Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” (v.5 NIV)

As a new Christian, I was involved in a Women’s Bible Study with life-long Christians. When we prayed for the other women, I remained silent because I was intimidated by the words of their prayers. When it was my turn, I’d shake my head and humbly indicate that I didn’t want to pray.

I went to the Lord about my fear of praying out loud. I realized that what I thought was humility was, in reality, pride. I wouldn’t pray because I wanted my words to sound eloquent and impress the other women. I refused to pray because I was afraid my words wouldn’t sound “good enough.”

I was like one of the “hypocrites”; I wanted to be heard by men. Prayer is a gift from God so we can communicate with Him. He doesn’t care if we’re eloquent. He has given us the Holy Spirit, Who gives us the words to pray. We simply need to get out of the way and let Him pray.

Esther 3:1—4:3; Psalms 93, 96; James 1:19-27

Until next time blessings and healing