It’s easy to become distracted when somebody else is praying. But have you ever become distracted by the style or mannerisms of the person praying? I sure have. Nobody likes to admit they’re distracted during a prayer meeting: “Oh! I’m just nodding in agreement here…not nodding off.” But I freely admit that sometimes habitually repeated filler words, phrases, or noises during a prayer seize my attention and won’t let go. I find myself counting how many times somebody says “just” or “really” or repeats God’s or Jesus’ name after every thought or phrase, or when they make funny noises with their mouth or throat that they don’t do in normal speech (that “tchi” sound as someone starts to pray). You might have found yourself in a similar situation…or very soon will after reading this article brings it to your attention (sorry).

How do we drop the filler words in prayer?

To be clear, I throw no stones. As a member of the prayer ministry team at my church, I pray out loud for people all the time. And just this last Sunday, I caught myself repeating phrases like “we just ask you…” “please just…” “we just thank you…” “would you really just…?” I was distracting myself! Praying in public is not a performance. But when we pray out loud, we need to have those with whom we’re praying in mind, and avoid becoming a distraction to them.

Public prayer is not a performance

We can become self conscious when we pray out loud in a group or even one-on-one. We’re speaking and everybody else is listening and praying along. For some of us, that can feel like a lot of pressure, like we’re in the spotlight. That can make us feel nervous and apt to use extra words. But Jesus taught his disciples that prayer is not a performance:

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others…do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:5, 7-8).

He encouraged them to pray in private and to pray concisely. We don’t need to impress anyone, least of all God. He knows what we’re going to say and he loves to hear us pray. As his children, we are worthy to pray, even if the words don’t come out right (John 8:26). We need not use any fancy words, impressive theological phrases, or drone on and on. We can be at ease. We’re not performing; however, we need to keep others in mind as we pray.

Filter out the fillers

Like any habit, avoiding filler words, noises, and phrases can be challenging at first. Begin by pausing, taking a breath, and asking the Holy Spirit to lead your prayer. There’s no need to rush; before each sentence, take a moment to order your words before speaking them. Feel free to pause and listen to the Holy Spirit; a moment of silence doesn’t hurt anything. Then, carefully enunciate your words, giving each sentence a definite beginning and ending. It’s okay to be brief. If you catch yourself dropping in a filler word or noise, don’t panic. Forgive yourself and move on. With persistence, we can break our habits of using fillers and avoid distracting others (and ourselves) as we pray.

May we pray for you? Share a prayer request with us below. We invite you to check out our free ebook, “How Do I Pray?” We also encourage you to explore the prayer resources on our website.