02 - LORD'S PRAYER - Jesus Taught Us How to PraySample

07 – Pray with Clarity

Sincerity, humility, and intimacy—these are the attitudes we’ve learned to bring before God in prayer. But Jesus also teaches us that our words and thoughts should be clear and straightforward. Clarity is another posture of the soul for those who draw near to the Lord. He invites us to open our hearts and pour out our concerns to Him in a direct, simple, and honest way.

As the psalmist prayed, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14, NIV). Whether we are giving thanks, presenting requests, or offering praise, our prayers should be genuine and heartfelt—not mechanical, formal, or empty.

This doesn’t mean that long prayers or repeated words are wrong. In fact, Jesus Himself prayed through an entire night (Luke 6:12–16) and repeated His words in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36–44).

What He challenged was the practice of meaningless repetition, as though saying the same words again and again could force God to respond. In His day, many referred to the “pagans” who believed their gods would hear them if they kept piling up empty phrases. A vivid example of this is found in 1 Kings 18:22–39, where false prophets prayed endlessly, repeating themselves over and over, yet their god never answered.

By contrast, in one of His deepest prayers to the Father, Jesus prayed with complete clarity. And in that prayer, He remembered us: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message” (John 17:20, NIV).

Yes—Jesus prayed for me, and He prayed for you.