Many hypocrites thrive on public prayer. Some even use it as a weapon to try to disarm those who seek to expose them as the frauds that they are. Hypocrites often pray publicly (whether apparently for or against) their rebukers to attempt to prevent themselves from being exposed.

Public prayer can also be a key enticement for anyone at a church meeting to go the direction of the hypocrite. Public prayer times bring enticement to show off in front of others. Nevertheless, public prayer is occasionally necessary. There are many examples in the Bible of public prayer which was acceptable to God.

Matthew 6:5-8: “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”

Prayer should never be unnecessarily lengthy (and especially not so when done in public). It should also not be a predictable formality.

It’s also evident that loud public prayer, especially when that is the predictable norm, is very ungodly. Since it is irreverent to scream at God in private it must be irreverent to scream at Him publicly. The concept that God would hear man’s prayer and work in response to an effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man is Biblical- yet the concept that man can persuade God to answer his prayer through being longer, louder, more eloquent, etc. stems from a degraded, heathen view of God.

Certain situations warrant that prayer be accompanied by emotion- yet predictable shouting in prayer is a key example of pre-planned emotional movement which is inherently manipulative. It is also hypocritically showing off when the planner of the emotional display is involved in the emotional outburst. I wouldn’t fault someone for being loud while praying in exceptional circumstances. Solomon probably needed to shout so the great crowd present could hear his prayer when he dedicated the Temple. Yet Matthew 6:5-8 shows that we should not seek to cause a scene by prayer. Screaming while praying actually epitomizes this.

It is not proper to preach sermons to God or to others during prayer sessions. The goal in prayer should be to praise God and make requests to Him rather than to preach sermons.

Times of public prayer are a key way for people who want to be preeminent in a church meeting to take over. Church leaders have a responsibility to not let anyone pray so long and/or often and/or dramatically so that they practically succeed in this endeavor. They also have a responsibility to teach their congregation to pray before the church in a way which is not unnecessarily lengthy nor unnecessarily dramatic and which is at a reasonable volume.

Aaron’s email is: [email protected]

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