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Is 29. 13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men."
 
 
God is not pleased with worship and praise that comes as a matter of religious form and not from a heart of love, respect, and fear. While false and true professors of faith in Christ may sound and look alike to us, God, who looks on the heart, easily detects the difference. The false professor has fine words but their hearts are actually, at the very moment of their praise, far from God. Instead they pray to hear themselves, or pray to be heard by others, or pray to fulfill some ritual requirement,  "a commandment taught by men."
 
Under this last category, when one prays merely according to some human formula, or to fulfill some human rule, not a biblical one-- such as pray 5 times a day or else, pray like Jabez or else--our so called fear of God is really only the fear of breaking the commandments of men.
 
Let us learn to pray what is really on our hearts, not merely what is in the prayer book.
 
Calvin...."By the mouth and lips he means an outward profession, which belongs equally to the good and the bad; but they differ in this respect, that bad men have nothing but idle ostentation, and think that they have done all that is required, if they open their lips in honor of God; but good men, out of the deepest feeling of the heart, present themselves before God, and, while they yield their obedience, confess and acknowledge how far they are from a perfect discharge of their duty."
 
Our Father wants our hearts, our true prayers, our sincere thoughts, not mere ritual. Empty ritual, despite its outward beauty, seeming piety, and gracious words, is an abomination to God. Those ritualistic prayers come as utter hypocrisy, which he detests.
 
Instead he wants our hearts near to him,  our words are to come from sincere hearts. When our words are far from our heart, when they do not reflect our true hear, then our hearts are far from God, and our empty words and distant hearts are an offense to him.
 
Lord teach me to bring you not ritual, not lofty words, but a heart that is near you, and words to match, please!