Steve Nearman Supporter A sinner saved by grace. Fredericksburg, VA

Prayer is simply an individual’s communication with God. It can be a supplication, worship, praise, thankfulness or just a chat with one’s heavenly father.

Believers are told to "pray without ceasing". That does not imply repetition, but rather a heart condition of constant communication towards God, an openness to share and receive from your heavenly father at all times.

Matt. 6:7-9 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In THIS MANNER, therefore, pray (not relating His words not like a mindless parrot or repeating like a broken record)…

It's not the volume of your communication or how you word it, but rather the attitude of heart one has when talking to God that He hears and deals with.

Is. 57:15 "For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

Psa. 51:15-17	O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. 

Roman Catholicism’s prayer beads, the rosary (a paternosters), and many other man made religious systems practice vain repetition of "prayers" or chants by the petitioner. Sometimes it is a form of supplication, others times it is for penitence or a punishment to prove worthiness or repentance or a means to reduce one’s punishment (time in purgatory). The same "prayer" can be used either way.

God knows our needs and will provide them, if we simply ask (according to His will):

James 1:58 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." 

Matt. 6:25-26 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (also Luke 12:24)

Our punishment was paid in full by Jesus Christ Himself, once for all time.

Heb. 9:24-26 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 

Rom. 6:10 For the death that He (Jesus Christ) died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

In sharp contrast, the Roman Catholic mass is a continual repetition of killing Jesus Christ over and over again for the forgiveness of sins that have already been paid for, once, on the cross, for all, for all time.

October 17 2014 • 4 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Hairy Animals Supporter

No indeed! God hates repetitious prayers with no real meaning. Saying the same things over and over again is completely useless and is deeply routed in the worship of pagan gods. Instead, we should pray from the heart.

Matthew 6:7
"And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words."

October 17 2014 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Wilmore Mutsa Muzamindo Supporter

The conviction that we have that God is omnipresent and can hear us no matter what determines our repetition of prayers or not. What is central is understanding the relationship between us and God, then we can pray in the right way. Jesus taught the disciples to pray, but for us he said, "l will not leave you orphaned but will send the Holy Spirit." Therefore the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray. 

Sometimes the Spirit can lead you to repeat certain prayers for certain reasons and we have to commune with God so that he can reveal to us the reason for that incident. As he said in Matthew 6:7, God does not lie and can reveal to us his mysteries.

October 18 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Vincent Mercado Supporter Skeptic turned believer, Catholic, father of 3

"Repetitive prayer" does not displease God. "Meaningless repetition" does.

If a father prays for his children's health every night, it is repetitive prayer, it does not displease God, and it is not meaningless repetition.

October 18 2014 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Elizabeth D'Andrea Learn More'>Supporter Prayer Warrior, Artist

Here some passages that address this question:

Mark 11:22-26 (Amp.): 22 Jesus replied, “Have faith in God [constantly]. 23 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!’ and does not doubt in his heart [in God’s unlimited power], but believes that what he says is going to take place, it will be done for him [in accordance with God’s will]. 24 For this reason I am telling you, whatever things you ask for in prayer [in accordance with God’s will], believe [with confident trust] that you have received them, and they will be given to you. 25 Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him [drop the issue, let it go], so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions and wrongdoings [against Him and others]. 26 [“But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

John 14:13-14 NKJV “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

When you pray for something and take in faith, believe you have it.
Don't go praying for it again, but you keep thanking Him for it until you see it. Don't doubt in your heart, God is pleased by our faith.

April 30 2016 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Andy Mangus Supporter I am a Christian since October 1979 & devoted truth seeker.

Prayer to our Creator, God Almighty, our Heavenly Father and Lover of our very souls are the single most important 'words' we can either speak out loud or silently speak in our minds daily. Why? Because, our prayers are our "directly to God in Heaven" link of communication. When we address Him as "Dear Heavenly Father",...it is as if we(you or me) have His undivided attention! God is omnipotent and "able to do above and beyond anything that we ask in His Blessed name". However, we are "to ask according to His will and purpose for our lives" and "that He be Glorified in all that we do, say or think". Vain repetition of requests that are not unlike 'a broken record' are "not pleasing unto the Lord".

A major way or method we, as each a 'child of God, can exhibit and exemplify our "trust in the Lord with all our heart, mind and spirit" is to have that 'total faith state of mind' that He will hear our prayer(s), have a plan that meets our request, but we have to surrender to Him that "His will be done according to His riches in Glory".

Example:...."for I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, your one and only Son, who died on that cross at Calvary for all my sins, that I may be washed and cleansed of all unrighteousness for eternity. And, that I may be in your presence one day in Heaven with you O'Lord; for Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and Glory forever and ever, AMEN". --Andy--

May 04 2016 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Thomas K M Supporter A retired Defence Scientist from Indian Defence R&D Orgn.

Those who pray their prescribed prayers during day and night, do as a discipline. Unless these are in commune with God, it is worthless. Once up on a time I used to do that kind of repetitive prayers. But now I have stopped it. I do my own prayer conveniently and I really relish to do that. 

The heathen would utter the same prayer several times in one sitting. That is not prayer. Prayer is the intelligent cry of your heart to God. Prayer elevates you. When you pray, you should think about the prayer and what you are saying means. 

Prayer is not merely informing God; it draws up to God. The Lord wants us to pray to Him for our benefits. It increases our intensity by wrapping us around God.

October 24 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report