And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. (Matthew 6:7)
Few subjects generate more guilt than the subject of prayer. We talk a lot about prayer. And yet, when all is said and done about prayer, more is said than done. Sure, prayer is a powerful spiritual weapon. Satan will employ any tactic necessary to prevent us from communicating with our Heavenly Father through prayer. But this guilt thing — does God want us to feel constantly condemned because we don’t pray enough?
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about prayer. He specifically tells His listeners that long, rambling prayers designed to look spiritual or impress others just don’t cut it.
Should we be men and women of prayer? Absolutely. But perhaps some of our guilt is false due to wrong expectations regarding how much time we should devote to prayer. Our Lord understands busyness, obligations, and schedules. Jesus had a life filled with demands.
So whether we pray for 1 minute, 5 minutes or 60 minutes, rest assured that He recognizes and rewards prayer that comes from the heart.
