Please take a knee and pray with me, these special words!?

Please take a knee and pray with me these special words.

Dear possible deity,

Give people the strength to know that MEN wrote to bible as a way to oppress ceratin groups and control the masses. Let then know that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality and a woman's body is her own and not for other's to tell her what she may or may not do with it. Let then know that killing in the name of a god is wrong. Make then take note of the hypocrisy they do everyday.

He is Amun Ra, King of the Beginning, Lord without limit!

Sorry! I don't like the poetry, neither the myths.

I get on my knees, but not to pray

King David of ancient Israel was a man of prayer. As a divinely inspired psalmist, he sang: “O Hearer of prayer, even to you people of all flesh will come.” (Psalm 65:2) Jehovah is able to understand prayers uttered in any of the thousands of languages spoken by mankind. The fact that no human mind could process so much information does not mean that God cannot pay attention to all who pray to him in an acceptable way.

Yet, Jesus Christ—also a man of prayer—revealed that not all prayers please God. Note what Jesus said about the then popular practice of repeating memorized prayers. According to the Catholic Jerusalem Bible, he stated: “In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard.” (Matthew 6:7) We cannot expect Jehovah to listen to prayers that do not express our true feelings.

Indicating why some prayers do not please God, a Bible proverb says: “He that is turning his ear away from hearing the law—even his prayer is something detestable.” (Proverbs 28:9) Another proverb says: “Jehovah is far away from the wicked ones, but the prayer of the righteous ones he hears.” (Proverbs 15:29) At a time when the leaders of ancient Judah bore heavy guilt, Jehovah declared: “When you spread out your palms, I hide my eyes from you. Even though you make many prayers, I am not listening; with bloodshed your very hands have become filled.”—Isaiah 1:1, 15.

The apostle Peter mentioned something else that could make prayers unacceptable to God. Peter wrote: “You husbands, continue dwelling in like manner with [your wives] according to knowledge, assigning them honor as to a weaker vessel, the feminine one, since you are also heirs with them of the undeserved favor of life, in order for your prayers not to be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7) The prayers of a man who ignored such counsel might get no farther than the ceiling!

Clearly, certain requirements must be met if prayers are to be heard. However, many who pray show little concern about doing what God requires of us. That is why so much earnestness in prayer has not resulted in a better world.

What, then, does God require for our prayers to be heard? The answer has to do with our very reason for praying. In fact, if we want to know whether prayers do any good, we must understand their purpose. Why has Jehovah made it possible for us to speak to him?

“YOU do ask, and yet you do not receive, because you are asking for a wrong purpose . . . Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.” (James 4:3, 8) Those words of Jesus’ disciple James may well prompt us to consider our reasons for praying.

Prayer is not just a means of telling God what we need. In his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “Your Father knows what things you are needing before ever you ask him.” Yet, Jesus also said: “Keep on asking, and it will be given you.” (Matthew 6:8; 7:7) So Jehovah does want us to tell him what we feel we need. But there is much more to prayer than that.

True friends do not communicate only when they need something. They are interested in each other, and their friendship grows when they express their feelings. Similarly, prayer has a greater purpose than merely asking for necessities. It affords opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Jehovah by expressing our heartfelt devotion to him.

Yes, God has granted us the privilege of prayer so that we might draw close to him. This can happen only if we express our own feelings to God instead of reciting memorized prayers. What a delight it is to talk to Jehovah in prayer! Moreover, a Bible proverb says: “The prayer of the upright ones is a pleasure to him.”—Proverbs 15:8.

“As for me, the drawing near to God is good for me,” sang the psalmist Asaph. (Psalm 73:28) But to draw near to God, we must do more than pray. Notice how the following account indicates this:

“A certain one of [Jesus’] disciples said to him: ‘Lord, teach us how to pray.’” In reply Jesus said: “Whenever you pray, say, ‘Father, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come.’” (Luke 11:1, 2) Could we pray meaningfully in this way without first learning what God’s name is and how it will be sanctified? And could we pray in harmony with these words of Jesus if we did not understand what God’s Kingdom is? An understanding of these matters is available if we examine the Bible carefully. The knowledge thus gained will help us to know God and understand his ways. Furthermore, becoming acquainted with Jehovah God will make us feel closer and more devoted to him. In turn, this will help us to speak to him more freely in prayer.