In this article we address the question “What do Christians wear when praying?” and give more information about the answer that surprises some believers of non-Christian religions.
There are no dress codes that Christians must follow when praying. Christians wear whatever clothes they are wearing when they pray. It is not customary for Christians to change clothes before praying.
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What do Christians really wear during prayer?
There is no practice in Christianity that prescribes a particular dress during prayer. When a prayer is said (some also take the word perform), it is never a compulsory practice. No Christian is forced to pray. All prayer is voluntary.
What does this have to do with the clothes when praying? Quite simply, a Christian can pray at any time and without any preconditions (except that he trusts that his prayer will be answered). He can do this publicly in a train or – what Jesus clearly suggests – all alone in a private room.
Prayer is therefore a private matter for the believer. How he dresses for it is up to him. If he wants, he can go to prayer in the dirtiest clothes. There are some Christians who dress well on certain occasions to give glory to God – but this is absolutely voluntary, as I said before.
Is it a disgrace not to pray with certain clothes?
There are religions that require a certain suit and clothes (or other ritual clothing) to be allowed to talk to God. For these religions, the corresponding deity is far away and must not be humiliated. Respect is paid to him or her and a certain humble attitude is taken.
This is completely different with Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ came to pick up the poor people. He came to earth to say: God loves every human being; especially those who feel lost. These were people from the lower class, who did not have the opportunity to dress particularly well or particularly badly.
Again and again we read in the New Testament that God does not care about such things. He doesn’t care how much material possessions a person has;- to God, the attitude of the heart is more important than any material goods.
To put one more on it. In the letters of Paul we read that the women in the church should please decorate themselves discreetly. Jewelry or flashy clothing should not be the focus in the church. This again emphasizes the point that God doesn’t care about such things as clothes.
So there is absolutely no shame in worshipping in certain clothes. A certain way of dressing is absolutely not required.
Why the deliberate wearing of certain clothes during prayer promotes inauthentic prayers.
In the previous section, I mentioned it briefly: the clothes when praying are not relevant for God, but can trigger certain ideas in people.
For example, that a well-dressed man with an expensive suit, who then also leads the prayer, has a special role from God and is especially blessed. Hopefully, this man is aware that he can trigger such a train of thought.
If he knows this and therefore dresses accordingly – that is, to distinguish himself before people – he should consider whether the material goods and the praise of others is not more important to him than God.
The Bible warns against people who stand up in public and pray loudly. It is quite possible that these people also dressed relatively conspicuously. This way everyone could see and hear them, how great they pay homage to God and what great people they are.
This behavior is sharply criticized by Jesus and he says that it is better to pray alone in a closet than to pray like this.
So it is not important what a Christian puts on, but why he does it!
Simple summary: What do Christians wear when praying?
Christians do not wear special clothes for prayer. Prayer in Christianity is considered a private affair and no emphasis is placed on specific clothing. Since a Christian can pray to God at any time, the vast majority of Christians wear normal street clothes. At certain events, such as church services, it is customary in some churches to wear special clothes (e.g. suits). However, this is due to the congregation and has nothing to do with actually praying. As soon as Christians put on certain things for prayers, they should examine their attitude towards themselves, God and people.
