Confession
18/02/2025
Doing the work of God
18/02/2025
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Vain repetitions
- WHY DID JESUS ALWAYS GET ANSWERS?
- THE CASE OF VAIN REPETITIONS
- USEFUL REPETITIONS
The Lord Jesus warns us in His Word: 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 (Matthew 6:7-8 ). However, most Christians totally ignore this advice from the Lord, and therefore are not blessed.
Now, if avoiding vain repetitions were not something serious and crucial, the Lord would never have given us this warning. It shows us that besides being totally useless, it annoys the Father because He knows what we need even before we ask Him.
If there are vain repetitions, that is, repetitions that are false, annoying and unproductive, then there are also true and productive repetitions.
Repeating our position in Christ – demanding all evil to be bound based on what we believe – is not something vain, false or unproductive. We are stating our position to stand and not yield one inch of territory; we are reaffirming our determination to not give in to any argument; we are demanding our full rights.
Being heard does not depend on the amount of words you speak. It is useless to stay at the feet of the Lord, complaining and bothering Him with your whining. This only prevents Him from reaching out and helping you.
You need to stand on what the Word affirms to be your rights, and boldly come into the Father’s presence in prayer. Ordain in the Name of Jesus what you want to see happen in any situation, according to the Word of God.
I pray that you learn how to avoid vain repetitions and become a blessing.
Since prayer is our means of communication with the Father, we should learn how to pray efficiently and productively. There are certain principles to be observed if we want this to happen.
We will state some of them:
I – Faith: But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
II — The Name of Jesus: And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do (John 14:13a).
Ill — The purpose: That the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13b).
IV — Believe: Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive [them], and you will have [them] (Mark 11:24).
V — Without doubting: 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 (James 1:6).
Besides these basic principles, there are others that are no less important, such as not using vain repetitions: 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 (Matthew 6:7-8).
If these principles are not observed, our prayers will be useless and we are wasting our time when we pray. We must learn what the Father considers to be prayer. Prayer has to work; if it does not bring any results, then we should not pray at all. On the other hand, if it does work, then we should use it more assiduously.
We know that Jesus did not act as God when He was on Earth. When He came to our world, He stripped Himself of His glory and became as one of us, although without sin:
But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, [and] coming in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:7
In order to fulfill His mission, He was in constant fellowship with the Father, and never left His presence:
And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. Matthew 14:23
Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. Mark 1:35
Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. Luke 6:12
Besides this, the Lord always acted according to the rules His Father had established.
For I have not spoken on My own [authority]; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. John 12:49
If you have fellowship with the Father, and have a prayer life based on what we call principles for an effective prayer life effective prayer life, you will invariably be successful.
THE CASE OF VAIN REPETITIONS
Gentiles – anyone who was not a Jew in the days of the Bible; those who are not born again in our days – try by all possible ways to obtain something from God. They aren’t really interested in who will answer their requests, nor do they care what price they will have to pay if the source is not the Lord.
They repeat prayers over and over, accompanying them with promises, trying to receive what the Lord grants freely to all those who do His will.
Many times they are led into this error by their teachers. Penitents seek out a priest to know the reason for their suffering, and why they cannot receive peace and forgiveness. The priests induce them to error without the slightest scruple, telling
them to pray so many “Our Fathers” or so many “Hail Maries”, or some other prayer, which have absolutely no value at all. The Lord’s Prayer that Jesus taught is not to be repeated, but rather studied and understood.
It is a model to be followed when we pray.
Many people in Evangelical circles make use of vain repetitions. People who seek the baptism of the Holy Ghost in prayer meetings are often told to praise the Lord. They will start to praise the Lord in the following manner, “Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, glory, glory, glory”, in a constant crescendo.
Of course it is a beautiful thing to praise the Lord, and we must do this as often as possible, but our words must not be void of meaning, as is usually the case.
When we pray, we must concentrate on what we are doing. Our words must be measured. We must avoid vain repetitions that do not bring us any closer to the Lord; much to the contrary, they separate us from Him. We should not keep “reminding” the Lord how we are suffering, or going through deprivation, etc. This does not mean we shouldn’t tell the Lord about our indignation at all the misery,
disease, or other misfortunes that surround us.
When Jesus oriented us to not use vain repetitions, He said that the Father knows what we need before we even ask Him.
If you think this way, then you know nothing of the Word, for the Scriptures assure us that He has already provided everything we need:
As His divine power has given to us all things that [pertain] to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. 2 Peter 1:3
USEFUL REPETITIONS
If there are vain repetitions, then there are also useful repetitions. Should they be made use of? Of course. When? Principally in our fight against the evil one:
Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7b
What does it mean to resist? Does it mean suffering in silence to show that we are able to accept the “will of God”? By no means. Besides being totally stupid, it shows ignorance of what our part and position in Christ is. Furthermore, the Lord’s will for our life is always the best.
To resist means to offer resistance, to oppose. In the case of an invasion, the army of the invaded country will resist the invader with weapons. In our case, which is spiritual, we must use our words to withstand the attacks of the enemy. We should use useful repetitions (with good sense), until we get the victory.
Jesus Himself used useful repetitions when He freed the naked, demon-possessed man in the land of the Gerasenes:
And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” Mark 5:7-8
Biblical References
Matthew 6:7,8
“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.”
Hebrews 11:6
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
John 14:13
“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do.”
John 14:13
“That the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
Mark 11:24
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
James 1:6
“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 win.”
Matthew 14:23
“And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there..”
Mark 1:35
“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a [a]solitary place; and there He prayed.”
Luke 6:12
“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”
John 12:49
“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.”
II Peter 1:3
“As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.”
James 4:7
“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Mark 5:7,8
“What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.”
