Bible Answer

Is public prayer biblical?

September 09, 2018

Author

Matthew 6:6 tells us to pray privately. But is it ok to pray publicly in a group or in front of a church?

While Paul speaks of praying in all places (1 Tim 2:8), there is no specific biblical command for the church to seek opportunities for public prayer. As Jesus taught, the preferred way to pray is in secret where our heart’s motives will remain pure. If we choose to engage in public prayer, we do not sin (even Jesus offered prayers in the company of others at times), but in those moments we must ensure our prayers are not specifically orchestrated to gain attention for our own piety, as Jesus taught.

For a full discussion on payer, we recommend listening to Lesson 6C from our Matthew Bible Study.