February 1, 2026

The Guidelines of Prayer | James 2:17

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The Guidelines of Prayer | James 2:17

The Guidelines of Prayer

Key Scripture

James 2:17 – “So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless.”

Prayer is one of the foundational actions through which genuine faith expresses itself.

Matthew 6:5–8 – Jesus teaches believers how to pray with sincerity, humility, and dependence.

What Is Prayer?

Prayer is the practice of the presence of God.
It is deliberately approaching God, acknowledging His nearness, and living in continual awareness of Him.

1. Prayer Mandates Virtue

Virtue = moral excellence, goodness, righteousness

Jesus begins by addressing the character of the one who prays.

Matthew 6:5
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites…”

A Command

  • “You must not be like…” – an imperative, not a suggestion.

Hypocrisy

  • Word: Hupokritai

    • Hupo – under

    • Kritai – interpreter/actor

  • Originally a word for stage actors—people playing a part.

  • A hypocrite performs prayer for attention rather than to seek God.

“A hypocrite is someone who prays on their knees on Sunday and preys on their neighbors on Monday.”

Their Posture Was Not the Problem

  • Standing in prayer is fine—the issue was why they were standing:

    • They wanted to be seen by others.

  • True prayer can be:

    • Prostrate

    • Kneeling

    • Sitting

    • Standing
      …as long as the heart is centered on God.

Their Reward

  • Word: Misthon – wages, payment for work.

  • Their “payment” was the public recognition they craved.

  • Their prayer wasn’t directed at God—so they got no reward from God.

Jesus gives the same warning in Matthew 6:2 about giving.

Virtuous prayer flows from a righteous heart, not from a desire for applause.

2. Prayer Demands Intimacy

Matthew 6:6
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father…”

Pray to Your Father

  • Word: Proseuchomai

    • Pros – toward

    • Euchomai – to entreat, vow, request, consecrate
      Prayer is personal, intimate, relational.

Secret Prayer

  • Word: Kruptos – hidden, concealed (where we get crypt).

  • God sees what is done in secret.

    • Blepo – sees with physical sight.

God Will Reward

  • Word: Apodidomi – to give back, to repay, to return.

  • God responds to sincere prayer offered in humility and intimacy.

3. Prayer Necessitates Sincerity

Matthew 6:7
“And when you pray, do not keep babbling like the pagans…”

Do Not Babble

  • Word: Battalogeo

    • To speak without thought

    • To chatter

    • To use empty repetition

Biblical Examples of Empty Babbling

  • Prophets of Baal
    1 Kings 18:26 – Repeating Baal’s name from morning until noon with no answer.

  • The Ephesian mob
    Acts 19:34 – Chanting “Great is Artemis!” for two hours.

Sincerity Defined

  • Genuine, honest, single-minded, free from hypocrisy.

  • Opposite: Duplicity – deliberate deception, divided motives.

True prayer is thoughtful, heartfelt, and honest—not mechanical.

4. Prayer Requires Relationship

Matthew 6:8
“For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

Prayer does not inform God—it connects us to God.

God Initiated the Relationship

  • The question: Which came first? Our need for God or God’s desire for us?

  • Scripture gives the answer:

1 John 4:19 – “We love Him because He first loved us.”
1 John 4:10 – God loved us first and sent His Son as the atonement.

Prayer flows from a relationship God initiated, sustained by His love and knowledge of us.

Summary

Jesus teaches that prayer must be:

  • Virtuous – avoiding hypocrisy

  • Intimate – meeting with God privately

  • Sincere – thoughtful and honest

  • Relational – rooted in God’s love for us

Prayer is not performance—it is communion with our Father.