Are You Really Praying to God, Or Just Talking to Yourself?
TODAY'S TEACHING
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
—Luke 18:14
In Luke 18, two men walked into the same temple to pray. One stood tall like a peacock fluffing feathers, the other kept his head down, pockets turned inside out. Same building, different hearts.
Jesus said the Pharisee prayed “with himself.” Not to God. With himself. Like he’d set a mirror on the altar and admired his own reflection, listing good deeds like trophies on a shelf.
Meanwhile, the tax collector couldn’t even lift his eyes. Chest aching, words simple. “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” No polish. Just honesty.
Here’s the warning in this story: we can sound spiritual and still miss God by a mile. Praying to be heard by people or sound good to ourselves, we drift into performance. When we are praying to be heard by God, we drop the act.
I’ve watched this play out. In a small Wednesday group, Ruth (not their real name) used to pray in long paragraphs, circling the room like a lawyer building a case. One night she stopped mid-sentence, wiped her eyes, and whispered, “Lord, I’m tired of pretending. Help me.” The room went quiet, and God's presence swept in. Later, she told us that’s when the breakthrough started.
Pride prays to impress. Humility prays to be changed. One chases applause, the other chases God (let's choose the latter).
It’s easy to preach at people while pretending we’re praying with them. We lace our sentences with little sermons, hoping someone in the circle “gets it.” But agreement only works when our hearts bow lower than our voices.
Think of prayer like bringing empty jars to a well. If they’re already stuffed with our opinions or our brilliant ideas, there’s no room for living water to pour in. Come honest. Come open to receive. Let God fill what you refuse to pack with pride.
God sees everything. The apology no one heard. The gift you gave without posting about it on social media. The night you held your tongue and chose peace. Heaven keeps far better books than we do.
So today, keep your prayer life even more humble. Talk to God, not a crowd. Knees bent in humility and heart open, like the tax collector who went home justified.
When you strip away the show and choose humility, prayer becomes pure power. Pray to God and avoid talking to yourself when praying at all costs. Watch how answers start landing where honesty made a landing strip.
Pray small if you must, but pray real. God's not grading your grammar or your performance. He’s listening for your humble heart.
If this resonates with you, here's a short prayer you can say today:
"Dear God, I catch myself sometimes just rambling and talking to myself. Like I’m pacing the same hallway over and over instead of actually knocking on Your door. I don’t want to sound impressive. I don’t want to keep putting on a show. You know me too well for that. Help me drop the polish, and just be real. Even if all I can bring is a few plain words, let them be enough in Your hands. Turn my scraps into something that feeds me. And keep me close, Lord. Close enough that when You whisper, I don’t miss it. Amen."
God bless you!
Your brother in Christ,
Daniel
Daily Effective Prayer™
P.S. - Thank you for allowing me to connect with you through email. If you ever want to UNSUBSCRIBE you can do so at the bottom of any of my emails - no questions asked. God bless you.
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DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS
1. Are we praying to be heard by God or to impress ourselves?
We can tell by the aftertaste. If we finish praying and feel pressure to sound better next time, we were chasing applause in our own heads (I've seen this time and again). If we close our eyes and feel settled, like a lake after the wind, that’s God’s peace. We don’t need stage lights. We need a kitchen table and an honest heart. Let’s drop the churchy polish, speak plain, and trust that our Father leans in when we pray with humility.
2. Are we Christians bringing our real needs or our rehearsed speech?
When we carry our pain to God, it shouldn’t arrive wrapped in fancy bows. He already knows where it hurts. If we’re pacing in circles, repeating safe lines, we may be protecting pride more than seeking help. Let’s put the wound on the table. Raw. Unedited. Like handing a mechanic the keys and saying, “It’s knocking.” God fixes things we admit are broken. He heals what we hand Him.
3. Is a Christian listening as much as they're talking?
Prayer isn’t a monologue. It’s more like breathing on a long walk. Talk on the exhale. Listen on the inhale. If we fill the whole prayer with our words, we might leave no space for His. Let’s quiet the noise and practice small pauses. A sentence. A silence. A nudge in our spirit. Often the answer slips in gently, like light under a door. Let's take more time to be still when we pray.
4. Are Believers aligning with Scripture or just our feelings?
Feelings are real, but they’re like the weather. Here and changing. God’s Word is what we can and must build our lives on. If we pray only what we feel, we drift. When we anchor prayer to Scripture, we steer straight and our confidence rises because His Word is His will (1 John 5:14). Let’s intertwine our prayer requests with His promises. Not to twist His arm, but to tune our hearts. Faith rises when our mouths (and hearts) agree with what God already said.
5. Are we praying once or building a life of prayer?
One prayer is a seed. A life of prayer is a garden. If we toss a seed and walk away, we’ll call it a failure. But if we water daily with praise and thanksgiving that God's answer is on the way, pull a few weeds of doubt and unbelief, wait for sun, and keep showing up, we’ll see growth. Let’s make prayer even more of a habit. Short prayers in the car. Long ones during a walk. Gratitude at the sink. Over time, roots deepen, fruit shows, and we realize God was cultivating us all along.
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—Psalm 119:133
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