“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Matthew 6:5

As our world continues to grow and the sense of community is  lost to the busyness of every day, it’s easy for us to forget to pray for others.  Many times we don’t even know that our friends or family need our prayers.  There are a number of reasons for that.

We might be afraid to open up our lives to others.  We may feel ashamed or embarrassed by the things that we’re concerned about.  We may not want people to know we’re suffering with an illness or loss, because we think it’s a sign of weakness.  We may think we don’t need the prayers of others, because our relationship with God is a private thing between us and God.  We may want to handle things ourselves.

When Jesus taught His followers how to pray in His Sermon on the Mount, He made it clear what our prayers should include.  Our words should be from the heart – not just words that outwardly make a show of our piety.  Our prayers should be done in private – with the doors closed – in a closet, no less.

In the words of His very own prayer, He tells us to honor and praise God, the Father –  to forgive others – ask for our own forgiveness – to have all our daily needs provided for – to be kept safe from temptation.

He also wants us to have those words spill onto all those around us.  We really need to get back to a community of people who care about each other.  This is part of the reason people go to church – to be encouraged by the Word, to praise God, to give thanks to Him and to be in fellowship with other Christians.

Don’t be afraid to share your prayer requests with others.  God loves it when we pray together with sincere hearts.  Jesus also said that where two or three are gathered in His name, He will be there with them.

Pray for others today!