"Do Not Be Like Them"

⁷When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. ⁸ Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
Matthew 6:7-8 

Jesus was a nonconformist, did you realize that?  His talk on the mount is an eye-opener to those who have chained themselves to the rules and regulation of religion and call it "Faith."  Let me ask you something, and think hard about it, what denomination was Jesus?  Was He Pentecostal?  Was He Methodist?  Was He Baptist?  Was He Episcopalian?

Remember when Elijah confronted Jezebel's priests of Baal?  They kept "praying" louder and louder and even began cutting themselves trying to get a response out of Baal.  Is that what we have to do for God to hear us?  Jesus' own words in verse 7 remind us that repetition does not constitute prayer!  In fact, Jesus outright tells us NOT to be like those who believe repetition and prattling on and on is the way to get God's attention.  He said, "Don't be like them!"

To Jesus, the simple fact of the matter is God wants us to have a relationship with Him, not a "religion."  Jesus reminds us several times that God already knows what we need before we even ask, because He loves us that much.  And since God loves us so much, doesn't it make sense that God wants a relationship with us?  Ponder that for a bit whilst I go get more coffee.