The Bible has some strong language when it comes to lying. Presenting myself in a deceptive manner is protested in everyone of its books. From false balances in the business world to false tongues in a day witnesses mattered and false prophets in the spiritual world – they all have one thing in common – their end result is unmitigated condemnation. Is it fair to say that most of life is a lie? It may not be in the vulgar or ordinary sense of the term we are comfortable with but maybe, just in order to live, we lie. So when it comes to prayer, can I pray without lying? Once I past my opening sentence of “God be merciful to me a sinner” would the next sentence be a lie? If lying is the absence of sincerity – that burning influence which purifies my spirit – then to pray and not mean it, is there any greater lie to be told? I mean lying to God – really – I have done it.

Their visions are false, and their predictions are lies. They claim that they are speaking my message, but I have not sent them. Yet they expect their words to come true! I tell them: Those visions you see are false, and the predictions you make are lies. You say that they are my words, but I haven’t spoken to you!” So the Sovereign Lord says to them, “Your words are false, and your visions are lies. I am against you. I am about to punish you prophets who have false visions and make misleading predictions. You will not be there when my people gather to make decisions; your names will not be included in the list of the citizens of Israel; you will never return to your land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord. “The prophets mislead my people by saying that all is well. All is certainly not well! My people have put up a wall of loose stones, and then the prophets have come and covered it with whitewash.  – Ezekiel 13:6-10 GNT

Maybe this is why there are so many who will not pray.

“Don’t they know?” God asks.

    “Are these evildoers ignorant?

They live by robbing my people,

    and they never pray to me.” – Psalm 53:4 GNT

If I carry out to deliberately go against God and those who follow Him, while faking my prayer, I had best know that I will not receive any favour from God. Maybe that is why I am jealous of those who have a real relationship with God and maybe that is why I strike out at them. Imagine, hating those who pray, but unable to pray for myself. A great lie indeed.

The single most comprehensive book on prayer. It explores prayer from every angle – biblically, theologically, anthropologically, historically, psychologically and practically. Its essays also represent multiple cultural perspectives. – Timothy Keller on Carson, D. A., “Teach Us to Pray: Prayer in the Bible and the World.”