechanical and meaningless repetition. He considers such prayers sinful because they deny God's power, knowledge, and goodness. Instead of relying on an unknown power, we should acknowledge the sovereignty of the one true and living God.

Our Lord isn't condemning long prayers

Instead, He is against prayers that are empty, meaningless, and superstitious.

True prayer should be sincere and heartfelt communication with God, not just repeating phrases like magic spells. The power of prayer comes from God, not a certain number or set words.

Jesus tells His disciples to always pray—asking, seeking, and knocking. We see Him doing this often:

• Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. - Mark 1:35

• But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. - Luke 5:16

• After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. - John 17:1

And in the Garden Jesus prayed the same thing three times. (Matthew 26:44).

We also find Old Testament examples

1. Abraham intercedes six times with the Lord to save Sodom.

2. Daniel prays three times a day—perhaps at nine, noon, and three.

3. Elijah sends his servant seven times to look for the rain God promised.

4. Nehemiah and the people pray and praise for three hours.

5. And David often repeats himself through his Psalms.

In the New, Jesus teaches His disciples about a man persistently asking his neighbor for bread (Luke 11:8) and about a widow who keeps coming to an unjust judge (Luke 18:2-6). He does this to teach us to always pray and not loose heart.

"Now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? - Luke 18:7 LSB

Paul the Apostle also says to pray without ceasing and mentions always praying for others in his letters. Here are just a few places he mentions this:

• I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 1 Corinthians 1:4

• I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that...Ephesians 1:15

• In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy...Philippians 1:3

• Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2

• With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, 2 Thessalonians 1:11

There are many more times in his letters Paul writes that he is praying always for them.

And In Revelation 4, the four living creatures circle God's throne day and night, crying out, Holy, holy, holy. This shows that persistence is honoring to the Lord and pleasing to Him. When we ask for what He wants for us, we can keep asking til He gives the blessing.

So remember: the key to persevering in prayer is to keep praying. Asking, seeking, knocking, and never stopping.

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