Jesus warns against vain repetition in prayer — praying a formula many times over can become "heaping up empty phrases"

Matthew 6:7 — "when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words." The religious impulse of natural man is to turn rituals into substance — thinking the repetition itself gains hearing. When the Lord's Prayer is prayed 17 times in one sitting, you may be falling into this error. Mike recommends praying the Lord's Prayer once, using each clause as a launch pad for specific personal prayers (e.g., "give us this day our daily bread" launches into prayers for specific needs).