*** w86 5/15 p. 22 Praying Before Others With a Humble Heart ***When individuals have the opportunity to speak to kings or rulers of this world, they usually do so respectfully and with dignity, highly appreciating the privilege. Should we be less respectful and appreciative when speaking to “the living God and the King to time indefinite”? (Jeremiah 10:10) Of course not. Thus, such expressions as, “Good afternoon, Jehovah” or, “We want to talk to you, Jehovah” are out of place in prayer, as are conversational remarks such as, “How are you today?” “Give our love to Jesus,” or, “Have a nice day.”—Compare Ecclesiastes 5:1, 2.
Imagine a Christian who negligently falls into the habit of automatically using the same expressions every day when offering thanks to Jehovah. Eventually, the phrases become meaningless. Even the divine name, Jehovah, can be used in this way. True, we are urged to call upon Jehovah’s name. (Psalm 105:1) But if we use that name at the end of almost every sentence in our prayer, then it becomes like a mannerism or an ‘empty repetition.’
*** w85 6/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***
? Are there things that we should avoid saying when we pray to Jehovah?
Yes, there are. We should avoid saying things in our prayers that sound overly familiar and suggest to others (in public prayers) that we are being disrespectful. Such expressions as “Good afternoon, Jehovah” and “Give our love to Jesus” are not fitting, nor are humorous comments or even jokes in our prayers. Why?
