It is very good to pray. Praying is an essential part of relating to God … it means to 'cry out' to Him. We cry out to God because we are not big enough, clever enough or godly enough to meet life's problems or to discipline our own lives. And when we pray we also need God's help to praise Him, repent, thank Him and intercede for others. Compared with God, we are weak in every way.

However some religious people like to make a show of prayer; like actors on a stage they make others believe that they are more holy than they are. It was a problem in Jesus' day when prayer was accompanied by kneeling, bowing, standing with hands raised; even weeping as they prayed in public. Some would also babble aloud, and make a lot of noise. But none of that impressed Jesus. He said that God only welcomed sincere heartfelt silent prayer – in fact, any public demonstration could be a snare, tempting the pray-er to seek human approval. Jesus said that if people prayed to gain applause from others, that would be the only reward they could get.

The Lord does not look at our body movements or measure our decibels. He only looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Jesus said that prayer is a very personal communication which is ruined if we try to use it as a way of advertising our piety to others. And constant repetition of words is senseless too; that does not make God listen better or act faster. Jesus' simple instruction was to pray in secret. The 'secret place' is where we do business with God, honestly and with no pretence. There is no other reason for praying, other than to relate with our Maker; trusting that He will respond.

Of course God knows everything; He knows what we need before we pray. So why bother to tell Him anything? Because prayer is a part of the way we relate with Him. How can we say we have a relationship with God if we do not speak to Him? But that relationship must be honest, 'looking God in the eye'. Our conversation with Him must be single-minded, addressed to Him alone. Hypocrisy only proves that we care little about Him, and He knows. The secret is to be private and personal with God, setting aside undivided time and people-free space. It is a discipline, which will become a joy.