Start your day with quick daily devotions: February 3, 2021

Scripture reading - Ecclesiastes 5: 1-7

“And when you pray, don't keep stammering. . . . "- Matthew 6: 7

Some of the best tips for giving a speech is "Be simple!" Keeping it simple, according to Jesus, is also good advice for prayer.

In his teaching in Matthew 6 on prayer, Jesus advises: "Do not keep babbling like the pagans, because they think they are being heard because of their many words." He was talking here about people who believed in false gods and thought it was necessary to put on a show with flashy and eye-catching prayers to get the attention of the gods. But the true God has no problem listening to us and is attentive to all our needs.

Now, this didn't mean that public prayers or even long prayers were a mistake. There were often prayers in public worship, where one leader spoke for all the people, who prayed together at the same time. Also, there were often many things to be grateful for and to worry about, so it might be appropriate to pray for a long time. Jesus himself did this often.

When we pray, alone or in public, the main thing is to focus all our attention on the Lord, to whom we are praying. He made the heavens and the earth. He loves us so much that he did not spare his only Son by saving us from sin and death. In a simple, sincere and direct way, we can share all our thanks and care with God. And Jesus promises that our Father will not only listen but also answer our prayers. What could be simpler than that?

Prayer

Spirit of God, speak in and through us as we pray to our Heavenly Father, who loves us more than we can imagine. Amen.