Quote:
Originally Posted by Nell
Only God knows if a prayer is vain or not.
Nell
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Yes, you are right. From our side however, we can understand a vain prayer to be one to which the Lord does not listen, and I believe Scripture reveals at least two ways that God might not hear our prayer - unbelief, or sin. Thus, to pray Scripture with a sinful heart, or an unbelieving heart, is likely to be in vain. As are, prayers of amiss, and prayers for public show.
If all these conditions are met, then praying the words of the bible as written, would not be in vain.
Actually, it is more than merely praying "from the heart" as OBW said. A person may "pray from the heart" for a million dollars, for example, and yet be asking amiss, or in vain. It may be a sincere prayer, but God does not answer prayers based upon sincerity, but based upon alignment with His will.