Vain Repetitions

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

- Matthew 6:7

There are a lot of cliche phrases that we incorporate into prayers. We say them so often that they're completely meaningless and serve as mere filler. While they don't exactly represent "The Lord's Prayer" levels of repetition, it would do us all well to avoid them. Heavenly Father is probably long past tired of hearing them.

Some of the most common examples are:


 * “We thank Thee for this day…”
 * “We thank thee for all our many blessings”
 * “We thank Thee for this moisture/precipitation…”
 * “Bless this food that it may nourish and strengthen our bodies” (sometimes followed by “and do us the good that we need”)
 * "Bless this food and the hands that prepared it..."
 * “Bless us in all our endeavors…”
 * “Bless us that we may be able to make it home safely/in safety…”
 * “Bless those who weren't able to come that they may be able to make it next time…”
 * “Bless those who don’t have what we have…”
 * “... that we can learn and grow”