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● How does Jesus’ counsel in Matthew 6:7 against long and repetitious prayers apply to private and public prayers, in view of some of the lengthy prayers recorded in the Bible?—M. F., U.S.A.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus condemned religious hypocrites who liked “to pray standing in the synagogues . . . to be visible to men.” (Matt 6:5) Their motive was bad. Their prayers were not sincere, humble expressions. So Christ counseled: “When praying, do not say the same things over and over again, just as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words.” Or, they “think that God will hear them because of their long prayers.”—Matt. 6:7; Today’s English Version.

By the time Jesus came to earth the hypocritical religious leaders of Judaism had defined every attitude and gesture in prayer, and had fixed, repetitious prayer formulas. With them public prayer had degenerated into a work of self-righteousness by which merit might be obtained and piety displayed. Such leaders may have impressed some gullible men, but they did not impress God. A heavier judgment awaited those hypocrites with their “long prayers.”—Luke 20:47.

It is true that a few of the proper prayers in the Scriptures were of considerable length. As given in the Bible, Solomon’s prayer at the inauguration of the temple might have taken close to ten minutes to offer. (1 Ki. 8:23-53; 2 Chron. 6:14-42) John’s account of a prayer Jesus said on the last night with his disciples takes up twenty-six verses. (John 17:1-26; note also Nehemiah 9:5-38.) These prayers were special public ones, offered at unique times. God heard and approved of Solomon’s, and certainly he did of Jesus’. (2 Chron. 7:12; John 11:42) And we are thankful to have these extended prayers recorded in the Scriptures.

From the examples of acceptable prayers in the Bible we can see that what Jesus was criticizing was not particularly the length of prayers, but the improper motive underlying the long, repetitious, showy prayers. Hence, when Solomon, Jesus or other men with spirituality and balance offered lengthy prayers out of a good motive and with sincerity, Jehovah did not disapprove.

There is no need or Scriptural authorization for rules as to the length of public or private prayers—they can vary.

Sometimes special trials, problems or situations may make a long prayer appropriate, particularly so a private prayer. In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed considerably. And just before selecting the twelve apostles he “continued the whole night in prayer.”—Luke 6:12; 22:41-45.

On the other hand, the Bible abounds with fine prayers that were extremely brief, just dealing with the matter at hand. (Neh. 2:4; 1 Ki. 18:36, 37; 2 Ki. 6:17, 18; John 11:41, 42; Acts 1:24, 25) While other matters might have been included in the above cases, would they have been appropriate at the moment? Apparently those praying did not think so. And we recall the brevity of the model prayer Jesus provided.—Matt. 6:9-15.

Evidently the circumstances have to be taken into consideration. Though Jesus knew that it was not amiss to pray all night, did he pray at extreme length prior to feeding the four thousand? The Bible says: “He took the seven loaves, gave thanks, broke them, and began to give them to his disciples to serve.” (Mark 8:6) Similarly today at congregation meetings, the circumstances should be considered. For instance, at the celebration of the Lord’s Evening Meal four separate prayers are said. If these were all of great length, the orderly arrangement for the use of the hall and the very discourse itself might needlessly be disrupted. Balance and good judgment need to be used.

In the final analysis, though, the significant point we should learn from Jesus’ comments about the prayers of the religious leaders is the importance of proper motive and thought. A Christian who is praying should be sure that he is not extending his prayer so that the hearers will think him more “spiritual.” Nor should he use flowery speech in order to impress others. Prayer to our loving heavenly Father is a marvelous privilege, one we should take advantage of regularly and with sincerity and humility. (Luke 18:13, 14) If we view it in this light, then the length and subject of our prayers, public or private, can fit the occasion and need.