Thursday, November 12, 2026
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).
If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?
Read this excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount: “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:5,6). Public prayer was not condemned; publicized prayer was denounced, for it was useful in ancient Judaism to draw attention to self. The longer one prayed, the “more spiritual” one seemed (cf. Matthew 23:14; Mark 12:38-40; Luke 20:45-47). Actually, the Pharisees were known for praying for several hours while standing, skillfully positioning themselves in places where crowds would naturally gather and stare in admiration! Even now, public prayer can be so abused.
Indeed, elaborate public prayers are indications of scant or nonextant private prayers. Over these many years, I have heard ministers deliver extended benedictions, protracted eulogies, and other prolix speeches—including reading pre-written sentimental prayers from books. The verbosity suggests it was not spoken from the heart; it was merely a mechanical copying of someone else’s compositions. As a little boy, I learned in Sunday School (in a denominational church, of all places!) that a brief prayer before eating was sufficient. It shocked me at the time, but my teacher was absolutely right. All that is needful is giving God thanks for food (1 Timothy 4:3-5). It is totally unnecessary to pray for this, pray for that, pray for this person, pray for that person, as well as utter additional petitions before closing a prayer to start a meal. (Remember, your food is getting cold!) Long ago, sitting with a grace pastor to eat at a restaurant, I heard him say succinctly, “Thank You, Lord.” That was all, for that was all that was necessary.
Our public prayers ought to be clear (not baffling) and concise (not longwinded)….
