Our prayers today are one-sided: we're doing all of the talking because we can't hear the LORD's voice. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be, for now. Maybe we're not doing something right. Our prayers for others are heard, though, and properly recorded in our life records.

To pray for someone's healing is a noble thing, since we are generally powerless in the face of death. The best we can do for now is to alleviate suffering, if possible, and comfort the sick and dying with hope for the future life.

Jesus did tell us to pray in secret, not in public. Public prayers can go on and on and sometimes turn into sermons. We shouldn't pray in public if he told us not to.

Because we are connected to God via our spirit, he already knows what we need before we ask him. There's nothing about us he doesn't know, and therefore, there's nothing we can hide from him. He is well aware of our feelings of helplessness when facing terminal illness and rebellion in our loved ones.

In the future life, the LORD will communicate with us as he did with Jesus while he was on Earth. We will ask, and we will hear his answer in our ears.

Where is it said to not pray in public? This is a new one on me. I hope you can cite scriptural evidence for your comment.

You are right in one aspect ... prayer is a very personal matter. But I am not sure there is anything wrong with public prayer.

Prayers to God should be mostly for one purpose ... and that is to enrich our spiritual lives. We should pray for spiritual healing. I don't think that physical healing is all that important in this life. We will soon enough have new bodies. These old sin wretched bodies of ours are of little importance.

What the promises of God are for is for our spiritual healing. He promises to provide every opportunity for us to be drawn to Him. And we can claim those promises.

He does know all of our spiritual needs before we ask. But I think it is healthy for us to verbalize our spiritual needs. And I think He likes to hear that.

Wasn't the prayers that Jesus condemned those that were loud, showy ones done in order for others to see? That was the reason He told us to do it in secret

Public prayer doesn't have to be showy. It can be incredibly heart-felt and meaningful to the audience. I have heard many such prayers and I am sure the Lord wouldn't condem them but would be pleased that such prayers have touched the hearts of the listeners as well as being directed at God.

Secret prayer also has it's place, where one can unburden their hearts to God in a way you couldn't do in public simply because you wouldn't want everyone to know all those details about your life. Also you pray in private so there are no distractions for you to hear from God in the quietness of your heart when you are done praying.

They are not mutually exclusive. They are both an intricate part of worship...at least that is my 2 cents.

No longer do I like to pray in public.

I used to go to prayer meeting and be disappointed that we barely had time for prayer, because we were having another study maybe even on prayer! (You know how Adventist are about studying! :) )

Now at a prayer meeting, I hope that they don't expect or ask me to pray. Is something wrong with me?

My private prayers are mostly without words. Just listening for a still small voice. A voice that is quiet but intensely loving.

No, there is nothing wrong with you. Perhaps your retisence goes with your personality. God made you so he understands what you are comfortable with and why. If you met a shy person for the first time... you would not instantly go up and hug them, swirl them around in circles and invite them out with your friends to a party at the beach, now would you? Well God knows your personality as well...and he doesn't want to overwhelm you nor does he expect you to be someone you are not.

Thanks for the good answers.

As I see it, our prayers on Earth are training for some sort of communication with God in the next life, whether it’s telepathic, or something else, maybe one of the functions of the golden wreaths (crowns) everyone will wear. Here, in private, we can tell God our needs and we can ask him which way we should go. Although we can't hear his voice behind us, he has heard our voice and our thoughts and it becomes part of our life record.

When we do enter his Kingdom, we already have this experience, and we will not have to spend so much time learning how to communicate with God throughout our work day. Maybe this is how we will learn new tasks and keep God informed of our completed work.

I don't believe our public prayers have much to do with this scenario of communicating with God in order to know what to do. Prayer should be kind of a one-on-one thing. I sometimes suspect the worst hypocrites among us are standing up in front of the church speaking their sometimes grandiose prayers into a microphone. Perhaps a moment or two of silent prayer would be far more effective…

Maybe some receive something from public prayers, but to me it's more of a performance, especially when some wax eloquent and preach sermons during their long prayers. I just don’t think that’s what prayer is supposed to be.

I don't think Jesus prayed very much at all in public. His prayers all seem to be very private, except for one or two exceptions to teach us how to pray. It is important that we pray for the health and wellbeing of others, and not for financial gain or stuff for ourselves, or any other selfish pursuit not related to helping others or our own survival.

I've often wondered what Jesus prayed about when he went alone into the hills. I think at these times he talked to Messengers from God face-to-face who told him what to do. This reinforced his belief in his mission to save the world, or, at least, to save those who have done what God wanted them to do, which is to be good servants of God.

What about praying to God to bless our food. If he has given it to us ... isn't it blessed? Is there some need for this public prayer or is it simply tradition? If it was offered to idols then it may need to be blessed. I just don't know. What think ye?

I must say that I have never liked having someone speak for me and public prayer seems to be like that.

Interesting idea Redwood about blessing the food. I think we do it because Jesus thanked his father at the feeding of the 5,000, right? Or am I not remembering correctly? I think it is just a thank you prayer for the gift we have in not going hungry and having something to eat. Maybe that is what is meant by having an attitude of "constant prayer" because there is so much in our lives to be thankful for, not just food.