FAQ

As is often the case, you associate prayer only with having a need and asking God for something. Of course, this is also prayer, but it is only one type of prayer—not the most important, though the most common. Prayer is any communion with God; it is precisely in communion with Him, in union with Him, and in relationship with Him that a Christian finds the meaning and primary content of their life. This is easily understood if you truly love someone: being together with that person, talking with them, being silent together, and so on, becomes the joy of your life. The point is not to use God as a magic wand, but to commune with Him Himself. Of course, we are children before Him, and children, when they communicate with adults, most often ask for things; yet loving parents are not irritated by this, even though they themselves know better what their child needs. In the same way, God maintains this connection with us through prayer because in this way our love for Him is realized and grows. And in the verse you mentioned, the reference is to not praying like the heathens, who instead of prayer to God offered long magic incantations, seeking to achieve some of their own goals. Jesus warns against such a distortion of the goals and forms of prayer.